1710 engine stalls, I really need your assistance

[yorT]

I don’t want to be doom and gloom, but you said it overheated. How bad? Bad enough to cause engine damage.

Hey Dodge man
I’m really glad you asked, as this was my next shout out for help….

I don’t think the engine got damaged. There are no leaks, cracks or unusual sounds. I’ve replaced the engine oil and hydraulic fluid and filters; both were clean of water or coolant or contamination. I also flushed the radiator, replaced all the coolant and hoses cause they were old delaminating. I also replaced the thermostat.
Everything seems to be working as usual except for the temp gauge on the dash. It used to work but now it doesn’t. It says cold when the key is off and hot when the key is on, even before you start the engine. I checked all the wire connections when I had the fuel tank off, no obvious problems. My only guess is the thermostat sensor which sits just behind the thermostat and has a wire running to a harness of wires going to the dash, got damaged in the overheating. Do you. Have any idea if this sounds possible? If not can you direct me what to look for so I can get the temp gauge operating again?

Thanks,
Troy

 

[Fxfymn413]

Taking the tank off, cleaning it and cleaning the fuel valve hose was way easier than expected.

Gotta love those old simple machines! When I had my 1710 I disassembled a lot of it, painted it, and put it back together in one day. They are a good tractor and I did a lot of work with that machine.

That is a cousin of the bug that clogged mine up! Glad it worked out and now you should put a strainer in the fuel fill to prevent clogs. I really like the idea of trying the cold coffee screens an earlier poster mentioned.

I made mine by wrapping a heavy wire around a piece of pipe that was the correct size and welding the ends together. Weld another ring on the top that is large enough to keep it from passing through the tank opening and connect the rings together with a couple of pieces of straight wire. Line it with screen to prevent stuff from getting into the tank.

 

[yorT]

Congratulations for your repair. From the the looks of that clog I'll advise you to add a fuel conditioner that contains Biocide. This Biocide will kill any fungus if present in fuel tank.

I’ve never heard of Biocide or a fungal problem in a fuel tank or else where, but I’ll do it. Better to be safe then sorry, that for sure. I will be adding a can of Seafoam (proportioned) properly for the amount of fuel. I’ve felt and noticed good results from past use. It might just be me; wash and detail your car, change the oil and filters, it feels like it drives better…..

Anyway, I’m on it, Biocide it is

 

[Fxfymn413]

Do you. Have any idea if this sounds possible? If not can you direct me what to look for so I can get the temp gauge operating again?

The sensor works by creating a variable path to ground. My guess is it is bad, but you can test it by removing the wire from it and turning the key on. The heat gauge should not move. If it does go to full hot than you have a short to ground somewhere in the wire. If it doesn't move touch the wire to the sensor connection and if it goes to full hot the sensor is bad.

 

[woody]

I hate being late to the party but I do like a happy ending. While you are picking the biocide pick up that thermostat sensor and you will be good to go.

 

[yorT]

Gotta love those old simple machines! When I had my 1710 I disassembled a lot of it, painted it, and put it back together in one day. They are a good tractor and I did a lot of work with that machine.

That is a cousin of the bug that clogged mine up! Glad it worked out and now you should put a strainer in the fuel fill to prevent clogs. I really like the idea of trying the cold coffee screens an earlier poster mentioned.

I made mine by wrapping a heavy wire around a piece of pipe that was the correct size and welding the ends together. Weld another ring on the top that is large enough to keep it from passing through the tank opening and connect the rings together with a couple of pieces of straight wire. Line it with screen to prevent stuff from getting into the tank.

A screen/ filter was on my shopping list today preventing future problems. If I can’t find one, I’ll do as you have suggested and make one that the fuel is poured through and I can pullout to clean on a regular basis. Not every tank fill but often enough to feel confident that this won’t happen again.

 

[yorT]

The sensor works by creating a variable path to ground. My guess is it is bad, but you can test it by removing the wire from it and turning the key on. The heat gauge should not move. If it does go to full hot than you have a short to ground somewhere in the wire. If it doesn't move touch the wire to the sensor connection and if it goes to full hot the sensor is bad.

AWSOME information…. I’ll be trying that and irregardless I think I’ll replace the sensor so I know it’s reading correctly.
Thanks again for that information. It’s that type of knowledge I’m lacking and very appreciative for the advice and steps to complete.

 

[yorT]

If engine will operate 15-20 minutes without pushing coolant out of radiator overflow tube I doubt engine is damaged from getting over heated. My guess is fuel flow from tank to inj pump is restricted. A couple of bursts of compressed air blown into fuel supply line that is attached to inj pump that goes to fuel tank will probably temporarily solve the fuel problem.

Howdy Jim
I don’t have any coolant coming from the overflow after operating. As a matter of fact, yesterday after fixing the fuel issue I ran a harrow for a couple of hours and plowed around a slash pile, prepping to burn. With that amount of use and strain there were no leaks or problems identified.
I did get the fuel problem fixed. Thanks for the information on that one

 

[dirttoys]

To all those that assisted THANK YOU !!!
I removed the gas tank, shutoff valve and fuel hose to the fuel filter and what did I find ……. THE CULPRIT

Taking the tank off, cleaning it and cleaning the fuel valve hose was way easier than expected. Overall it took me about 2½ hours to remove, clean and reassemble. A quick bleed of the system and prime;was up and running.

The tractor sounds better, more responsive at the throttle and feels more powerful since it’s getting the fuel it needs.

Thanks again!!!

Cheers,
Troy

no wonder it was stalling and starving for fuel View attachment 738173View attachment 738176

Very Good thanks for letting us know.

Best,

ed

 

[Williy]

you could trace the sensor wire to check
for any bare spots that could be shorting
out before you put in the new one just to
be sure.

willy

 

[ScubaJonL]

I was on a bumpy ground on my pace and that kind of stirred up the sediment and it got sucked in to the fuel out let and plugged it. I ended up draining the tank, and shop vacuuming the floor of the tank and blowing air back ward thru the valve to open up the fuel passage. In 15 years I have done it only once.

JC,

I accidentally found a slick way to clean out the bottom of SOME tanks. Take 1/2" siphon hose and start draining the tank, using it like a vacuum hose in a pool, slowly moving it around the bottom sucking up all the solids. I filtered it at the other end of the hose. Worked like a charm!

 

[Gord Baker]

Have you checked coolant level? Overheating may have caused cracked head/block or head gasket problem. Check wiring and possibly replace coolant sensor. Good luck.

 

[SamO]

I'm not familiar with the 1710, but IF it's a gas powered engine it sounds a whole lot the problems I experienced when I blew the head gasket on my car after the water pump failed and the engine overheated. I would up having to get the head milled flat again as it warped from the high temps. I'm hoping, for your sake, that the 1710 is diesel powered as fixing that old car was time consuming and expensive. Cheeahs

 

[yorT]

Have you checked coolant level? Overheating may have caused cracked head/block or head gasket problem. Check wiring and possibly replace coolant sensor. Good luck.

I haven’t checked the coolant level since I drained and refilled however I will. So far I’ve ran about 20 hours on it after replacing the thermostat, flushing and refilling coolant, changing oil and hydraulic fluid including new filters for both of those and the fuel filter. Checking the oil levels, I have not observed unusual liquid in the oil. Additionally, there have been no leaks from the head gasket or else where from the engine and the overflow for the coolant has not been flushing liquid. Not saying there isn’t a leak because I don’t know how else to look for it. If you have suggestions, I will be happy to preform them. The only thing I can think of is draining the oil and pulling the engine block plug looking for contaminates.

I will grace the wires from the thermostat sensor to the dash. I did look at the dash wires, there were no disconnections or fraying of wires from rubbing. I did that when I removed and flushed the fuel tank. Irregardless if I find a rubbed wire from the sensor to the dash, I will be replacing the thermostat sensor.

Thank you for the advice. Please share your opinion if / how I should look for leaks into the engine block.

Cheers,
Troy

 

[yorT]

I'm not familiar with the 1710, but IF it's a gas powered engine it sounds a whole lot the problems I experienced when I blew the head gasket on my car after the water pump failed and the engine overheated. I would up having to get the head milled flat again as it warped from the high temps. I'm hoping, for your sake, that the 1710 is diesel powered as fixing that old car was time consuming and expensive. Cheeahs

Yes, the tractor is a diesel. No apparent leaks on the exterior or in the new oil and hydraulic fluids. Fingers crossed that the new thermostat sensor will finilaze any questions about the temp I’m running.

I’ve put about 20 hours on it with all the fluid and filter changes without problems. Fingers crossed, that’s for sure

 

[dcarman]

Howdy,
I have a mid 80’s 1710 that blew a water pump and over heated in January. I replace the water pump and thermostat, flushed the radiator and added new coolant. After those repairs the temp gauge stopped working however everything ran fine. (Do I need to replace the thermostat sensor?)

Fast forward, about two weeks ago the engine started to stall after running for a short time, maybe 30 minuets. It would restart run for about a short time unless I added strain; lifting the bucket, driving it, etc. then stall out again. I can pump the throttle and sometimes the engine would respond while it was trying to run however it will stall out.

So, I replaced the fuel filter, changed the oil and filter and replaced the hydraulic filter. It started ran perfectly for about 20 minutes so I put it away until I needed it.
Today, I put the plow and harrow on to smooth the 1 mile lane however the tractor stated to stall about 15+ minuets of run time while I was putting on the attachments. It doing the same thing; stall out, restart and stall within a minute or two. It seems like the longer I wait to restart the longer it runs and when it starts acting up it doesn’t matter how much I pump the throttle.
The fuel filter housing is 100% full the entire time so I’m guessing it’s something else?

I’m not a mechanic in anyway however I am fast learner. I have no leaks from the water pump, thermostat radiator and fuel filter areas I’ve worked on.

I’ve gone through and read all the forums and responses however they bounce all over where to start and what to do; clean fuel tank, clean injectors, fuel pumps, etc.

Where do I start to eliminate possibilities until I find them problem? Do I need to replace the thermostat sensor, is that what’s causing the issue?

ANY HELP AND ADVICE IS APPRECIATED

Thanks
Troy

I can add photos, video, answer any questions to help resolve this issue

It sounds like a fuel issue. It doesn't sound like it was cold out so fuel gelling would not be the problem. I would start by replacing the fuel filter. It could be bacteria in the fuel. Drain some raw fuel (before the filter) into a clear glass jar and see if there are any cloudy blobs in it. That would be bacteria growth. Then you would need to get some bactricide for the fuel.
The tractors of that era are not concerned about a temp sensor gone bad but it would be good to replace it for your own edification. Just to make sure your engine is not overheating.

 

[JC-jetro]

I accidentally found a slick way to clean out the bottom of SOME tanks. Take 1/2" siphon hose and start draining the tank, using it like a vacuum hose in a pool, slowly moving it around the bottom sucking up all the solids. I filtered it at the other end of the hose. Worked like a charm!

I purposely devised perhaps a slicker way. I call it operation "VacuSuck" tool. it does real well to clean diesel fuel tank or empty out oil in in 4 wheeler rear drive as I can not break drain plug from the bottom without striping the threads. Pics are self explanatory. Shop Vac stays clean. This pretty much like medical suction that is done in an operating room or dentist's office.

 

[Tony H]

Howdy,
I have a mid 80’s 1710 that blew a water pump and over heated in January. I replace the water pump and thermostat, flushed the radiator and added new coolant. After those repairs the temp gauge stopped working however everything ran fine. (Do I need to replace the thermostat sensor?)

Fast forward, about two weeks ago the engine started to stall after running for a short time, maybe 30 minuets. It would restart run for about a short time unless I added strain; lifting the bucket, driving it, etc. then stall out again. I can pump the throttle and sometimes the engine would respond while it was trying to run however it will stall out.

So, I replaced the fuel filter, changed the oil and filter and replaced the hydraulic filter. It started ran perfectly for about 20 minutes so I put it away until I needed it.
Today, I put the plow and harrow on to smooth the 1 mile lane however the tractor stated to stall about 15+ minuets of run time while I was putting on the attachments. It doing the same thing; stall out, restart and stall within a minute or two. It seems like the longer I wait to restart the longer it runs and when it starts acting up it doesn’t matter how much I pump the throttle.
The fuel filter housing is 100% full the entire time so I’m guessing it’s something else?

I’m not a mechanic in anyway however I am fast learner. I have no leaks from the water pump, thermostat radiator and fuel filter areas I’ve worked on.

I’ve gone through and read all the forums and responses however they bounce all over where to start and what to do; clean fuel tank, clean injectors, fuel pumps, etc.

Where do I start to eliminate possibilities until I find them problem? Do I need to replace the thermostat sensor, is that what’s causing the issue?

ANY HELP AND ADVICE IS APPRECIATED

Thanks
Troy

I can add photos, video, answer any questions to help resolve this issue

I'd check the fuel tank vent. Sounds like the tank is not venting and that cause-and-effect vacuum. Loosen the fuel cap and see if tractor runs passed 30 minutes

 

[JBF43]

Everything seems to be working as usual except for the temp gauge on the dash. It used to work but now it doesn’t. It says cold when the key is off and hot when the key is on, even before you start the engine. I checked all the wire connections when I had the fuel tank off, no obvious problems. My only guess is the thermostat sensor which sits just behind the thermostat and has a wire running to a harness of wires going to the dash, got damaged in the overheating. Do you. Have any idea if this sounds possible? If not can you direct me what to look for so I can get the temp gauge operating again?

This is just a shot in the dark but if you do replace the temp sensor and the gauge still does the same thing, check for a missing ground. I have had the same thing happen with gauges before where as soon as power is applied, the gauge spikes, and a missing ground was the problem. It caused the gauge to go from nothing to maxed out on the high side.

 

[yorT]

This is just a shot in the dark but if you do replace the temp sensor and the gauge still does the same thing, check for a missing ground. I have had the same thing happen with gauges before where as soon as power is applied, the gauge spikes, and a missing ground was the problem. It caused the gauge to go from nothing to maxed out on the high side.

Thanks JBF
I’m planning on getting the sensor this week. I’ll post the results when it’s installed and the problem is resolved. Good info….
Thanks again
Troy