Oil & Fuel Diesel Starts -- but stalls after several seconds??

[LouieJunior]

Today was the first day I have started my tractor (JD4105) since the polar vortex.
It started fine and then I let it idle for about 5 minutes before it stalled. Now it will start and run for only a few seconds before stalling.
The temp is 32F -- Any thoughts on this problem??

 

[Raspy]

Take the fuel line off at the injection pump, after the fuel filter, and see if you have fuel flowing from that line. If not, look for ice in the filter bowl. If it has been very cold where you are, you may have gelled fuel. This could be fixed with some Power Service 911. You can also, carefully blow air back through that line toward the tank to clear it.

 

[Captain Dirty]

Today was the first day I have started my tractor (JD4105) since the polar vortex.
It started fine and then I let it idle for about 5 minutes before it stalled. Now it will start and run for only a few seconds before stalling.
The temp is 32F -- Any thoughts on this problem??

Sounds like fuel starvation likely owing to ice or gelled fuel in the tank, fuel lines, or filter. Since the weather is supposed to warm up, I would wait if I could. Other courses of action would be a tarp to try to hold heated air around the tank, lines, filters, and engine with an incandescent lamp, hair drier, salamander, or other heat source under the tarp. Breaking lines, removing fuel filters, adding 9-1-1, re-priming the system are tasks to be avoided in cold weather if at all possible.

Distributors put anti-gel additives in diesel fuel seasonally according to expected local conditions, but the additives may be diluted. You may have half a tank of untreated "Summer" fuel in the tractor, and the containers from which you fill the tractor may also have Summer fuel in them. The result is that the fuel gels at a higher temperature than the "Winter" fuel would.

If the tractor starts and runs I would add an anti-gel such as Power Service Fuel Supplement (white bottle). The Power Service 9-1-1 (red bottle) is for emergencies; I'm told it contains alcohols that are not particularly good for diesels.

 

[LouieJunior]

Thanks much - It has been above freezing for almost 24 hours now so I will give it another try today.


I have a lot of snow to move...

 

[LouNY]

Once the paraffin has precipitated out in diesel fuel it takes quite a bit of warmth to dissolve it back into the fuel,
adding some kerosene will help it and in my mind be easier on your equipment then the 911 type additives.

 

[3Lfarms]

Once the paraffin has precipitated out in diesel fuel it takes quite a bit of warmth to dissolve it back into the fuel,
adding some kerosene will help it and in my mind be easier on your equipment then the 911 type additives.

Exactly. The wax will separate at some point below 0*F, depending on additives , but it takes temperatures of somewhere above 60*F to re-dissolve into the fuel without help from an additive like diesel 911. Just because the temperature gets above 32, don’t expect the fuel to go back to normal. If you can bring the tractor into a heated building and warm it up to room temperature, the fuel should mostly go back to normal. The fuel filter will still most likely need to be changed since the wax may have plugged it up bad enough it won’t pass enough fuel.