Kubota L1500 won't crank

[watgad]

I'm back from trying all the great advice that I have been given. I feel like the fuel lines are bled of air. Machine still will not crank. I am going to have to take it to a mechanic. I took some pictures so everyone can see the tractor that you have been advising me on.

Thnx for the help.

 

[DieselPower]

Think I missed your previous thread. Is it a no "crank" or is it a cranks but won't "start" problem.

 

[watgad]

It will crank but will not start.

 

[DieselPower]

Do you get any white smoke from the exhaust while cranking?

If you place your hand over the exhaust while cranking do you feel a even puff, puff, puff, puff or does it go puff, pause, puff, pause?

Have you removed the valve cover and checked to see if the rockers are all operating? Camshafts have been known to break in half.

Really dumb question but the basic's are easy to overlook, have you checked the air filter/inlet for blockage? I have seen engines that would not start because the filter was completly plugged shut with dust and tree leaves.

Have you tried giving her a wiff of starting fluid yet? Some engines can be one heck of a SOB to bleed the fuel system on and a shot of starting fluid to get the engine rpm's up a little will sometimes create enough preasure in the fuel system to force the air out.

 

[DieselPower]

Well I found your original post and found this by you.

"Thanks for the input. I bled lines today as prescribed. Machine will not start. I removed the oil filler cap and turned engine over. I saw the valves going up and down. I am getting a lot of smoke coming out of the blow by pipe/tube, very little coming out of exhaust pipe. I am not proud of the fact that I have used ether, unfortunately, pretty good shots trying to start engine. The engine is turning over. If ether has caused internal damage, tell me the bad news. I am sitting down and have thrown the top to the bottle away COL (crying out loud)."

First off, never use ether on a diesel engine with glow plugs unless you have disconnected the glow plug system. Hot glow plugs can ignite the ether when the piston is not at top dead center of the compression stroke and can cause very severe engine damage. I'm not saying you did any damage by using it, it is just something to remember.

Smoke out of the blowby and nothing out of the exhaust is not a good sign. I hate to even say this but it could possibly be a hole burned through the piston. That was why I asked if you had even puff, puff, puff's from the exhaust. If you don't that means it's not creating any compression and it's going into the crankcase.

I need to go back to the original thread and see if you checked your engine oil yet. If you have not drain the oil and see if there is any metal in it. If there is it's another bad sign.

 

[watgad]

I seem to have even puff puff puff and good suction from the intake. Just because the glow plug indicator on the dash does illuminate could the glow plugs be bad?

 

[DieselPower]

Yes they could. Do you have a test light? If so, place the test light probe on the electrical connector at each glow plug, turn the key to the pre-heat/glow plug position and see if the test light light's. If not, trace the glow plug wires back, there is probably a glow plug relay. See if the relay is working. If your not getting anything out of the relay, check to see if the wire to the relay from the ignition switch is getting power.

Next question is, do you have a multimeter/ohm meter?

 

[watgad]

I do have a mutimeter

 

[DieselPower]

Good, that's better than a test light. For starters let's check to make sure your glow plugs are getting voltage. Place the black probe on ground and then place the red on the glow plug's terminal. Turn ignition to the glow plug position and see what the voltage reading is at each glow plug.

 

[DmansPadge]

I don't want to sound negative... but I also don't see a need for you to check everything on the engine when there is about a 99% chance that it isn't cranking because there is still air in the fuel system. If you can't find the detailed method for bleeding it in a shop manual... take it to somebody. If there are internal engine problems I'm assuming you wouldn't repair it yourself... therefore it still needs to be sent to a mechanic. Save yourself the headache!