GManBart
Elite Member
- Joined
- Dec 10, 2012
- Messages
- 4,967
- Location
- Detroit, Michigan
- Tractor
- Massey Ferguson 241, Kubota SVL90-2
So about a week ago I was using my Massey 241 to clear the last (I hope) snow of the year, and it started running a little rough, the idle jumped about 150rpm from it's usual, and while I was heading back to the barn, it quit. On a whim I used the prime lever on the lift pump, and that got it started, but it quickly quit again. I did maybe 75 strokes on the prime lever, and was able to get it restarted, and running long enough to back it into the barn.
I figured the fuel filter was clogged, but the sediment bowl looked clear. I put a complete new filter assembly on it because the old one had dried seals, and I was an idiot and broke the glass bowl on the original one (it's about the same price to buy a filter and glass bowl as a complete assembly). I got it all back together, followed the instructions for purging air from the system, and checked the air filters (blew them out with compressed air) while I was at it. The engine started and seemed to be running okay. I let it idle for maybe 20min while I was cleaning up, then decided to run it up and down the road for a few minutes just to make sure it was running fine. I went a bit less than half a mile, turned around, and came back...the whole time in high gear at wide open throttle. Things seemed okay until I closed the throttle, and turned into the driveway....the engine quit. I ran about a hundred strokes on the prime lever, and it started, then quit...did that a few times until I got it running long enough to jump on, increase the RPM, and get it in gear.
After I got it back in the barn I looked over all the fuel lines from tank to pump, to filter, to injector pump, and then noticed there were air bubbles in the filter sight bowl...big ones. I got the engine running again, and cracked the #1 and #3 injectors...pure foam coming out, but it was running. I could watch new bubbles get drawn down through the bottom of the filter elements, and then up into the center, so clearly it's sucking air somewhere between the filter and the pump. I checked the oil in the crankcase, and it's normal, no signs of fuel.
Could the seal/diaphram be leaking in the lift pump enough to let air in, but not put any fuel in the crankcase? The lift pump looked like it was a little wet around the cork seal that divides the top, and bottom...but there's been a lot of fuel sloshing around the whole area while I was working on it over the past week.
I didn't see any spots where the fuel lines appeared to be wet, or fittings that were loose, so I'm considering just trying a new lift pump next.
For reference, the engine is a Perkins 903.27 with less than 1400hrs on it (late 1999-early 2000 production).
Thoughts?
I figured the fuel filter was clogged, but the sediment bowl looked clear. I put a complete new filter assembly on it because the old one had dried seals, and I was an idiot and broke the glass bowl on the original one (it's about the same price to buy a filter and glass bowl as a complete assembly). I got it all back together, followed the instructions for purging air from the system, and checked the air filters (blew them out with compressed air) while I was at it. The engine started and seemed to be running okay. I let it idle for maybe 20min while I was cleaning up, then decided to run it up and down the road for a few minutes just to make sure it was running fine. I went a bit less than half a mile, turned around, and came back...the whole time in high gear at wide open throttle. Things seemed okay until I closed the throttle, and turned into the driveway....the engine quit. I ran about a hundred strokes on the prime lever, and it started, then quit...did that a few times until I got it running long enough to jump on, increase the RPM, and get it in gear.
After I got it back in the barn I looked over all the fuel lines from tank to pump, to filter, to injector pump, and then noticed there were air bubbles in the filter sight bowl...big ones. I got the engine running again, and cracked the #1 and #3 injectors...pure foam coming out, but it was running. I could watch new bubbles get drawn down through the bottom of the filter elements, and then up into the center, so clearly it's sucking air somewhere between the filter and the pump. I checked the oil in the crankcase, and it's normal, no signs of fuel.
Could the seal/diaphram be leaking in the lift pump enough to let air in, but not put any fuel in the crankcase? The lift pump looked like it was a little wet around the cork seal that divides the top, and bottom...but there's been a lot of fuel sloshing around the whole area while I was working on it over the past week.
I didn't see any spots where the fuel lines appeared to be wet, or fittings that were loose, so I'm considering just trying a new lift pump next.
For reference, the engine is a Perkins 903.27 with less than 1400hrs on it (late 1999-early 2000 production).
Thoughts?
