Cause of air in fuel line of 3240

[Robert Owens]

Is air getting in my fuel line?if so how? I was bush hogging a fairly steep hill with a 1/4 tank of fuel and the engine sputtered and died. I figured I had drawn some air in the line due to low fuel and angle of hill. Filled with fuel, opened air vent cock, started tractor closed vent and all seemed well. Used tractor for seven hours with no problem. Fuel tank 1/2 full the engine sputtered and died just like before. Filled with fuel and went through same procedure and it runs fine once again. Do I have a crack in a line, or is there still air in the fuel line and when the tank is full it doesn't have a problem. I have had the tractor about 6 years with no issue. Any ideas?

 

[nybirdman]

You may have a defective fuel gauge.My L3130 HST would burn about a gallon/hr.@PTO speeds;how much time are you running when it sputters?
It holds 11.6 gal of fuel,have you changed the filter?

 

[Robert Owens]

Yes, cleaned bowl and filter. I still had plenty of diesel in tank when it sputtered and died yesterday because it didnt quite take 5 gallons to completely fill tank and once it was full I opened the air cock and it started after a couple minutes. Closed air cock and its running normal again. In going to the tractor dealer tomorrow to explain it all and see if they have any ideas. I have a 10 acre field I need to bush hog that is quite steep but I don't feel comfortable doing it until I get this figured out.

 

[zzvyb6]

There may be a break/crack in the fuel pickup line inside the tank. Measure the fuel level with a rod or stick. It should agree with the guage. Then you wil be able to tell if the tank is actually empty or the line has gone bad.

 

[Leejohn]

Tank air vent. Next time it does it take cap loose and see if it picks back up.

 

[Robert Owens]

Does anyone know what the inside of the tank looks like in relation to how it draws the fuel up? The fuel line is located at the top of the tank. I may go ahead and pull lines and drain tank.

 

[herringchoker]

Have you tried Leejohn's suggestion re blocked fuel tank vent? That's been the cause of similar problem to what you describe on at least two different gas engines I have run across lately.

 

[David_Kb7uns]

Have seen times where if the fuel line going to the pump gets blocked the fuel pump will start sucking through one of the self bleeding lines after the level drops below where the line goes into the tank. So check for a blockage.

David