Starting, preheating, and bleeding the Hinomoto C142 and C144
How to start the Hinomoto C142 and C144: preheating, safety start switch, dashboard lights, and bleeding the fuel system. Followed by the operation of the PTO and differential lock.
Suitable for the entire series: Hinomoto C142, C144, C172, and C174. The procedures and values come from the workshop manual of the C142 and C144. The C172 and C174 are not included in that manual, so values for those models have not been confirmed.
Contents
Starting and preheating the Hinomoto C142 and C144
The ignition switch has a GLOW position for preheating. The glow plugs also heat up in the start position, but the glow indicator light does not stay on. The workshop manual does not specify a preheating time in seconds.
If the engine is difficult to start when cold, a faulty glow plug is a common cause. Test the glow plugs individually: the resistance should be approx. 0.23 ohms. The glow plugs are wired in parallel.
How long should you preheat? The workshop manual does not provide a value for this.
Tip: replace a faulty glow plug with the Glow plug C142-C174 (SKU-551303-1). For the C142 and C144, tighten it to 15 to 19 Nm.
Hinomoto C142 and C144 safety start switch
On the manual transmission version, the safety start switch is located on the clutch pedal, on the left. Depress the pedal fully, otherwise the starter motor will not engage. On the hydrostatic version, there are two switches: the range selector lever must be in neutral and the PTO lever must be disengaged.
Never bypass this safety system. If the starter motor does not do anything, check the safety start switch, the fuse in the red wire near the starter relay, and the battery earth cable for corrosion. The battery is 12 V, with the negative terminal grounded.
The starter motor is a Hitachi with a built-in reduction gear. The brushes are 16 mm long when new and have a minimum limit of 11 mm. A replacement starter motor can be found as Starter motor (SKU-129025).
Hinomoto C142 and C144 dashboard lights
The dashboard has five indicator lights: charging, oil pressure, fuel, preheating, and coolant temperature.
| Indicator light | What the manual says about it |
|---|---|
| Charging | Turns off at approx. 1400 rpm of the engine |
| Oil pressure | The oil pressure is approx. 1.0 bar at 800 rpm and approx. 4.9 bar at 2700 rpm. The oil pressure switch is located right in front of the oil pump, on the left side of the engine |
| Preheating | Illuminates in the GLOW position, not in the start position |
| Coolant temperature | The thermostat begins to open at 69 to 73 °C and is fully open at 85 °C |
Damage to the head gasket and cylinder head in these engines usually occurs after overheating. If the temperature warning light comes on, shut off the engine immediately and find the cause first.
When does the charge indicator light turn off? At approx. 1400 rpm of the engine. The alternator outputs 12.5 A at 14 V.
Bleeding the Hinomoto C142 and C144 step by step
Bleed the system after every filter change. Never start the engine with air in the system, as this will damage the injection pump.
- Fill with clean diesel and open the petcock on the filter.
- If the sediment bowl does not fill up, loosen it slightly until it fills.
- Loosen the bleeding screw on the injection pump by 1.5 to 2 turns. Never unscrew it completely.
- Let the fuel run until no more air bubbles appear, then tighten the screw.
- Set the throttle halfway and start the engine.
- If it does not start, loosen the high-pressure lines at the fuel injectors and crank the engine until diesel comes out everywhere. Tighten the lines and try starting again.
How far should you loosen the bleeding screw? 1.5 to 2 turns. Never unscrew it completely.
Hinomoto C142 and C144 PTO and differential lock
The differential lock is operated with a pedal. The PTO is engaged with a lever. It runs at 540 rpm and features a built-in freewheel. A mid-mount PTO is only available on the hydrostatic version. A front PTO was an option, featuring an electric clutch driven from the crankshaft pulley. Power steering was also an option.
Read more about the PTO and three-point hitch in Hinomoto C142 and C144 hitch, PTO, and hydraulics.
