It just quit while sitting still at idle.

sandman2234 · Sep 17, 2007

My JD2555 had been running most of the day. The batteries are old, and the starter has been dragging for a while, so since the last time I shut if off and it wouldn't start, I just leave it running if I am going to be using it in a few minutes. I got a phone call, so stopped and while sitting still, it just died. Kind of like somebody turned the key off. Restart didn't happen but the starter was warm from the engine so I wasn't surprised. Next day I go out and put a small battery charger on it. Checked the fuel, it has four inches in the tank. Hit the starter, and it fires right up, then dies like it did the day before. I am thinking fuel problem. I pulled the suction side of the low pressure pump and nothing, not even damp. I think that maybe the pump is bad, and it had gotten low enough on fuel that it wouldn't siphon anymore. It was right at the level of the pump, whereas I usually keep it pretty full. I changed the glass fuel filter about 25 hours back, but pulled it and it had some water in it. Not as bad as I have seen, but still some. I filled it back up with fresh fuel, added $30 worth of fuel to the tank and tried again. It did start, but only ran for 15 seconds. Grabbed a chain, and tried pull starting it. Again it fired, but dies within seconds, again, same thing, after that it won't even try to start. The way I see it, is I really need to but a new starter on it, along with new batteries, but I am going to have to wait until I am gainfully employed before I do that. I am thinking that the transfer pump might have quit, and after the level got lower than the pump, it quit siphoning fuel to the injector pump. My adding to the problem by breaking open the lines may have aggrevated the air in the fuel line problem. I may need to bleed the injectors, but what I don't understand is why it would start and then quit, and now refuses to start at all, even when being pull started.
I am pretty sure that I may need to look into the condition of the fuel in the bottom of the tank, just in case some accumulated trash has stopped up the suction hose.
Even one of my neighbors who works on cars, and sometimes tractors mentioned how good my JD2555 runs, which is why it is so frustrating for it not to want to start right up and run like it always does.
Anyone see anything else that I might be overlooking?
Also, I could use some help in the correct way to bleed a set of injectors, if anyone can offer a detailed account. It would be appreciated. I can probably get thru it, but detailed accounts often bring out critical things that should be adhered to. Thanks,
David from jax

tomd999 · Sep 17, 2007

Hiya,

Does it stay running if you leave the fuel filler cap off? Could be a simple as a plugged vent hole in the cap creating a negative pressure condition in the tank that the lift pump can't overcome.

Check the free stuff first..

Tom

jd110 · Sep 17, 2007

Now that you have added fuel to the tank, I would unhook the suction line at the low pressure pump and see if there is a good gravity flow there. If I am not mistaken, I believe there is a rubber hose that connects the pump to the fuel tank. You might even disconnect the hose at the tank to see if there is good flow from the tank. If the flow is good, then you need to open the bleed screw on the upper right of the filter base. Then pump the primer lever until you get a good flow of fuel out of the screw. Tighten the screw and then loosen the fuel line at the injection pump that is coming from the filter. Again pump the primer until you get good flow from the fuel line. If the flow is good from the tank but you have trouble getting the filter primed, then the transfer pump is probably bad. Once you have good flow up to the injection pump, tighten that line and pull the hand throttle wide open. crank engine until it fires. It should start within 30 seconds. If not, you might still have air in the lines and you should repeat bleeding procedure. If that fails, then loosen a fuel line at one or two of the injectors. Crank the engine and see if you get fuel up to the injectors. If no fuel is getting to the injectors, then the injection pump may be bad. good luck!

sandman2234 · Sep 17, 2007

We aren't even going to think about the injector pump not working!
Tried running it with the cap off, while watching to see if the return fuel line was putting out fuel (none noted). It rained here today, plus a friend came over with a gun part that needed modification for one of the local gun shops. I bought my mill from him, so when he needs one, he comes over to use it. His aniversary was a week ago, married 64 years to the same Lady!
I will get to the JD as soon as I can.
David from jax

sandman2234 · Sep 24, 2007

No gravity flow to the suction side of the lift pump. Removed the line, and found what appears to be a leaf stem at the end next to the pump. It had accumulated enough trash to finally stop the flow, but how did a leaf get that far downstream? I put it back together, dumped the water out of the glass filter, cracked open the injectors, and still not enough fuel to wet a napkin. I am going to pull the filter again, figure out how to drain the fuel tank, as the petcock is inoperative, and clean the rest of the lines going to the injector pump. The hand lever on the lift pump is now making a good flow thru the whole system, returning fuel back to the tank via the overflow, so I am pretty sure priming the injector pump will have good results.
I spent last evening going thru 6" of manuals that I have on that tractor, trying to find out how to bleed the injector pump. I know the sequence, as the book mentions that, just doesn't show you where the two screws are that it refers to as the lower and upper bleed screws. I really don't want to start twisting screws on the pump without knowing exactly which ones are which.
Seems there might be a couple different injector pumps. Best I can tell, mine is NOT the "Roto pump".
David from jax

sandman2234 · Sep 27, 2007

Well after I spent way too much time working on the tractor, I finally sent the starter out to be rebuilt. Shop here has a guy that picks them up and does them, and returns them the next day. Price??? Shop owner said the most he has ever charged was $100, so I gave it to them Monday afternoon. They called me, and I asked how much. They said $199 plus tax. I was ticked off to say the least, since I could have gotten a used one from T&H for $120, or a brand new, not rebuilt Bosch for $220. I would have had to drive up there, but I have property 30 miles from them and needed to go up there anyway. I voiced my concerns about this when I dropped the starter off, and asked why when I picked it up. They said they had to "completely rebuild my starter". Heck, I kind of figured they would need to do that, since I was paying them to do it. They offered to knock off their share of the bill, but I paid the whole thing anyway. Then I get home, and it won't work. Had to go into in anyway, which is what I should have done in the first place. Appeared to be some sort of coating on the solenoid contacts that wasn't letting power across it.
Anyway, put it back together and got the pump primed and the old girl fired right up, just like she should. I didn't even let on that she took her a week's vacation before deciding to start running again.
I had planned on taking my Ford 7710 in for some repairs sometime in the not too distance future, but I guess I will look for a new shop to take it to. I can't trust someone who won't stand behind their word.
New lesson learned everyday,
David from jax

jd110 · Sep 27, 2007

Glad to hear you are back in operation!

sandman2234 · Sep 28, 2007

I had a good day yesterday, riding around on the JD, moving dirt with my boxblade. The only bad part about this whole deal is that I figured out I am not as good of a mechanic as I thought I was, and also that I will have to rethink my future plans on where I take my Ford for some of the repairs it needs. I am just glad I didn't learn this lesson by them doubling the price of splitting the Ford for the front seal on the tranny. That would be a considerable larger mistake.
David from jax