I would agree, it may be bad fuel. Did you notice any growth in the old fuel filter, or the tank? There could be water separation in the tank, or another issue with the fuel. below is a pretty good article from Autotap.com.
http://www.autotap.com/techlibrary/diagnosing_light_duty_diesels.asp
I also attached a link for the fuel filter. I have used these guys on several occasions, and they seem to be great.
http://www.stevenstractor.com/parts/compacts/iseki/fuel-filter.html
Fuel Problems
Unlike gasoline, diesel oil is adversely affected by cold temperatures. Diesel is made of heavier hydrocarbons that turn to wax when temperatures drop. The "cloud point" or point at which wax starts to form for ordinary summer-grade No. 2 diesel fuel can range from 10 to 40 degrees. If the fuel tank contains summer grade fuel and temperatures drop, wax crystals can form in the water/fuel separator, causing a blockage.
The cure here is to pull the vehicle into a warm garage so it can thaw out, replace the water/fuel separator as needed, then add an approved "fuel conditioner" additive to the tank (some manufacturers do not approve any additives or prohibit the use of specific ingredients such as alcohol that are found in some additives), or drain the tank and refill it with No. 1 diesel fuel. To prevent the same thing from happening again, you might install an aftermarket fuel heater.
Water in the fuel is another problem that can cause starting and performance problems. Condensation that forms during cold weather is the primary source of contamination. Water that gets into the fuel tank usually settles to the bottom because water and oil don't mix. The water is sucked into the fuel line and goes to the filter or water/fuel separator (if the vehicle has one). Here it can freeze, causing a blockage that stops the flow of fuel to the engine. So if the filter or separator is iced up, the fuel tank needs to be drained to get rid of the water.
Fuel Contamination
Another difference with diesel fuel is that it tastes good to certain microbes, especially if there's water in the tank. Certain bacteria can actually thrive inside a diesel fuel tank, forming slime, acids and other creepy stuff that can gum up fuel lines, filters, injection pumps and injectors. Infected fuel often has a "rotten egg" odor, and leaves a black or green coating on the inside of fuel system components. The growth rate of most organisms increases with warmer temperatures, but some can thrive down to freezing temperatures.
To get rid of a bug infestation, the fuel tank needs to be drained and cleaned. A biocide approved for this type of use should also be used to kill the organisms and to prevent their reappearance. The cleaning process should be followed by a fresh tank of fuel treated with a preventative dose of biocide. If the fuel lines and injection pump have also been contaminated, they will also have to be cleaned.
Glow Plugs
If slow cranking isn't the problem, perhaps there's something wrong with the glow plug system. Most passenger car and light truck diesels have glow plugs to assist cold starts. The glow plugs are powered by a relay and timer that routes voltage to the plugs for the prescribed number of seconds. When the timer runs out, the relay is supposed to turn off the voltage. But relays sometime stick and continue to feed voltage to the glow plugs causing them to burn out. One or two bad glow plugs on a V8 engine might not cause a noticeable starting problem during warm weather, but it can when temperatures drop.
Glow plugs can be checked by measuring their resistance or continuity. Excessive resistance or a lack of continuity would tell you the plug is bad.
If one or more glow plugs have burned out, are heavily coated with carbon or are not receiving their usual dose of start-up voltage, the engine will become progressively harder to start as temperatures drop, and will idle roughly and produce white smoke in the exhaust for several minutes once it finally starts. If all the glow plugs are burned on the end, you'd better check the injection timing because it is probably over-advanced.
To see if the glow plug module is providing power to the glow plugs, use a voltmeter to check each plug for the specified voltage when the ignition key is turned on. No voltage? Check the glow plug control module connections, ground and wiring harness. The glow plugs themselves can be checked by measuring their resistance. Replace any plugs that read out of specifications.
Hard starting can sometimes be caused by a glow plug module that fails to turn the glow plugs on or doesn't keep the plugs on long enough when the weather is cold. On GM 6.2/6.5L diesels, there have been reports of heat from a still-warm engine causing the 125-degree inhibit switch inside the controller to shut off making the engine hard to restart. The cure here is to relocate the control module away from the engine. On Ford 7.3L diesels, the control module can cut off early if there are two or more bad glow plugs. We have also heard of control modules that do not keep the glow plugs on long enough for easy cold weather starting. The on-time is sufficient for warm weather, but not cold weather.
I was looking for some help with a bolens g194/1610 is that right?). Upon start up ( 40 Degree) the throttle needs to be 2/3rd's to get the motor to fire. When it does the motor rev's higher then I would like and searches up and down for 15 minutes. If you drop the throttle lower it will stall. Some new fuel was added to the old fuel in the tank (not sure how old) and I was told the filter was changed recently but if the fuel was poor then....
It will run at high revs 2300 rpm during warm up so I don't think fuel starvation is an issue but for some reason when the fuel becomes less viscous due to heat she starts to behave normal. That said it does not like to idle real low but rather just quit say below 1000 rpm. Runs and operates well.
The other question I have is should coolant be moving through the radiator super vigorously at 2000 rpm with a cold motor. Cold motor = closed thermostat= no flow to radiator. I think the t-stat is stuck open or gone. Any thoughts?
Would a fuel system cleaner ( BG, or NAPA) be a good idea? I was thinking of draining and cleaning tank then starting fresh with some BG treatment. Any reason not to? Miracle is a can always has a bad reputation but with a 30 year old tractor what the ****. Your thoughts are welcome.
Thanks for the help.
