Bolens H1502 wont start

[dstankus]

I recently purchased a Bolens h1502 which has the K3A engine. Unfortunately it wont start.

I have bled the fuel system using all three of the bleed screws one at a time starting nearest the fuel tank ending at the injector pump. I replaced the existing fuel in the tank with new fuel. When I crank the engine over I see white smoke pumping out of the exhaust.

I am leary of the glow plugs as they measure 32 ohms to the negative battery post. Somehow I believe that the resistance should be much less in order to pull enough current to heat up enough. I have heated for 20 seconds or so anyway before attempting to start.

After cranking for some amount of time I loosened the steel lines at the fuel pump to try to check for fuel, and when I did this, I didnt see much comming out. Should you see a reasonable shot of fuel squirting out? Does the white smoke signal that fuel is not the problem.

Any help would be appreciated.

Also any source for K3A documents would be appreciated. I would like to find someone who has purchased documentations and had good results before I pay $50 for something sight unseen.

 

[284 International]

Try preheating a little longer. It's possible that only one or two plugs is operating. The white smoke tends to indicate fuel is combusting, but not completely. You need more heat in the cylinders, either in the form of compression or a preheating device. If you can, leave the thing out in the sun with the hood up, and let the engine heat soak. If the fuel is old, drain it and replace with fresh fuel, and add some Powerservice cetane booster. Pre-heat a lot, and it should fire.

 

[dstankus]

Ok - thanks - does the 32 ohms of resistance for the series of three glow plugs seem right?

So with a 12 volt system, 32 ohms of resistance will draw 12/32 or 0.375 amps to the glow plugs - that doesnt seem like its enough current to make them glow red hot.

I researched the glow plugs for this tractor and found information that leads me to believe that the NGK Y114T ( or 6528 MGF part number) is the replacement part for these. These glow plugs are specified to have 1 to 1.2 ohms of resistance. Plus they are wired in parallel which further reduces the resistance.

I am suspecting that the glow plug indicator light I have is somehow affecting the resistance of the common circuit.

Any advice or suggestions? I will probably need to disconnect the lead from the glow plug indicator light and then re-check the resistance of the glow plug circuit.

I appreciate the reply

 

[284 International]

I don't know about specifics for your machine, but 32 ohms does seem far too high. It's possible the plugs are corroded, and that's increasing the resistance.

I don't know what a Bolens H1502 even looks like, but some of the older tractors have a resistor that glows when the plugs have been activated, and serves to limit the voltage to the plugs. If your machine has this type of indicator, it's possible something is amiss there.

 

[mit]

heat the plugs longer since they are in series with the glow indicator. you will get it to start. the white smoke is indicating that you are almost there.
Hard Start Cold Ford Diesel - YouTube

 

[dstankus]

Ok - I will give that a try - i do want to make sure that the glow plugs are working like they should. I am guessing that are not - and hence the no start issue. I plan on checking thier resistance - is this the best way to test? Does the manual glow plug circuit normally limit the current that the plugs see? My system is a momentary switch that you are suppose to hold for 10 to 20 secs, it does have a light indicator as well that is wired in series with the glow plugs.

 

[oliver28472]

I don't know about the resistance but that engine is the same as the 373 Beaver. I have a manual and will repost about the resistance.

 

[dstankus]

Thanks that would be sweet - Where did you get that manual from?

 

[oliver28472]

Valley Power

 

[oliver28472]

OK, according to the manual the resistance should be 1-1.2. It also shows that you can test each one when you take them out by connecting a ground lead from the negative post on the battery to the body of the plug and another lead from the positive post on the battery to where the hot wire is connected. The plug should glow red. It also said if the indicator does not glow red within 25 seconds it is an indication that any one of the three glow plugs is shorted.

 

[oliver28472]

Here's a more detailed answer. Different brand but the same applies here. Found this in a search, thanks to Jinman.

With power off, remove the busbar connection to the glowplugs. Measure the resistance from the busbar terminal of each glowplug to ground. Make sure it's a clean surface and that the meter is making good contact. Your glowplug should read approximately 1 ohm to ground. You may read as high as 1.5 ohms due to change with age, but not much more. If the glowplug is open (infinite ohms) then it is bad. If it is zero ohms (shorted) it is also bad, but most likely if bad, it will be open. If it is shorted, it will normally blow a fuse because it will draw too much current.

If you are using an analog ohmeter, you need to set it on the lowest scale and zero it very carefully before making this reading. If it's a digital meter, you probably have no way of zeroing the scale.

 

[dstankus]

Sweet - thats perfect - I might check these today then - I see I can get replacements at autozone for about $7 a piece. Looks like NGK part number Y114T

Do you have the web address to valley power? I see there is more than one - there is a valley power equipment, and a valley power systems. Do you need to call and specify the piece of equipment you have - I wonder if they have a Bolens h1502 manual specifically - I could use themanual to figure out why the three point lift doesnt work

 

[oliver28472]

Valley Power

On the three point hitch I would just do some searches on the tbn site. I can't help with hydraulics, never had a problem with mine but have seen many threads on tbn about it. Most of the time it ranges from not enough fluid, dirty screen, bad o-ring somewhere, dirty valve etc. There is a hydraulic forum here too.

By the way, welcome to Tractorbynet (tbn)

 

[dstankus]

Good news - it started. Thanks for all of your help - I might have given up without the assistance. On to the hydrolics next!

 

[Botetourt]

my dash indicator did not glow until I cleaned it and the connections to the indicator with steel wool. I believe it was cleaning the glow indicator alone. Now it glows fine after a few seconds. Lemuel at Valley Power suggested the resistance of a glow plug removed from the engine should be 3-5 ohms. Also if the bulb at the bottom was swollen, it was bad.

OK, according to the manual the resistance should be 1-1.2. It also shows that you can test each one when you take them out by connecting a ground lead from the negative post on the battery to the body of the plug and another lead from the positive post on the battery to where the hot wire is connected. The plug should glow red. It also said if the indicator does not glow red within 25 seconds it is an indication that any one of the three glow plugs is shorted.

 

[dstankus]

Good information - I will take a look at the connections and polish them up a little.

Now on to the three point lift. Currently the lift will no operate and it seems like I can raise and lower the three point hitch by hand without any difficulty.

I am thinking that the pin that connects the hyrolic ram to the splined fitting that raises the three point hitch is broken. Has anyone had experience doing this sort of repair? How involved is it and does it require special tools?

 

[284 International]

Before you dive too deeply into things, check on isolating the symptoms first. Somewhere on the front of the hydraulic lift assembly will be a small valve that screws in and closed. This is the lock valve, and serves to keep hydraulic fluid from passing through the cylinder of the lift piston.

Close it, and, with the tractor at idle, briefly move the lift control lever to raise, and see if the motor loads up. If it does, then your pump is working and building pressure to the system. Then you can start looking at tearing the lift assembly apart. If it doesn't, then you have hydraulic problems. Start with the filter and clean it first, and see if you can fix it without needing a new hydraulic pump.

 

[dstankus]

Ok - that sounds like a good plan. So the hydrolic pump must be up at the engine then. The model of tractor I am working on has a primary hydrolic filter, looks like a big oil type filter, and it also seemd to have two additional in-line filters, or suction filters. The suction filters are basically bolted into the steel hydrolic lines.

Should I try to get into these as well as the obvious spin on filter? They dont seem to be leaking right now, but could be blocking the flow of fluid I imagine.

Another point - the lever that is used to raise and allow to float down the three point hitch feels like it isnt attached to anything. its basically effortless to move. It seems to be connected to the lift valve via a shaft locked with an alan screw. Does all this seem right? I will probably have to remove the seat and rear fenders so I can see what I am dealing with.

I also am seeing leakage at the filter pressure sensor (the 'light' that goes from green to red when resistance is observed through the filter). Is this repairable or must it be replaced? I can provide pictures if it might be helpful. It basically looks to be cracked and brittle and I am not sure how one would repair it.

Again thanks for all the help - I would be stuck without it.

 

[284 International]

Here are probably the filter numbers for your machine:

Bolens #s
hydro hydraulic---1864599
hydro suction-----1864586
hydro cooler------1864578
air----1872002
oil----1874139
fuel-----1876440



Those are sourced from Lens12, a parts supplier at Japanese Tractor Repair Dixon, IL and listed in post 4 of this thread.
I don't know if the hydraulic systems are linked or not, but I doubt it. Check where the suction line enters the transmission case for a screen, too.

 

[Botetourt]

Ok - that sounds like a good plan. So the hydrolic pump must be up at the engine then. The model of tractor I am working on has a primary hydrolic filter, looks like a big oil type filter, and it also seemd to have two additional in-line filters, or suction filters. The suction filters are basically bolted into the steel hydrolic lines.

Should I try to get into these as well as the obvious spin on filter? They dont seem to be leaking right now, but could be blocking the flow of fluid I imagine.

Another point - the lever that is used to raise and allow to float down the three point hitch feels like it isnt attached to anything. its basically effortless to move. It seems to be connected to the lift valve via a shaft locked with an alan screw. Does all this seem right? I will probably have to remove the seat and rear fenders so I can see what I am dealing with.

I also am seeing leakage at the filter pressure sensor (the 'light' that goes from green to red when resistance is observed through the filter). Is this repairable or must it be replaced? I can provide pictures if it might be helpful. It basically looks to be cracked and brittle and I am not sure how one would repair it.

Again thanks for all the help - I would be stuck without it.

As far as the lever not feeling attached to anything, I had that problem with my Mitsu Buck. Have no idea how similar it is to yours. On mine, the shaft the lever is connected to has a piece with detents in it for up, neutral, and down. There is a piece of flat spring steel that rides in those detents, adding some resistance. My piece of spring steel was broken, apparently relatively common in Bucks. Valley Power fabricates this piece, as it's not available any longer. It was an easy fix in mine. Good luck.