Need A Diesel Guru

Okay, I know I'm sounding like a hand wringing, silly old woman over this old tractor, but this one last "hurdle" is really bothering me.

The German 310 Diesel: This thing smokes when started cold. First a light grey color for a minute or two, then it turns to the pretties shade of blue you ever saw. It smokes like this until I put it into a load or the tractor gets good and warmed up, then the smoke clears right up and goes away.

It hardly smokes at all when pulling real hard like you would expect and I see no smoke at all 'till it is started again cold. It pulls like a bear and sounds just as it should.

I've had my local "Red Mech" look at it three times now and he says there is absolutely nothing wrong with that engine. And that, "It probably just needs to be worked real hard for awhile".

He has been working on these IH tractors since he was a boy (now 69) and is the absolute best there is in this part of the country.

Is this normal for a 310? Does it need to be worked hard because it has been setting around idle for quite awhile?

Red Mech says he doesn't want to touch the injection pump, "'Cause it is running tooooo good" and that the timing is right where it should be.

I've owned 282s, 360s and 414s. They never acted like this.

If it is normal for a 310, how did IH ever sell any of these things new?

Hand wringing, hand wringing,

Allan

Yep, I think you're right; a good hard day's work would probably make all the difference in the world with this old tractor since it has been setting idle for so long.

Yesterday, I had the thing running for a couple of hours, shut it off while I was doing other things and then 2 or 3 hours later, I went back and started it again to hook up my mower.

Not a hint of any smoke. It smokes only after it sets overnight and is good and cold.

Back in the seventies and early eighties, I farmed with 282s, 360s and 414s which were all under 3,000 hours; and they worked very hard.

The thing is, they sure didn't ever smoke "blue" at start-up; the fact is, I really had to pull 'em hard to get them to smoke black.

This is what has me concerned and am wondering if the guides might be wobbled out. The goffy thing doesn't spin half a turn before it starts & runs great, so I know it has good compression.

I just dunno.

Allan

Diesels smoke, IH diesels abuse the privelege.

Don't worry about it.

Thanks for your comeback.

I just want the darned thing to be right. If it is supposed to smoke, so be it; but if not, then I'm droppin' an engine in it; I just don't want to spend a lot of money on it and then have it continue to smoke when cold because "they are normaly like that".

I just finished 2 hours of pulling it real hard, and there was not a spec of smoke of any kind. Once when it bumped up against the governor, it bleched a little black, but that much I know is normal.

I'll keep an eye on the oil, but I really haven't had it long enough to tell if it is using any to speak of. So far, so good tho.

Thanks,

Allan