Ford 4cyl diesel trouble

   / Ford 4cyl diesel trouble #1  

Oldyellowtractor

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Joined
Sep 20, 2012
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24
Location
North, MS
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I’ve got a Ford 4000 diesel that’s giving me fits. It’s a 4 cylinder. It sat for a while and the fuel turned to varnish. I tried to crank it and didn’t get any fuel out of the lines.
After much tinkering, I decided to disassemble and clean the Rosa-Master pump. Put a new seal kit in it, all that stuff.
Got the pump back on there and it’s getting fuel to the injectors, looks like a good stream, but won’t fire. It will run on either, but that’s it.
I pulled an injector and no fuel is coming out at all. I took the injector apart (I know that’s not recommended) to see if it also had varnish in it, but it was clear. Carb cleaner sprays right through it.
So, I’m thinking either the pump is not putting out enough pressure to open the injector, or I don’t have enough RPM from the starter to get it to build pressure. Any ideas? How many RPM does it need to start?
Also, it’s a backhoe, so I can’t really pull start it.
 
   / Ford 4cyl diesel trouble #2  
Stop using the ether. That's a good way to break the rings or crack the lands on the piston.
Is their adequate fuel to the injector pump? Is the pump timed correctly to the engine? Is their adequate compression? (Should be greater than ~350 psig.) Is the air cleaner and intake system clear of dirt, mouse nests, etc? You need about 150-200 rpm to start. That means a good starter and battery.
 
   / Ford 4cyl diesel trouble #3  
If it has sat that long, maybe needs oil on pistons to keep compression up. I took one apart lately that had been ether started. 8 push rods, 6 were bent 90 degrees. Check them too. You sure the pump is in time? If the battery and starter are not 100% it's a problem to start. Id take the starter apart and lube the bearings and bushings. Polish the armature, no sand paper. Make sure the brushes move freely and arent crudded up. If you could pull start, but you can't.
 
   / Ford 4cyl diesel trouble #4  
It’s very possible that the pump isn’t putting out enough fuel.. only way to tell is to get someone w the special tools to take it apart..
Same goes w the injectors..
Do u know why it sat for so long.??
 
   / Ford 4cyl diesel trouble
  • Thread Starter
#5  
It sat just because I didn’t need to use it. It only sat for 6 months, but the fuel was really bad. It left a layer of thick varnish on everything. Ran fine before and cranked easy.

I reckon I’ll replace the battery cables, see what that does. I had to replace the starter bendix during all this, and I put bushings in the starter at the same time.

Ive checked the timing multiple times, I think it’s ok. Only issue there is someone scribed another line on the pump rotor, so that’s confusing. Also, the pump head had a date scribed on it from 1965. I didn’t think they made those tractors in 65, maybe the pump came off something else.
 
 
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