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Ether bottle

panzerjunky

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san diego ca
Hello Gents
I have a mount under my hood for the ether bottle as well as the valving for said bottle.
On the valve portion there is a wire with a waterproof plug But.......there is no place to plug it.
How does this system work does it work in conjunction with the Manifold heater or is it controlled via another switch or system somewhere else.
Also I am in need of 2 of the bottles in good shape one for my Deuce and one for my MEP004 I dont care if they are empty ( I live in Southern Ca) dont think I will need cold weather starting. But the bracket is there and I am trying to restore this one.
Thanks Jerry
 

Stalwart

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Mine has a propane cylinder in it. You don't use ether WITH a flame type manifold heater unless you like lots of fire.
 

Wildchild467

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Mine has a propane cylinder in it. You don't use ether WITH a flame type manifold heater unless you like lots of fire.

So the propane does not ignite with the flame heater (use propane instead of fuel from the fuel tank), correct? it just sprays propane in the cylinders instead of either? that seems safer than either, right? i know starting a diesel with either is a very risky thing if not metered correctly.
 

doghead

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The ether start kits installed on M35A2 trucks is not designed for propane. It is designed for ETHER only.

Intake air Flame heaters use diesel fuel from the fuel tank.

You cannot safely operate the intake air flame heater and use ether. It would be very foolish to have both systems mounted and operational on a truck.

The Either kit uses the same momentary switch on the dash as the flame heater(different instruction labels)

You cannot use a hand held can of ether and meter such a small charge as the kit dispenses.
 

Stalwart

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So the propane does not ignite with the flame heater (use propane instead of fuel from the fuel tank), correct? it just sprays propane in the cylinders instead of either? that seems safer than either, right? i know starting a diesel with either is a very risky thing if not metered correctly.
No I don't use it, it just has an empty bottle in the ether cans place. You said you didn't care if it's empty or not so I figured you just wanted it for show.
 

blisters13

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I bet one or the other system is not supposed to be there. As was pointed out, you do not use ether and manifold heater systems together (whether flame type or electric). Decide which system is correct for the period you wish to restore your truck to and remove the incorrect system.2cents

You can use ether on a diesel as long as 1) You do not use ether when using a manifold heater; 2) The truck is equipped witha semi-auto metering system; 3) you only spray no more than a thimbleful per starting attempt; and 4) the engine is already cranking when you spray it into the air cleaner so that no one cylinder gets a heavy charge. Usually a truck needing ether to start has problems which need correction for proper, normal starting. Of these problems, low batteries, poor battery connections (loose and/or corroded), dirty air filter, low fuel pressure, low compression are the culprits. The first three are the most common and are the easiest to correct.

The 5-ton mechanic (Viet Nam) who works in my shop told me the Army allowed ether use but no more than three tries.

Anyways, sorry to get off-topic. Pick one system and restore it then remove the other!
 

m38inmaine

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Maine USA
The ether start kit comes with hardware to replace the old flame heater parts. I bought the kit new and it worked very well.
 
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