D17000 on pony brake

Thanks for posting. MOG, That was a clean engine. I missed hearing it running as it was parked as Toby and I wondered by.

Seems to be in good condition and runs great.

Based on my youtube experience most cat owners are very cold harded people when starting they engines. In this video and many others they don't warm up the engine at all, they just pour half can of ether into the intake. It would have taken only 2 minutes more to start it with correct way.

Were I live is cold season half of the year. In 60's ether was the stuff they used every day and in few years engines needed to be rebuilt. Nobody uses it anymore. I have a can of ether just in case and I haven't need it for ten years, not even once. That's why it wonder why somebody would restore something and then use ether to start it when theres no need to use it.

Wow, surprised they didn't blow a piston using all that Ether😖hocked. I agree with you ArcticCarbon.
Joe Giraud
40'Cat D2/3J#4103
41' Dodge Military 4x4 Pick-Up

Ether (starting fluid) produced today is not the stuff of old. Apparently reformulated to foil the meth lab abusers or something like that.

Cat did provide ether injection option as well as manifold heaters (not together) for the D17000 but ether quantities were controlled.

Pony electric start on the D17000 seems to be a rare option today.

Direct electric start even rarer.

Thanks for posting mog5858, your compliments are taken and appreciated. I will put some #s on here for you guys when my wife has some time to help me with the Computer thing!!

And I can tell some people are not familiar with a D17000. I took the cat ether capsule system off this engine that would inject into both sides, due to not being able to get the them anymore. If you wait to warm this girls water up it takes almost a half hour. It holds 55 gallons. The D17000 is a very cold blooded engine and is known for that. With using common sense you will not hurt it!!! Once you have had her running and she is warmed up she pops right off. But you gentleman are more than welcome to post your thoughts.

Want thank OM for contributing some help full info as well as Bill Walters help on the fuel system.

just a little note this video was edit for time he did let the pony warm up for min's before raising the rpm to start to crank the diesel. ever think about doing a PTO set up instead of the belt or do you use it on the saw mill some time's too.

just a little note this video was edit for time he did let the pony warm up for min's before raising the rpm to start to crank the diesel. ever think about doing a PTO set up instead of the belt or do you use it on the saw mill some time's too.

Must say, you have full points from me about warming up the pony before start.
My thoughs about the cold harded cat owners is more baced on what I've seen on youtube.

Smaller engines do get ether addion sooner or later baced on my experience at least in Finnnish winter. The D17000 is big solid engine and it can hande some ether. I didn't hear any knockin during start up so you must have used it right way.

I agree with you about the cold blooded nature of D17000. Mine takes also longer time, at least 4 minutes, in (+25C) warm weather. That's a lot longer than D342 wich takes about a minute for clean instant starting. I can only guess how long it takes colder weather when D342 needs several minutes. Four times that? I used tractor to turn the engine over for start so my starting rpm was hingher.


My D 17000 experience is limited. With D8 I turn the engine over with compression on until white smoke turns into blue smoke and then I open the throtle. Thats the time when its warm ennough for instant start. If I give it fuel any sooner it tries to start with couple of cylinders and that seems to give extra stress to the pony. With fuel off it warms really quick when turning over with full compression. No need to wait coolant to warm. But like said before the D17000 might be more demqnding.

Hello 1951D2,
Thanks for setting me straight on how "Cold Blooded" these engines are. I can see how you would need to use ether to help fire them up. I have just heard from a lot of folks that ether can be harmful to engines if used over a long period of time. Perhaps it's one of those "Urban Legends" that we hear about. At an outside temperature of say 60 degrees F, how long would you guess you have to warm up an engine like this with the Pony before it starts ?
Joe Giraud
40' Cat D2/3J#4103
41 Dodge WC-12 Military 4x4 Pick-Up