2017 3540 with 300hrs starts easily then dies

[OLV1071571]

Will do! Thanks again!

 

[OLV1071571]

Just went out and tried to start it after a few hours of sitting. It died again. Checked all the connections, hoses etc and no leaks or weeping to be found. Its strange that it wont start but it will stay running once i get it started again. It has to be fuel delivery issue.

I also tried to plug up the air intake to see what would happen and nothing changed while running. A few times it acts like it wants to die after first start up then picks back up and runs. I want to try some other things before pulling some major parts out of the way.

Hoping others can chime in as well. If not I can always post in a broader forum to see if anyone else has run into this.

 

[RjCorazza]

Fuel lines on the suction side of the lift pump may not necessarily weep fuel if they have cracks, but they will suck in air. Have you physically handled (flexed) the fuel lines to check for cracks?

The other thing that comes to mind applies to diesels with electric lift pumps... My zd mowers will ALMOST run with a defective electric lift pump, which can result in a wide variety of fuel system symptoms. Hard cold starting, stalling, hillside fuel starvation, etc.
I hope you get this resolved soon.

 

[OLV1071571]

Thanks RJ. Oddly enough I just got off the phone with the service dept at my dealer. Really nice guys and the first thing say said was there is likely a pin hole leak in the fuel lines. Starts up as there is fuel still in the pump. But it quickly loses prime as it is sucking air.

For the OEM fuel lines with crimped ends they quoted roughly 50bucks each. Which i thought was high. I will check tomorrow to see if I can find any pin hole leaks and see if I can rig it up with other fuel line and hose clamps.

Unless you guys can suggest a better option of which I am definitely open to.

 

[OLV1071571]

Update: I replaced the two fuel lines that come out of the fuel tank. 1 that leads to the common rail and the other that leads to the small pre-filter. I started it up today after nearly 24 hrs of sitting still.

The good news is that it didn't die! Normally it would have. So I will give it some time over the next week and see if that story holds true. If it does then I apparently I had a small air leak on one of those hoses. If not, then I will go to replace the other hoses.

Something to note: The fuel lines are have an inner braid and rated to 400 psi. The only lines I could find locally were same 3/8in ID but OD was slightly smaller and rated to 225psi (fuel injection hose). I dont think its an issue but sharing in case anyone else needs to find similar hose.

Thank you both for the help! Lets hope it holds! I will report back.

 

[jb1390]

Did you pressurize with low pressure air prior to changing hoses? That's a pretty surefire way to show exactly where the problem is. If you already changed the hoses it's likely a moot point, but it would be nice to see if you had little bubbles coming out under low pressure, which would guarantee you found the issue. Changing parts out may or may not actually fix it, and can sometimes get expensive.

You could probably test the hoses off the machine also, if you can cap the ends. You wouldn't need to cap the ends perfectly, as you would be checking the crimps and other areas for leaks.

 

[OLV1071571]

Well guys I confirmed it was the 2 hoses leading from the top of the fuel tank. After replacing them I tested it out over the week. 24hrs between starts, 3 days between starts and 4 days between. Each time it never died or even stuttered.


I appreciate the help from all of you. I am just surprised that hoses as thick as these and as new (6 years) could have any small holes. I suspect it could be the paint they spray on at the factory that cracks and dries over time causing pin holes in the hoses.

Thanks again and I hope this helps someone in the future.