Oil & Fuel Ford 1920 fuel filter mysterious spring

[Danica]

That is exactly what I’ve planned with one exception I failed to mention yesterday: this issue starts when the engine temp hits about the 25% tick on the heat gauge which would mean a much easier fix (changing the sensor). My gut says that it is getting clogged in the tank though cuz foolishly during the hottest and most humid weeks of august I had the tractor in the sun and only half full of fuel. Given that I think maybe the sensor would be a waste of more money.

Are you aware of any product u can pour into an empty fuel tank to “eat up” the bacterial growth that is very likely there? In fact I know there’s something gross in there cuz if I look into the fuel tank with a light (actually only first 8” or so since there’s a bend) I see a kind of grayish slime on the tube downwards going into the tank…

Thanks again for your timely replies!
Danica

 

[Danica]

PS re the pic you originally sent re filter housing wouldn’t it be a little cleaner to shut of fuel (no bleeding later) and disconnect inlet hose letting it drain into clean receptacle which will likely be 2 5-gallon diesel cans?

 

[ROUSTABOUT]

Spring keeps filter pushed up.

 

[JC-jetro]

PS re the pic you originally sent re filter housing wouldn’t it be a little cleaner to shut of fuel (no bleeding later) and disconnect inlet hose letting it drain into clean receptacle which will likely be 2 5-gallon diesel cans?

Yes , Of course. That is what I meant.I have to re-check. There is nothing you can add to the tank to solve all the built up to nothing. Chemical make the crap to coalesce in to a mass to be cleaned up and also loosen up stuff to be scraped off. what I suggested by vacuuming is the simplest and cleanest without using a chemical. You will not even dirty up your shop vac if you build a collection jar as the pic below suggests. Garden hose goes in to tank to suck up the last 1/4" deep diesel and the fat hose goes to your shop vac. This is the same as medical vacuum system used in your dentist's office.

 

[Danica]

Darn I was so hopeful there’d be a product that would just chemically dissolve it. The shop vac collection approach is great! What a good way not to have a stinky shop vac for the next ten years! Even so, this doesn’t seem like a cake walk. I mean you can’t see in the tank to visually confirm you got everything…only hope. Nonetheless, this looks like a viable next step.

One last thought…are you aware of a solenoid that if defective would restrict the fuel flow in this erratic fashion when it hits the right temp? I saw one (they have one elec clip at end) that someone mentioned as a possible culprit and they’re only twenty bucks on Amazon. I wish I had the repair manual in front of me and I’d tell u the proper name and SKU.
Thanks again for the new tip re shop vac. If this fail I can always go into dentistry!

 

[stevem5215]

My Ford 1900 was mysteriously dying after about 4 minutes of operation. After close examination I found hornets in the fuel intake. It was easy to suck them out with a long rod into the fuel tank and get them and the surrounding area clean of "junk in the tank". Not sure how they got in there but yep, bees in the tank! I cleaned the fuel bowl and filter while I was at it and she purred like a kitten after wards. The things you find in your fuel tank. Clean it out !

 

[JC-jetro]

One last thought…are you aware of a solenoid that if defective would restrict the fuel flow in this erratic fashion when it hits the right temp? I saw one (they have one elec clip at end) that someone mentioned as a possible culprit and they’re only twenty bucks on Amazon. I wish I had the repair manual in front of me and I’d tell u the proper name and SKU.
Thanks again for the new tip re shop vac. If this fail I can always go into dentistry!

Solenoid valves on tractor and automotive usually are 12 volts and can easily be activated by a small 12 volt battery or borrwing12 volts somewhere from the tractor. Solenoids are normally open and close. If they operate then they will click and you hear a plunger move against a small spring. The plunger acts like a valve. in the tractor fuel the solenoid is normally closed (without battery juice), if you are able to open up hoses or pipes before and after that then you can manually exorcise it (open and close) while shooting WD inside with a tip nozzle. That will free and clean it up well.

 

[Danica]

OMG. I have never heard of such a crazy situation during my entire tenure on TBN. Wow, that’s one I will have to relate to some friends. In my instance I’m now very very hopeful that it’s the solenoid as the problem emerges only when the heat gauge gets to the midpoint on the scale. Thank you and hope you never have hornet problems again!

 

[Danica]

[ok this sounds very logical to me and I’m just going to order one on Amazon as another member suggested (may actually have been you). Anyway before I empty the tank and create the vacuum contraption (which is really novel) I’m going to give the ez solenoid solution a shot.

Fortunately it has been so dry here in the Catskills I don’t need to rush as nothing is growing very fast and lawns are turning and emeral *brown*!

Thanks again for advice!!!

Danica

 

[Danica]

This is probably a really dumb question but the 1920 is my backup tractor and I’m not nearly as familiar with it. I always assumed the fuel filter was gravity fed but there are two

lines coming from the tank. The close one drops right down to the filter but the farther one actually goes into no man’s land (from my perspective). Is it the case the second line is just pressurized air returning back to the tank to pressurize the tank and drive the fuel up and then down to the filter???? I’d never even thought about this or noticed it and am still struggling with the strong likelihood that there is gunk at bottom of tank impeding fuel flow.

In the same vein I’ve seen a number of diesel transfer pumps on Amazon for $20 or so and was wondering if they would have the suction power to slurp up any glop/seeds/junk that may be at bottom of tank.

The presence of a woods FEL on this tractor has made accessing all of this a real PITA.

Thank you very much in advance for any info esp re how the fuel is circulated!

 

[Tinhack]

One fuel line. the other is most likely the return line. Whatever fuel is unused by the injectors is returned to the tank. On my 3910, the return line also feeds the prestart glow plug.

 

[JC-jetro]

Those line are unused fuel from the fuel injector. it is not gravity and has a slight positive fresh back to the tank. Those rubber lines can't hold much pressure at all.Your fuel tank is atmospheric. You do not have a pump in the tank if that's what you are asking. start from injector and you have a banjo connection, follow the bypass line and it runs in the tank. Below is how it is on F-1700 on the injector return. Transfer pump ain't gonna do what your asking. Just a bit curious, did you find tank outlet fitting, shut off valve at the tank and hose from the shut off valve to the inlet of the filter?

 

[Tinhack]

Those line are unused fuel from the fuel injector. it is not gravity and has a slight positive fresh back to the tank. Those rubber lines can't hold much pressure at all.Your fuel tank is atmospheric. You do not have a pump in the tank if that's what you are asking. start from injector and you have a banjo connection, follow the bypass line and it runs in the tank. Below is how it is on F-1700 on the injector return. Transfer pump ain't gonna do what your asking. Just a bit curious, did you find tank outlet fitting, shut off valve at the tank and hose from the shut off valve to the inlet of the filter?

View attachment 760521

View attachment 760522

Great Pics!

 

[Danica]

Great Pics!

Yes, I just replaced the sediment bowl, filter o-ring etc but my original problem is still there=it runs for ten min at say 2,500rpm then starts to act as if is starved for fuel or air and slows down until it dies. Wait 30 min and it will start again but go thru the whole cycle of dying all over. From what I’ve read it is junky hell and it was really hot here all summer, the tractor was outside and only half full of fuel. So…I would guess there’s all sorts of glop somewhere but there’s no drainage screw or way to empty it all from bottom. Besides it has a Sims cab and I dthink that would really make taking the tank off difficult. All I want to do is essentially vacuum the tank out. One guy had a great bush fix with a shop vac going into a one gallon bottle whic had another tube that could be pushed down into the tank. That would save the shop vac from stinking like diesel forever. Make sense? I just wish there was a liquid product I could pour in to dissolve everything that might be in there. But, that could be anything from a piece of plastic to birdseed to a gelatinous blob of diesel glop.

Thanks for responding and pics!

 

[Danica]

One fuel line. the other is most likely the return line. Whatever fuel is unused by the injectors is returned to the tank. On my 3910, the return line also feeds the prestart glow plug.

Got it. Thanks. I’d never paid much attention since never had a fuel problem in 20 years.

 

[Danica]

Transfer pump ain't gonna do what your asking. Just a bit curious, did you find tank outlet fitting, shut off valve at the tank and hose from the shut off valve to the inlet of the filter?

PS no, I’m only aware of the shutoff at the filter and yes I assume my pic showed the outlet and inlet fittings at top of tank.

 

[JC-jetro]

Great Pics!

Thanks, I got a full detail archive of all my rigs and just and about anything I have done to them.

 

[JC-jetro]

Transfer pump ain't gonna do what your asking. Just a bit curious, did you find tank outlet fitting, shut off valve at the tank and hose from the shut off valve to the inlet of the filter?

PS no, I’m only aware of the shutoff at the filter and yes I assume my pic showed the outlet and inlet fittings at top of tank

Inlet fitting can never be on top of a tank unless it has a submersible type pump. That happens in a car fuel tank.Fuel pump is high pressure and sits in the tank and pumps all the way to the injectors. On old carburated type engine the the fuel pump ran off of crankshaft or internal engine component. Below you see fuel tank outlet on the bottom of the tank with a shut off valve. The hose then goes to filter and then to the injector pump inlet. Here I have removed the bowl for fuel filter change out. Like I said, that little rubber hose cannot hold and maintain any serious pressure and it is just return unused fuel from the injector.

 

[Danica]

Thanks for responding and your pics look like what I’d expect in this 1920 BUT the fuel feed the filter bowl coming out of the *top* of the tank (see pic) does it just create a siphoned effect or somehow draw the fuel up to that point? In my pic the line goes from top of tank down to fuel filter. That’s what I don’t get. Yours makes sense and makes a clean out super easy.

 

[kirkawilson]