5035 running out of fuel

[NewGuyInNewEngland]

did you check for contaminated fuel? diesel can grow stuff if left setting too long. The filters tend to catch the stuff become clogged then kill the engine, in the early stages if you let it set the fuel will slowly flow thru the compromised filter and fill the bowl the the engine will start and run for a few min then repeat the issue.

recommend draining/cleaning tank and replacing all fuel filters involved (even if new)

Good luck

You may be onto something DaBear... Last year the job kept me busy and did not have time to do any projects during the warm weather. The fuel sat, although didn't have any starting problems initially. The main problem was the leaking return fuel line.
However, I still cannot see any fuel on the cement garage floor so it's time to buy a borescope, drain the tank and see if there are an furries in there.
I am very careful when filling the tank and keeping the screen in place, but that won't prevent algae growth.
If I do find something, how do I clean the tank with only access from the fill port under the cap?
I need to do a close inspection underneath as well. I still can't find any documentation anywhere for the location of the fuel lines, which I know I am going to have to replace due to known and documented bad crimps. I am hopeful I will be able to see them with a work light while crawling around on the floor.
Thanks for the advice.
Appreciated.

 

[NewGuyInNewEngland]

My bet is you have something in the tank that is blocking the line. When it shuts down the vacuum created by the pump stops and the blockage floats away only to find its way back when fuel starts flowing again. Its happened to me a couple of times from using a farm tank.

MY suggestion is to drain the tank and check for foreign objects, like dead bugs, in the tank with a light or a bore scope. If you find anything you can use a turkey baster with a hose attached to try to get the items out.

You, Dabear, and others seem to agree it may be dirty/contaminated fuel. Will get an inexpensive borescope and take a look after draining the tank.
Good idea on the turkey baster!
I'm still not sure why the fuel is draining back into the tank when its shut off while running, forcing me to prime the injectors before it will start...makes no sense to my two brain cells...Any ideas?

I'll let everyone know what I find.
Thanks for the input.

 

[NewGuyInNewEngland]

Btw: She will idle for 30+ minutes before going dry and stopping. That happened in December when I found the leaky return line.
Perhaps dirty fuel was always a part of the problem, even when I found the leaking fuel line and repaired it and the small leak the dealers mechanic found. Not a drop of fuel on the floor and the lines I can see without crawling on the floor look dry. Contaminated fuel seems to be the logical culprit at this point. We shall see.
Thanks again to all for the help.
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[Fxfymn413]

I'm still not sure why the fuel is draining back into the tank when its shut off while running, forcing me to prime the injectors before it will start...makes no sense to my two brain cells...Any ideas?

It isn't draining back; you are running out of fuel due to some kind of blockage.

She will idle for 30+ minutes before going dry and stopping.

Some times the "floaty" that is probably responsible for the stoppage doesn't work its way into the fuel line right away especially since the machine is sitting still while idling so it is not getting sloshed around.

This is actually a pretty common problem and will drive you batty since it is an intermittent issue. Mine occurred because I used a farm tank and I think some bugs took up residence in the open nozzle. A permanent cure is to install a screen in the tank fill opening. I made mine out of some stiff wire I had by wrapping the wire around a piece of pipe that was the correct size and welding the ends. I than ran a couple of straight pieces to tie the rings together and added a slightly larger ring to the top to keep it from dropping into the tank. I lined the frame with screen and viola no more bug problems.

 

[DaBear3428]

my normal go to is drain the tank, replace ALL the filters and refill with anti-growth additive added.

 

[NewGuyInNewEngland]

Update. Just for the sake of checking it, I checked the air bleed screw on the right side of the filter housing and gave it a slight turn with a wrench to check tightness... it doesn't seem snugged down and I'm afraid if I turn it farther I may strip the threads as I believe the screw is ferrous metal (steel) and the housing is aluminum.

So if the bleed screw isn't tight and is right on the edge of being stripped, could this be allowing air into the filter and housing, requiring the primer to be pushed to get fuel back into the filter housing as well as allowing fuel in the housing to drain back into the tank?

If so, would that would explain the odd occurrence of the fuel draining back as this has never happened before? Always immediate starts withing 3-4 seconds of cranking except in the coldest of conditions. Perhaps it's time to order a new fuel filter/primer housing?

I guess I could try to tap a new hole for a larger screw, but not too sure of my skill set for drilling/tapping aluminum. A new one from Reubicon tractor is $97.

Also, could this be a check valve failure in the fuel line to the tank? I don't see any indication of a check valve in the service manual. So we're back to the filter housing bleed screw.
As mentioned before, the fuel filter was replaced back in December when the intial no-start issued first started.

I attached a screen capture from the online Mahindra service manual I found for clarification.
Suggestions/recommendations?
Thanks All
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[NewGuyInNewEngland]

Doing a lot of research here and found on a John Deere forum via google search that some models needed their fuel lines replaced as they are becoming porous. Mahindra has the same problem with their fuel lines circa 2011-2013 IIRC. Even had a dealer-run program to swap them out covered by Mahindra. Of course, my dealer conveniently "forgot" to tell me about it.

the existing lines can be fixed by using a Dremel tool to remove the defective lines (and crimp) carefully so as not to damage the underlying tube,... That is what failed on the return line that started leaking back in December. Here's the vid that helped me through that:

I am concerned that the crimp and/or line (the braided versions are those that fail, which I have) connected to the filter housising as they have the same troublesome crimps. They may also be porous now and allowing air in slowly but not visibly leaking, at least not enough that I can see.

Thoughts?
Thanks!
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[NewGuyInNewEngland]

It isn't draining back; you are running out of fuel due to some kind of blockage.

Some times the "floaty" that is probably responsible for the stoppage doesn't work its way into the fuel line right away especially since the machine is sitting still while idling so it is not getting sloshed around.

This is actually a pretty common problem and will drive you batty since it is an intermittent issue. Mine occurred because I used a farm tank and I think some bugs took up residence in the open nozzle. A permanent cure is to install a screen in the tank fill opening. I made mine out of some stiff wire I had by wrapping the wire around a piece of pipe that was the correct size and welding the ends. I than ran a couple of straight pieces to tie the rings together and added a slightly larger ring to the top to keep it from dropping into the tank. I lined the frame with screen and viola no more bug problems.

Just saw your post fx. Apologies for not responding earlier.
Ok, so it's not draining back...it's running out of fuel..
And yes, it is driving me batty!

Yes, it is intermittent, but a reproducible intermittent.
Case in point: Before even starting it, I checked the primer and it was soft... As I pushed the primer down I could hear fuel bubbling into the lines on it's way to the injectors/fuel pump (?). A turn of the key, and a little hesitation (didn't pump the primer as much as last time), she kicked a bit, then started right up. Happens every time now without fail...its hard for me to wrap my head around that "floaties" can create this scenario

Good point on the screen at the fill port: You probably missed this in one of my earlier posts, but there is a factory-installed screen in the outlet. I have never ever added fuel without this screen in place. There are some bits of debris in the screen which proves its doing its job.
The screen is a very fine mesh... even algae would have a hard time getting through it...

I also mentioned earlier that the tractor is a demo and had 10 hours on the clock when i purchased it in 2011. Who knows if an employee at the dealership removed the screen for a quick fill from the bulk fuel tank and added some debris, which is only now making its presence known... yup, batty...

I did get under the chassis and found no signs of diesel fuel leakage..
But God help me if I ever have to replace the main fuel line from the tank to the filter housing.. can't see any trace of it from below...

I have ordered an inexpensive inspection/borescope.
Will drain and inspect the tank upon receipt.

Thanks for your input and patience fx.

 

[NewGuyInNewEngland]

my normal go to is drain the tank, replace ALL the filters and refill with anti-growth additive added.

Good advice DaBear. Any recommendation for a tried and true anti-growth additive?

 

[NewGuyInNewEngland]

Here is a post I found when the initial engine stopping issue began in December.
I know I'm beating a dead horse here, but I have two lines that have the nylon braid on them that run to/from the filter housing.
Took a while to find this post again. I knew I saw it somewhere.

Perhaps I should repair these two lines even though I don't see any leaking as the porousness happens over time, which in my case, is about 11 years, even though the tractor only has about 310 hours on it.

Oil & Fuel - 5035 starts then looses power

Hello all, I have a 5035 with 228 hrs on it. It was serviced by dealer in November. It sat most of this past winter. However, the past few times I've used it it cuts out when running at high Rpm. Will actually stop. It will restart and idle just fine but when throttled up it sputters and pukes...

www.tractorbynet.com

These two posts are mentioned in this post as well:

4035 stalled while idling

Was doing some stone work today with my tractor. At one point I was racking out the stones by hand while the tractor just sat and idled. It was probably idling for 10 minutes and all of a sudden it just started sounding like it was losing power and few seconds later it quit. I hopped back on...

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5035 Fuel Delivery Problem

Hello fellas, I need some advice! I have a 5035 with 35 hours on it. About 10 days ago, I started it to let it warm up while I unloaded 3 round bales of hay with my CTL and when I went to get on the tractor it was not running and would not start. Checked for water in original fuel filter and it...

www.tractorbynet.com

As noted in the post, the lines do not leak fuel but become porous and allow air to get sucked into the line as the rubber begins to break down.

Something to consider if draining and inspection of the tank doesn't reveal anything obvious?

Appreciate the support.
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