starting fluid, very detrimental?

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Rapid Robert

Rapid Robert

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I remember a thread way back where a guy called it "liquid sand" & I used it yesterday to get my dart started to circulate the antifreeze I poured in since the ambient temp is gonna be below zero & it got me wondering actually how bad is this stuff? I'm snowed in/bored & my OCD is kicking in!. thank you for your time. RR
 
It works. But sadly I have seen the damage it causes first hand. Swollen piston skirts, blown out piston tops, the list goes on. Old diesels would actually become addicted to it and only start on it. The top rings take the most abuse. If you have to use it… use it cautiously. Better off draining coolant if you are that worried. Can’t freeze if it’s not there.
 
If you use starting fluid, all you need is a quick blast. Continual use will wash away lubrication and cause the above described problems. It isn't meant to be fuel, it is meant to be an aid to get engines to fire to get fuel moving.
 
I had some gas in a cup from when I gassed up the van a day prior & the plan was to use a syringe to fill the bowls & then a healthy amt in the carb but some snow reached the cup overnight and it was just too damn cold to go to the gas station again so I decided to just go ahead & use the spray. I'll be better prepared next time. thanks guys. RR
 
Everything in moderation.

I see guys pour a red solo cup full of fuel into the manifold and wonder why it won't start. You just flooded it!

Fill the bowel if it has not been run in a week or more ( but I doubt it is dry unless it's been months) plus in only a few rotations the fuel pump fills it.

Dribble a SMALL amount of fuel into the manifold

Hold the throttle open about 25 to 50% this allows the fuel vapor to move into the pistons

Then crank for a few seconds

Stop wait for a few seconds and crank again.

If you have a particularly hard to start hot rodded engine, you might need some help with starter fluid.

Just my 2 cents and from my personal experience
 
As stated starting fluid can do damage. Have you ever heard how the engine knocks/bangs/rattles? That is like running 87 octane in a 12-1 engine at 1500 rpm and 50 degrees advance floor boarded. That said, there is no reason it can't be used in moderation. Just a little squirt, crank, start, stall. repeat.
You really want to see damage? Take the oxyacetylene torch, stick it down the carb, turn on the acetylene, and the oxygen but don't lite the torch. Then hit the starter. Crankcase full of explosive mixture, and we have ignition. The engine started but all the oil came out from every displaced gasket/seal.
Did that about 60 years ago when I was a little dumber than I am now.
 
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No, no, no! Ya'll got it wrong! That stuff works great on my 2-stroke chainsaw after I noticed I didn't drain the old gas 3 years ago and she won't fire-up for some stupid reason...
:lol:

But seriously, I agree with using it in moderation. I've never witnessed any damage it has caused first-hand, but for over 50+ years I've heard the same things as what's already been posted, and since that dates back to Ancient Times (IOW, pre-internet), that's good enough for me.

Jim
 
I've been using it for 45 years and have never blown anything up. I grew up on a farm and dad would buy the stuff by the case. Hell-when I was 17, I bought a 67 Coronet that had a blown motor, I found a used 383 and put a 4 barrel on it, The AFB's accelerator pump was shot and I couldn't afford to get the carb rebuilt. I used starting fluid everyday, most times more than once a day for about a year. Then I found someone to rebuild the carb. It gets me-all of these You Tuber rescue videos Grind and grind on their finds, dribbling a tiny bit of gas or spritzing a little brake cleaner or carb cleaner over the top of the carb, I always post to use a good shot of starting fluid. Their **** would fire a lot faster!
I did buy a nice 73 New Yorker back in the day that had a blown up 440 that had already been replaced by a 383. The 383 wasn't completely hooked up. The owner told me he thought it had a hole in a piston. I figured I would try to start it before pulling the engine. So I finished hooking everything up. I gave it a very healthy shot of starting fluid and lit her off. It started but also exploded, it did have a hole in the piston and the ether explosion expanded the valve covers the oil pan and the timing cover and the valley pan, blowing all of the gaskets out. That's my story and opinion.
 
I'd be looking into WHY you need to use it in the first place. If everything is in good working order, it should start on its own. Cold weather or not.
 
ether very hard on rings! un timed un controlled explosions in side of a engine ant a good thing either!! i always keept a can to seat the bead on truck tires back when id change them out my self on fuel island, but quit doing that years ago,..tire men need to eat too...need help getting one to crank use wd40 or brake clean or just fill the bowl of the carb with good ol fashioned gasoline, youd be surprized how well that works....DWB
 
If you just GOTTA use it, get the engine spinning FIRST and then spray it in. But if you have to use it on a gas engine, something is WRONG. This is gasoline we're talking about.
 
what's going on is the car had been sitting for a long time so I'm thinking that the gas had evaporated and with the ambient temp being below zero that the batt might be way down so I figured that I might have just one shot to get it fired up. the radiator was down so I was able to add a fair amt of antifreeze & I absolutely need to get it circulated. Surprisingly on the 2nd try it fired right up. EDIT its 16 below zero right now so I will pop some caps today & see if I'm good. fingers crossed!!
 
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