MF1529 losing power

[arizona98tj]

Winter has hit northern Minnesota and with that comes snow removal. Here is the background...

Tractor has about 430 hrs on it. Never had a bit of trouble with it. The last time I used it was beginning of November when the temperature was around freezing. Ran great at that time. The tank is slightly over 3/4 full and has Power Service Diesel Fuel Suppliment (white bottle) in it at the recommended amount. I use Power Diesel year round.

Yesterday, I started the 1529 without issue and plowed my driveway and yard for about 3 hours. The tractor ran perfectly and the air temperature was a little above zero. I drove over to my neighbors and began doing his driveway. After about 5 to 10 minutes, I began experiencing the problem of losing power. At first, it was intermitent but after 20 minutes of this happening, I headed for home as I didn't want my tractor stuck in his driveway.

My first thought was gelling of the fuel or perhaps icing in the fuel line or filter. The fuel was more a summer blend than a winter blend as I'm thinking the tank was last filled in September perhaps with fuel puchased in August. I went to town and picked up a new filter elelment, 5 gallons of fresh diesel, and a bottle of Power Service Diesel 911 (red bottle). I added about 6 ounces of red bottle and 2 ounces of white bottle to the tractor tank and started it. After coming up to normal operating temp on the gauge, I increased the idle to 2,000 RPM and let it run for about 5 minutes. I didn't drive it, just let it run in the garage under a noload condition.

This morning, after having it on the block heater for 2 hours, it started like normal. Air temp was at least 10 degrees colder than yesterday. With fingers crossed, I took it out of the garage. In less than 20 feet, I was battling the loosing power problem although today, it was more serious than yesterday.

I decided to change the fuel filter element. This is where I ran into a snag in the owner's manual. I was reading the section on how to bleed the air out of the fuel system (see attached photo). The manual instructs you to bleed the air at the fuel filter by opening a screw. The one pointed out in the manual is actually the filter's 12mm mounting bolt (see #3 in figure 182). So of the two screws that are located above the mounting bolt, I don't know which one to open to bleed. I also have doubts as to the bleed screw on the pump now that I've seen the first mistake. At this point in time, I've NOT opened the fuel line system so I've not introduced air into it.

So....that is where I'm at. I'm open to suggestions. I've read the various posts in the forum about foreign objects in the fuel tank such as flies and plastic shavings which blocked the fuel line causing a loss of power. Given the time of year and the symptoms I'm seeing, and the fact that it ran well for the first 3 hours of use, I'm not thinking that is the problem.

If someone could point out which screw is the bleed screw on the filter and the pump, I would appreciate it. I've included photos taken of the manual and of my tractor. Any other suggestions are welcomed. I'm not too crazy about a fuel tank removal to check for objects given the ambient temperature this time of year and an unheated garage. Worst case scenarios is I call the MF dealer next week and take it to their shop. I'm worried that the problem might not show up once it gets in a warm shop...I don't know.

Thanks in advance for any help.

Edit: I should add that this is the 3rd winter season for this tractor since I bought it. As I said above, never had a bit of trouble up until yesterday.

 

[hillwood]

I would suggest to try the scew with the philips and hex on it above the mount bolt..

 

[arizona98tj]

I would suggest to try the scew with the philips and hex on it above the mount bolt..

Just to clarify....the screw on the right, correct?

 

[arizona98tj]

What I've not tried yet is leaving the side cover off so as to watch the fuel filter bowl to see if it empties at the same time I experience power loss. (read about that in another post) I wish I had read about that before parking the tractor in the garage earlier today.

 

[hillwood]

Just to clarify....the screw on the right, correct?

Yes, is the lever I see the prime pump? Pump it up and loosen the srew.

 

[arizona98tj]

Yes, is the lever I see the prime pump? Pump it up and loosen the srew.

No, the lever is for shutting off the fuel supply to the filter.

 

[hillwood]

If there isn't a primer pump. Put a little air pressure in the tank to push the air out of the filter bleed.

 

[PCABE5]

Could the fuel pickup in the tank be plugged with debris? Pinched fuel line?

Your fuel bowl doesn't look like gelling is the problem and unless you have a hole in a supply line you shouldn't have air in the system.

 

[arizona98tj]

Could the fuel pickup in the tank be plugged with debris? Pinched fuel line?

Your fuel bowl doesn't look like gelling is the problem and unless you have a hole in a supply line you shouldn't have air in the system.

Any of those is a possibility. I'm just trying to figure out the most likely suspect given the symptoms of how it manifested itself over the past 24 hours.

I agree that the fuel doesn't look gelled in the bowl...but that is what I'm thinking it might be. But it was obvious today with the temp being colder that the problem was worse than yesterday. Not sure what the filter would look like if the wax was plating out on the filter or maybe in the fuel line itself.

Does anyone know if the Power Service Diesel 911 (red bottle) product does anything in regards to the wax buildup during cold temps?

 

[hillwood]

Did you check the air filter yet? Don't overlook it.

 

[arizona98tj]

Did you check the air filter yet? Don't overlook it.

Very good question. Yes, I pulled the air cleaner this morning after I put the tractor back in the garage. Would have been great to have found a mouse nest or some such thing. However, it looked good so unless something crawled through the fiter element, there is adequate air for combustion. Sorry for not mentioning this earlier.

 

[hillwood]

Good deal.

 

[lpakiz]

i have seen water (moisture) slowly freeze a fitting and full it with ice. Not sure if your fuel treatment is effective on moisture.
You might try a couple of light bulbs or a hair dryer on various junctions, elbows or connectors where the line restricts.
If you can get it to run enough to get warm, do that, then get it back in the garage and cover it with a blanket or a tarp to trap the heat in. Add a couple light bulbs or a hair dryer or two under there. Let it like that for an hour.
If you feel bold and/or lucky, a SMALL flame from a propane torch will quickly melt ice in a metal fitting. Be VERY CAREFUL of rubber or plastic hoses or other components.

Also, most anti-gel treatments only prevent the paraffin molecules from sticking to each other and creating a gelatinous mass which blocks flow. Anti-gel must be added and mixed before the cloud point of the fuel is reached. This might be at 20-30* F
I do believe the Red Power Service is one if the few products that will un-gell fuel that is already gelled. I doubt that it will clear a severely gelled filter.
BTW, the gel mass will only be collected on the surface of the pleated paper element, not in the bowl where you can see it. The gel slime is really a collection of wax/paraffin molecules that won’t pass thru the filter medium.

Hope this helps.

 

[arizona98tj]

i have seen water (moisture) slowly freeze a fitting and full it with ice. Not sure if your fuel treatment is effective on moisture.
You might try a couple of light bulbs or a hair dryer on various junctions, elbows or connectors where the line restricts.
If you can get it to run enough to get warm, do that, then get it back in the garage and cover it with a blanket or a tarp to trap the heat in. Add a couple light bulbs or a hair dryer or two under there. Let it like that for an hour.
If you feel bold and/or lucky, a SMALL flame from a propane torch will quickly melt ice in a metal fitting. Be VERY CAREFUL of rubber or plastic hoses or other components.

Also, most anti-gel treatments only prevent the paraffin molecules from sticking to each other and creating a gelatinous mass which blocks flow. Anti-gel must be added and mixed before the cloud point of the fuel is reached. This might be at 20-30* F
I do believe the Red Power Service is one if the few products that will un-gell fuel that is already gelled. I doubt that it will clear a severely gelled filter.
BTW, the gel mass will only be collected on the surface of the pleated paper element, not in the bowl where you can see it. The gel slime is really a collection of wax/paraffin molecules that won’t pass thru the filter medium.

Hope this helps.

Thank you for the information. Your first sentence is what I was kind of thinking.....that it took 3 hours before the engine seemed to be starving. And now since things haven't warmed up....the ice and/or wax buildup is more or less permantently there. I have a nice variable lelvel heat gun and might try that as my next step to see if I can warm things up enough for the additives to take ahold. I was also thinking about removing as much of the existing fuel from the tank as possible and replacing it with the fresh diesel. That way, if the heat gun works, there will be a winter blend in the tank.

I'll report back what I find after trying something tomorrow.

 

[lpakiz]

Yes, that sounds like a good plan. Remember, if the fuel isn’t treated yet and the fuel temperature is below the cloud point, your anti-gel won’t work. The cloudy fuel you see is paraffin molecules already stuck together in clumps too big to pass the filter. You can treat this fuel, but then it must still get warmed up enough to “unclump” the molecules. Then it will stay “unclumped”.
(Anti-gel works by surrounding EACH wax molecule with a shield that prevents them from sticking to each other)
Can you bring that fuel inside somewhere for several hours to get it to 40*F or so?
If you can safely apply your heat gun, try focusing on the filter(s). It will take half an hour to get the filter warm enough to unclump the wax and get it to pass the filter.
Do a search on here for gelled filters. I’ve seen pics of thus stuff on here.....
And wax will also slowly plug an elbow, valve, fitting or line with a built up clump of just wax.

 

[arizona98tj]

I have two empty 5 gallon containers. I'll put as much as I can siphon from the tractor tank into them. I'll put them in my heated basement. Before I read your response, I had decided to give that a try. Glad I was headed down the right track. I can get to the filter assembly and also the line that leaves it and goes to the injection pump. I'll work on both of those with the heat gun. I don't remember how exposed the line from the tank to the filter is but it can't be that long as the filter is located just under the tank.

So that is the plan....hopefully it will work.

 

[thepumpguysc]

I would save myself all that trouble & crack the inlet bolt ON the inj. pump..
Turn the key switch on IF you have an electric supply pump on your machine..
THAT'LL push all the air out.. Tighten it back up & crank it..

 

[arizona98tj]

Success, as far as I can tell so far. It is warmer today than the previous two days, air temp in the low 20s, but regardless of that I think the issue is resolved.

This morning, I got up and put my industrial heat gun about 18" away from the fuel filter assembly. Turned the air speed switch to high and set the temp for about 50% of max. At that 18", it felt comfortably warm but no where near hot. I let the heat gun run for 2 hours and checked it periodically to make sure things weren't getting too hot. The filter assembly eventually warmed to about 90F.

Once the filter was warmed, I siphoned the existing diesel from the tank. I didn't empty it but it was so low the fuel gauge didn't indicate anything. I added a healthy dose of 911 and also an ounce or two from the white bottle. I then poured 4 gallons of winter blend in that also had been treated with the white bottle. It started nicely since I had the block heater plugged in for several hours. After coming up to normal temp on the gauge, I increased the RPMs to about 2K and let it run for 5 minutes.

Time to see if things were working correctly. I left the garage and started plowing snow around my yard. After 30 minutes, I parked the tractor never having a single issue of power loss. It was warmer today but still cold enough for the summer blend to start gelling, in my opinion. I have less than a half tank showing on the gauge right now so I'll hit town and get another 5 gallons of #1 at the Cenex station. They sell a lot of diesel so not much of a chance of having old fuel in their tanks.

The overnight temps are slated for sub zero during the next couple of days as things cool back down again so that will be the real test. Hopefully it will run as good then as it did today.

I want to take a moment to thank everyone that commented on my problem. It's great to have like minded folks here on the forum willing to share their experiences and provide input. It was very much appreciated. Thank you

 

[arizona98tj]

I would save myself all that trouble & crack the inlet bolt ON the inj. pump..
Turn the key switch on IF you have an electric supply pump on your machine..
THAT'LL push all the air out.. Tighten it back up & crank it..

I never cracked open the fuel supply system so there was nothing to bleed.

 

[arizona98tj]

The temperature was in the positive single digits this morning. After the block heater warmed things up for a couple of hours, I plowed three driveways & yards, all without any issues. I'll put the summer blend diesel back in the tractor around July 4th, when summer hits up here in northern MN.