Hello all!
This spring I bought a used (maybe 20 years old) Jacobsen Turf-Cat 422D tractor. It was sold to me non-running. I had never worked on a diesel prior to this - but I was able to clean the fuel system (new hoses, filters, etc. in addition to the usual), bleed the lines, and had it running. I've cut with it approximately 3 hours per week since then, and all has been more or less well. The battery was junk from day one, but I'd been nursing it along by trickle charging when needed, and the occasional jump-start with a second battery.
From the beginning, I noticed that I'd have to run the glow plugs for anywhere from 10-30 seconds to get it to start, and that it would make black smoke out the exhaust momentarily after a cold start - both of which I assumed were ordinary. Only thing about it that seemed at all odd to me was that, when left to idle for any length of time, I'd notice a small amount of whiteish smoke(?) puffing out of the valve cover breather. Never knew if that was normal or not.
The past two times I went to start it, it seemed to take more effort than usual. I had attributed it to the battery getting ever closer to death, but I did notice that it was (maybe?) making more smoke than normal after a cold start.
When I went to use it today, it simply refused to start. You could crank it as long as you wanted, but it never even sputtered. I would see a bit of light colored smoke coming out of the exhaust while cranking, but no start. Surprisingly, the battery seemed to have nothing to do with it.
I knew the smoke should indicate that it was getting fuel, but seeing no reason for the problem I ran through it anyways. Cleaned out all the hoses, filter, etc, bled the lines, just to make sure fuel was getting there. Found a kinked hose and several other smaller issues, but resolving them brought no change. The fuel looked and smelled proper.
So next I moved on to glow plugs. It was there that I noticed two things that seemed odd:
1) Upon extracting and bench testing the plugs, I found that only two were functioning. (Would one bad plug keep it from starting?)
2) I removed the B+ wire from the glow plugs and attached it to a voltmeter. As expected, I saw full battery voltage was constantly present while the switch was held on. But when I reattached it to the plug or plugs, a strange thing would happen: the voltage (which was significantly lower) would stay on for several seconds, then disappear and reappear in a rhythmic fashion. (Is there some device in the circuit that's supposed to cause this, or have I found a problem?)
I know I need a new glow plug, but fear that it's not the only thing keeping the motor from running. But I'm a diesel novice, so what do I know? :laughing:
Any advice would be appreciated.
--Keith
This spring I bought a used (maybe 20 years old) Jacobsen Turf-Cat 422D tractor. It was sold to me non-running. I had never worked on a diesel prior to this - but I was able to clean the fuel system (new hoses, filters, etc. in addition to the usual), bleed the lines, and had it running. I've cut with it approximately 3 hours per week since then, and all has been more or less well. The battery was junk from day one, but I'd been nursing it along by trickle charging when needed, and the occasional jump-start with a second battery.
From the beginning, I noticed that I'd have to run the glow plugs for anywhere from 10-30 seconds to get it to start, and that it would make black smoke out the exhaust momentarily after a cold start - both of which I assumed were ordinary. Only thing about it that seemed at all odd to me was that, when left to idle for any length of time, I'd notice a small amount of whiteish smoke(?) puffing out of the valve cover breather. Never knew if that was normal or not.
The past two times I went to start it, it seemed to take more effort than usual. I had attributed it to the battery getting ever closer to death, but I did notice that it was (maybe?) making more smoke than normal after a cold start.
When I went to use it today, it simply refused to start. You could crank it as long as you wanted, but it never even sputtered. I would see a bit of light colored smoke coming out of the exhaust while cranking, but no start. Surprisingly, the battery seemed to have nothing to do with it.
I knew the smoke should indicate that it was getting fuel, but seeing no reason for the problem I ran through it anyways. Cleaned out all the hoses, filter, etc, bled the lines, just to make sure fuel was getting there. Found a kinked hose and several other smaller issues, but resolving them brought no change. The fuel looked and smelled proper.
So next I moved on to glow plugs. It was there that I noticed two things that seemed odd:
1) Upon extracting and bench testing the plugs, I found that only two were functioning. (Would one bad plug keep it from starting?)
2) I removed the B+ wire from the glow plugs and attached it to a voltmeter. As expected, I saw full battery voltage was constantly present while the switch was held on. But when I reattached it to the plug or plugs, a strange thing would happen: the voltage (which was significantly lower) would stay on for several seconds, then disappear and reappear in a rhythmic fashion. (Is there some device in the circuit that's supposed to cause this, or have I found a problem?)
I know I need a new glow plug, but fear that it's not the only thing keeping the motor from running. But I'm a diesel novice, so what do I know? :laughing:
Any advice would be appreciated.
--Keith
