Gambled on a G5200 Today

[sandman2234]

I am thinking that you should get a test light and check to see if the glow plugs are actually getting power to them. When you said you held the key for 30 seconds, I thought, hmmm, two of my tractors have a limit of about 10-15 seconds and then they automatically stop the power to the glow plugs. On one of them, I have to cycle the key to the glow plug setting every 15 seconds, and it takes 3 times before the tractor fires up. Yours could easily be that way, which just requires a learning curve, no money! (we can hope, right?)
Good luck, and check the easy stuff first! I wonder if a magnetic block heater will work on one of those engines? It would already be warm before you try to start it. (I live in Florida, we don't use block heaters at all in our two weeks of winter down here!)
David from jax

 

[joleat]

Do you happen to know if the glow plug indicator receives current independent of the glow plugs? I haven't looked at the circuitry yet, but it would certainly be a promising feeling if the glow plugs only received current through the indicator. My indicator does not glow at all.

 

[CalG]

The engine on my B7200 is VERY COLD BLOODED! It will not start without a good amount of time on the heaters. Count of ten MIGHT get it to go in summer, count of 25 to 30 in winter.

The "glow" coil on the B7200 is in circuit with the heaters.

I would start with getting that preheat working before I looked at engine condition.

 

[Lavender Valley]

I appreciate your optimism. I'm definitely taking a glass half-empty stance at the moment. The fact that the seller told me it can be difficult to start, and the original owner told him it had been difficult to start for a while, makes me lean even further toward the rings being either worn naturally or cracked from ether starts. Ether is the "easy" way, so I wouldn't be surprised at all if one or both of the previous owners used it.

I wish I would have put this all together before buying it. I was just stricken by the fantastic appearance and figured the difficult starts were from glow plugs, clogged filters, or something else that would be easily solved. I really do hope I'm wrong about the rings.

I would remove the injectors and glow plugs and have them checked and serviced.

 

[Aussie Cargo]

Check the glow plugs, they can be tested without removing. I would do that before anything else.

 

[RBsingl]

And I will add to the others to get the glow plugs working before you go further because these little Kubota engines are extremely cold natured.

I mowed for years with my Deere 955 (1.4L Yanmar diesel) and it only needs a few seconds on glow plugs in the winter and never in the summer. When my Kubota F2690 took over mowing duty a couple of years ago, I was amazed that it needs a few seconds on glow plugs in the summer to start quickly while the 955 fires right off with no waiting once it is up in the 50s.

Rodger

 

[Cycledude]

Recommend buying a $8 bottle of injector cleaner and pour the proper amount in fuel tank

 

[arto98607]

This gamble may not pay off.

It took a couple minutes to get it started this evening. Once again, without ether, but man it took a while. The battery is good and it seemed to crank fine. It had a periodic puff of white/light gray smoke, but most puffs were black. Prior to starting, I held the key in the glow plug position for at least 30 seconds -- the glow plug indicator didn't illuminate (I assume the wire loop in the peephole is supposed to glow, but nothing).

So here's where I am...

When I first got to the seller's house, he told his grandson to stay off of the tractor because it was hot -- but it wasn't running at that time. I didn't think anything of it because he may not have wanted his grandson to climb on it or maybe he had just moved it out of the garage and it truly was hot. I hate this feeling, but he knew I was on my way and it sure does make sense now that he brought it to temp before I arrived so the rings would expand (raising compression) and it would be easy to restart. And it was. I shut it off and restarted it a couple times and it was immediate.

I don't have a compression gauge capable of 400+psi. Local parts stores only have compression check kits for gasoline engines (250-300psi). Harbor Freight is a little out of the way (over an hour), but they have a diesel compression kit for $99. That may be my next move unless someone here has other suggestions for troubleshooting.

It looks like rebuild kits are $400-$600, but I don't know how far down the rabbit hole I want to go since I'm already in it for $1300. Fluids and filters will put me around $1500, so I would be in it over $2000 after a rebuild. That is assuming I can call in a favor from a diesel-loving family member to assist with the rebuild.

Thoughts? Well wishes? Haha.

Since the engine ran OK when it was warn, I think it's little premature to talk about piston rings, compression, engine rebuild etc. until you repair glow-plug system and make sure it works as designed...

I have two mowers with Kubota Diesel engines and they certainly need working glow-plugs in order to start decently, even during summer!

Same with my Ford 1310 tractor.