1996 Massey Ferguson 253 will not start

[robtherod]

Hi to all. I am the new guy with a tractor problem.

I purchase a 1996 Massey Ferguson 253 from a guy that said the tractor was running when he parked it, but after
sitting for 6-months it wouldn't start and he left it that way for 3 years. I had to soak the cylinders with combo diesel & Marvel Mystery Oil for a week to get it free. Now it spins good. I purchase a service manual. I rebuilt the injectors, change all the fluids & filters clean out the fuel tank and made sure all wiring is right. I made sure there is no air in the fuel lines from the lift pump to fuel pump filter to injectors. I crack open the lines to the injectors and tried to start it but nothing but some white smoke coming out of the ehaust end of the turbo ( muffler is off ). I even tried a little bit of starting fluid in the intake but nothing happened. I haven't done a compression test yet but when I put my fingers over the cylinder holes I get alot of air comming out.

I am not sure if the exhaust air comming out of the turbo is supposed to blow out and suck in when I crank it over?

Anybody have ant ideas? Thanks in advance

 

[Hirascomo]

Welcome robtherod,
I don't think I will have much advice for you, sounds like you have checked out most of the obvious possibilities. I have a 253 and it is the most stubborn tractor to start after air has entered into the fuel lines, of any tractor that I have ever owned. However, you state that you tried starting fluid, so that should still get the thing to pop even if there was air in the lines.

I have two things to suggest. Both may be stupid but both happened to me. I tried the gasoline on a rag trick to get mine to start. If you are unfamiliar with this, you pour gasoline onto a clean shop rag, and hold it near the air intake, the fumes (not the liquid gasoline) enter the engine and makes it pop. It is a milder form of the starting fluid method for us chickens. I did this to mine and could not get it to fire. I found that I had to remove the rubber hoses that fed the turbo and put the rag in that area, and then the tractor engine would run on the gasoline fumes. I actually had to hold the rag in front of the hose that is usually connected to the output of the turbo. Hold onto the rag though if you try this, the engine has enough suction to suck the rag down the tube. I would think that your ether would have made it from the intake to the engine, but in my case, the gas fumes did not, you may want to try an entry closer to the engine to see if she will kick.

Second suggestion - and this is the one that made me feel pretty stupid. When I remove my hood on the 253, there is a lower console portion of the dash that falls off that is under the steering wheel. On my tractor, the engine kill cable is connected to this lower console. My tractor ran fine, I changed the fuel filter and I could not get it to start. I bled, and bled, bled some more, and changed the fuel filter again, etc..... it would not start. At one point I must have noticed that when the console falls off, it pulled slightly on the kill cable that normally is used to turn off the engine. That slight pull was enough to not allow the engine to start. I pushed the lever forward with my finger, turned the key and the engine started immediately. (this did not keep the engine from firing on the gas rag though, I was able to get the engine to pop on gas fumes, regardless of the position of the kill cable)

Other than these, I really have no other advice that you haven't already tried. Best of luck with your 253, it is my favorite tractor out of the dozen or so that I have owned. Excellent power to size ratio, and good low center of gravity for traversing hillsides, and in general a very tough workhorse.

 

[robtherod]

Thank you for getting back to me with some good tips. But I think my problem is a little more complicated then using starting fluid or gasoline onto a clean shop rag. I just set the valve lash and did a compression check and found out cylinder number 1 has 95psi and #2 has 140psi and #3 has 195psi. Not sure what the problem is stuck rings or something wrong in the head.

 

[MFIHCAT]

You need at least 300psi. Do leak down test. If you had to soak cyl walls to get engine to turn over more than likely the rings are stuck.

 

[DJ54]

""I am not sure if the exhaust air comming out of the turbo is supposed to blow out and suck in when I crank it over?""

Your last paragraph hints to me you may have an exhaust valve that's not completely seating, or burned, bent, weak spring. If it's sucking air back in, it's getting by an exhaust valve somehow on the intake stroke. The cylinder with 95 psi is where I would look first.

And hope that compression tester is designed to handle the psi of a diesel.

 

[robtherod]

Ok did a leak down test and cylinder 1 & 2 showed 85% on the gauge and 3 showed 75% and I could hear air coming from both oil pan & intake on all three but not that much from number 3 oil pan but intake yes.

 

[robtherod]

Number three had stuck ring and the cylinder is scard. Question if I change the liner in frame how do I deck the liner or what can I do without taking the whole motor out?