

The fuel injectors in your car or truck do a great job of completing this task. Given the disdain many harbor toward starting fluid, why would anyone use it?īecause it can be effective in gasoline engines – especially carbureted engines – when used as directed.įor gasoline to combust, it must first be vaporized.

And sprayed.Įther is an effective solvent and, in this case, it washed the inside of the engine clean of oil, allowing metal components to contact and eventually seize. Its owner, the story goes, liberally sprayed starting fluid into the intake when the engine wouldn’t start. One mechanic I talked to blamed it for ruining the bearings in a two-stroke outboard motor. Warnings against its useĪsk five gearheads or mechanics their opinion on the topic and you might get five different answers. But some people also use it to try to start an engine that turns over but won’t fire.

People often use it in extremely cold weather to help start a stubborn engine. It’s designed to be sprayed in small amounts into the engine’s air intake to help it start. It’s a volatile chemical, typically ether, that’s normally packaged in a pressurized spray can. But, is starting fluid bad for diesel or two-stroke engines? Also, what is starting fluid? We’ll tackle those questions in this post. In small doses and used properly, starting fluid can help coax a hard-starting engine to life.
