tractor will not start not getting fuel

of course my tractor always ran fine until I went to start it today I have a GC 2300 diesel it is stored in the garage it was really cold last night being in New England the middle of a storm I did not have any additives in the diesel so I got some additives and fill the tank with diesel and additives I remove the fuel filter that is on the lower left side it seems to be getting fuel through that filter in the one underneath and it will start if I spray keys are in it as soon as the evil runs out it turns off I have had a heater on it all day still no effect are there any other fuel filters other than the two kind of under your left foot if you were in the seat? any help on what else I should check would be greatly appreciated

OK, here are some simple things you can try:

Make SURE you have a full tank of fuel....(duhhhh...it happens..... ).

Take the fuel line loose right AT the injector pump.

Do you have free flowing fuel there ?

No.....you have a problem between that point and the filter or tank. Start figuring out why. Report back if that is the case.

Yes.....let it flow a bit and make SURE you see no air bubbles in it....see any, let it flow until you don't....on some diesels, even a very small amount of air will prevent starting, others are more forgiving. IF you have free flowing fuel with zero air bubbles, re-connect the line, and try to start.

Still no ? Loosen ONE line (do NOT remove completely ) at the injector ( line coming from the pump to one of the injectors on the engine ). Have someone crank the engine over. Make sure you have no air in that line...just pure fuel sprays out. IF you saw any air, do this until no air. Re-tighten the line, and then repeat the process with EVERY injector one at a time. Most diesels, you can get the air out at the point it enters the pump, but SOME of them, you have to bleed the air all the way to the injector.


IF you saw NO fuel at the first line/injector point, you have a pump problem. Pump has fail, shaft that turns the pump is broken, something along that line.

How did air get in ? You open the fuel filter housing ? Or open any part of the line between the tank and the injector pump ? That's how.....

Thx sounds like i let air in the lines when i put diesel 911 in the filter, i will try bleeding them tomorrow morning

can you hear the fuel pump running?

also, these are hard to start when it is cold, is it plugged in and are you using a lot of preheat?

Any time you open the lines or the filter housing you'll have to bleed the fuel system.

I have gotten away without doing that twice, once after a fuel filter change in a cummins in a dodge, (just used the mechanical pump primer) and once on my gc2410.

I was working in heavy brush and I'm guessing a twig caught the shutoff valve under the floorboards. at any rate, it was closed and the machine ran out of fuel and died.

It took a while but I finally figured out it what had happened, turn the fuel back on, ran the electric pump for a while, cranked... nothing. ran the electric pump for a little longer, cranked and got a couple puffs, did the same again and it fired right up.

took 5 minutes I bled the line and it started right up

thx