Need Help Picked up a Project RTV 900 won't start

   / Need Help Picked up a Project RTV 900 won't start #1  

hazmat

Elite Member
Joined
Feb 12, 2002
Messages
4,034
Location
West Newbury, MA & Harrison, ME
Tractor
Kubota L5460HSTC
I picked up a project RTV900 from my dealer. It had been abandoned at the service department and sat for a few years.

Paid $1,000 even for it. If I can get it running, the deal of the year, if not, well at least its keeping me out of other trouble.

I'm guessing its a 2006+/- (serial #92278) Product # KRTV900A81092278

1,961 hours.

I can't get it to start. Here's what I've done so far:

drained out old fuel (some residual in "low points" in the tank.

Added 3 gal of fresh diesel and some white power service.

New fuel filter (old one was nasty)

bled the fuel lines at the pump and injectors - although from the owners manual I downloaded, it appears that the engine is self bleeding. Since I've been working alone, I can't visualize if the fuel was bubbling or not, just took a few shots at it

New primary air filter

New glow plugs (1 was mysteriously missing and the other 2 were loose.) The plugs appear to be manually activated & also appear to be working as the engine is warm to the touch. (ambient 35 deg).

Battery seems OK - I haven't run it on a tester, but it took a charge and is cranking the engine. I've been using the 300A "boost" function on my charger to help the batter out.

No blown fuses.

The engine will turn over and it seems like it wants to catch, but it doesn't. There is some "sooty" exhaust coming out the tailpipe. It doesn't seem to have a spark arrester.

Unknown compression - I'll pick up a tester tomorrow.

Other thoughts and suggestions? I have the workshop manual on order.

Thanks!
 
   / Need Help Picked up a Project RTV 900 won't start #2  
Make sure the manual fuel shutoff on the injector pump is fully close. It should be spring loaded to stay closed but who knows what else was cannibalized as it sat. My 06 BX23 uses an electric shutdown solenoid on the injector pump so the key switch (and associated safety devices) can kill the engine. On the BX23 it is electrically activated. If your RTV has one make sure you can hear it click then return to it's non-activated state 10-15 secs after you turn off the key switch. Disregard if it doesn't have this solenoid or it works differently.
Good luck
 
   / Need Help Picked up a Project RTV 900 won't start #3  
Mines several years newer but it is tough starting in cold. To activate the glow plugs turn the switch part way between on and start. You will hear a clicking every 5 seconds. Mine is in my 55 degree garage. Today I had to use the glow plugs for 2 clicks before it would start. Its likely a different problem for yours but this is one thing.

Once again my experience but the hour meter is a joke. Between the time I purchased it and I next visited the dealer a week later it had over 100 added hours. They forgot the switch in the on position. Since then a relative borrowed mine and when I next used it it had 83 additional hours although he only used it less than one. He also didn't completely turn the key off. My wife and my habit is to throw the key in the cup holder. My dealer told me to do that because hour meter errors on RTVs are so frequent.
 
   / Need Help Picked up a Project RTV 900 won't start #4  
You are a gambler my friend. I do the same thing at auctions. You are betting that you will be able to fix something that the dealer could not get fixed by his factory trained techs using reduced priced parts. Good luck. Price to you was good so you have room to work.
 
   / Need Help Picked up a Project RTV 900 won't start #5  
I'm a mechanic at a Kubota dealer.
Generally D902's are bullet proof. I've seen RTV900's at 10,000 hours used in commercial rail yards and they just keep going.
I have also seen a couple that decided they no longer wanted to start, they would crank over but not deliver any fuel to the injectors. The problem I've had with a few now was injector pump related. On the rack side of the injector pump they have a retainer plate which holds the rack to the elements. There are a few countersunk screws holding this retainer plate in. Over time they can come loose and the rack loses mesh with the elements. No matter what position the rack is in the elements will stay at zero fuel position, hence no start. Good luck finding your problem, it shouldn't be too hard to work out because like I said D902's are very simple.
 
   / Need Help Picked up a Project RTV 900 won't start
  • Thread Starter
#6  
The story is that the techs didn`t even diagnose it. Customer balked at price.

Customer complaint was running rough and tranny not right. I figure the fuel filter and loose glow plugs may explain at least one. I priced a Ramanufactured trans and engine before the purchase. If I have to replace one, I'm still ahead, both not so much.

Appreciate the suggestions so far, will dig in more today.
 
   / Need Help Picked up a Project RTV 900 won't start
  • Thread Starter
#7  
I believe the solenoid is functioning properly it energizes on key off and holds position for a few seconds. Mechanism is free to move otherwise. It does not hold in the other position.

I picked up a compression tester today at harbor freight. Actually two differeng sets of them. Of course none of the adapters fit the glow plug holes smallest are 10mm. Need 8 x 1.0 mm. Called around and can't find one local, including the closest Kubota dealer (not the one I bought from). I'll try to weld something up tonight using an old glow plug.
 
   / Need Help Picked up a Project RTV 900 won't start #8  
If I was attempting to start engine I'd loosen inj lines at injectors to determine if any fuel was getting delivered to that point while engine was turning over.
 
   / Need Help Picked up a Project RTV 900 won't start
  • Thread Starter
#9  
So in case you are wondering, the adapters in the cheap harbor freight kit are not steel. Figured that out the hard way while attempting to weld it. I was able to turn one down on my mini lathe.

Cylinder 3? (Towards rear of the RTV opposite belt) 500 psi. #2 about 50 psi. That's when the adapter snapped off in the block trying to remove it. I then proceded to break an easy out off flush. Calling it quits for now until I get the workshop manual. Will order a compression adapter for cylinder 1.

Off to watch YouTube on how to rebuild an engine. Perhaps I get lucky and it is a valve or head gasket.

Tx Jim I'm getting fuel to all 3 injectors.
 
   / Need Help Picked up a Project RTV 900 won't start #10  
Thanks for the update. Will be interested to read what you end up doing.
 
 
Top