Prepping the Yanmar tractor for cooler mornings

[Glowing_O1]

My dad's old Yanmar 1700 runs fine in the heat but we're getting it ready for cooler weather and noticed it struggles on early mornings in the low 60s. It cranks a lot and throws black smoke before it finally starts. Is there a way to test the injectors without pulling them?

 

[princecharming]

Hard cold starts with black smoke can point to weak glow plugs or injector issues. You can't fully test injectors without removal, but you can check glow plug function first, they're often the easier, cheaper fix.

 

[Glowing_O1]

My dad and I are planning to work on the tractor over the long weekend and will follow your advice. For testing the glow plugs, is using a multimeter to check resistance enough, or should we take them out and see if they glow when connected to a battery? We want to get the old tractor running well before the colder fall weather arrives.