BX24 starving for fuel and not running

[RayCo]

I have a BX24 with about 1200 hours on it, and it recently won't stay running. It seems to be behaving as though it's struggling to get fuel. Did the obvious, and swapped out both fuel filters. The electric fuel pump SOUNDS normal and seems to be operating just fine. Is there, perhaps, a fuel pressure regulator that could be the problem? Or, what else should I check?

In the world of gas engines, I'd be spraying carb cleaner into the intake to verify that fuel delivery is the issue, but not sure about doing that in the world of diesel engines.

Thanks for any guidance.

 

[RickB]

Check to see if the fuel shutoff solenoid linkage isn't binding.

 

[Roadworthy]

Disconnect a fuel line near the output of the tank. See if you get a good steady flow of fuel under gravity at that point. You could have some sort of algae buildup or blockage in the tank itself.

 

[JWR]

Search this forum (and the Orange one) for threads on this topic. There have been MANY posts, comments, solutions, etc. The usual response is to pull loose the fuel line right before the pump and make sure you have free flowing fuel there. A fairly common (though I still think it obscure) cause of your symptom is an obstruction in the fuel tank. Leaves or an old bottle cap or who knows what gets lodged against the fuel outlet in the tank and prevents flow. Others mention vacuum in the tank cause by plugged vent in the fuel cap (which can happen with gas engines too of course.) That is the easiest to check for by just taking off the fuel cap and see if it runs OK or not. After the easier stuff has been checked, unscrew one of the injector fuel feed tubes and see if fuel is squirting from that tube and whether it KEEPS squirting after a while.. All these things can be a little confusing because it does run in the first place and the culprit may take a few minutes to get proven, thus making it hard to be sure. Just keep chugging and you will eventually narrow it down.

 

[Jerry/MT]

I have a BX24 with about 1200 hours on it, and it recently won't stay running. It seems to be behaving as though it's struggling to get fuel. Did the obvious, and swapped out both fuel filters. The electric fuel pump SOUNDS normal and seems to be operating just fine. Is there, perhaps, a fuel pressure regulator that could be the problem? Or, what else should I check?

In the world of gas engines, I'd be spraying carb cleaner into the intake to verify that fuel delivery is the issue, but not sure about doing that in the world of diesel engines.

Thanks for any guidance.

Most likely cause is restricted fuel flow. As one of the other poster said, check the fuel flow as close to the injector pump as feasible. You should have a continuous full delivery of fuel. If the flow dribbles or is intermittent, you have a restriction somewhere between that point and the tank. The usual culprits are the tank outlet strainer, pinched or damaged fuel lines, crud in the filter head, clogged fuel filter(s), clogged screen in the lift pump (if you have one) bad lift pump, etc.

Your engine may run until the supplied fuel is less than the "required to run" fuel flow which is greater than the system fuel supply rate and then will die. It's not uncommon to have an engine have adequate fuel flow to idle but as soon as the throttle advances it dies. If you have air at the injector pump that indicates a fuel delivery problem. Sometimes blowing back on the tank to filter line with compressed air will help temporarily clear a clogged tank strainer.

 

[ultrarunner]

Mine had a pinhole leak in the robber line so air could get in... BX23

 

[Fxfymn413]

I had an issue with bugs getting into the fuel tank of my BX2660 from a farm tank nozzle which blocked the fuel line resulting in the same symptoms you have. In my case I could pull the fuel line, blow back through it to clear it and it might stay clear for days or it could happen again quickly.

Because you basically have to disassemble the tractor to remove the fuel tank to properly clean it I ended up cutting a small panel out of the top of the tank so I could get into the tank to clean it.

I now have a screen in place to prevent foreign substances from getting into the filler.

 

[JWR]

I had an issue with bugs getting into the fuel tank of my BX2660 from a farm tank nozzle which blocked the fuel line resulting in the same symptoms you have. In my case I could pull the fuel line, blow back through it to clear it and it might stay clear for days or it could happen again quickly.

Because you basically have to disassemble the tractor to remove the fuel tank to properly clean it I ended up cutting a small panel out of the top of the tank so I could get into the tank to clean it.

I now have a screen in place to prevent foreign substances from getting into the filler.

My first guess is those "bugs" were mud dobbers building mud nests in the farm tank nozzle. They will build almost anywhere.

 

[RayCo]

Turns out that I should read the manual and/or used novice knowledge to seek out a bleeder valve. New fuel filters AND bleeding air out of the line made it great again. Why is it so common to overlook the simple things?

 

[RayCo]

Had the same issue and searched in this forum and found my old thread. Hey, future RayCo, if this happens again in 2025, also check for obstructions from the fuel tank. Yes, it did seem like a bit of an effort to remove the tank, so known that in 2023 you just blew air up the fuel line before the first filter. The stain will probably still be on the driveway when you read this in 2025.