BX23 Engine sputtering

[lawlopez]

I was using my BX23 all day, york raking, and all of sudden it stated sputtering.
touching the treadle (to go forward) made it sputter.
I figured it was fuel starved so I lowered the throttle very low and started climbing up the 1200' driveway.
After a while I got tired of this and went back to full throttle.
I was running at full throttle quite a bit at the time of the problem.

The tank showed half tank, this fuel came with the tractor when I got it on July 31.

 

[OrangeRidge]

Check the first filter from the fuel tank ( under the operator foot platform )
and then , if it's good , check the tank for leaves etc .

 

[flynifr]

I had a similar problem with a used BX I bought in June. One of the dealers selling points was that it came with a full tank of fuel. After some research I found that this tractor had sat on the lot since last fall. Pulled both filters, drained all the fuel, replaced the filters and all has been good since. Pretty cheap and easy fix actually.

Mine did not sputter however, mine just lost power and stopped climbing hills.

Hope this helps.

 

[radioman]

did you visually check the tank instead of relying on the gauge? I would replace the fuel filters too, since it was used and you had it less then a month. Check the seat switches too and make sure its firmly clipped in.

 

[lawlopez]

I checked the fuel level and it was pretty low.
Filling it up didn't seem to do much to the fuel gauge.
So I'm going to keep my eye on that.

 

[lawlopez]

The fuel gage isn't indicating right.
It got so bad that I had to tow it today.

I opened up the line from the first filter to the pump, fuel came out at a reasonable clip.

So, I guess, the next thing to do is open up the line after the fuel pump to see if that is working right.

I'm certain I put some old fuel in it.

Curious thing, upon sitting it tends to work ok.
It's very sensitive to hills.
Uphill is a problem.

Larry

 

[jakell2010]

It's fuel starved,,,when your in a "no load" situation, the engine will run easily,,it's when you "load" a diesel that the fuel volume is called for, you either have a restriction or a leak and your sucking air

 

[flynifr]

I had a very similar problem with a used BX2200 I bought. Once it warmed up it would gradually lose power until it wouldn't even climb my driveway. It had a full tank of fuel when I bought it which was at least 6 months old. I replaced both fuel filter and drains the tank in the process. It has been fine ever since. At about $8 each I would start with this. The odd thing with diesels is that the engine sounded fine but with load it would just bog down and die.

 

[TheWeis]

Try a the new style fuel cap. I had similar problems. Original fuel cap on bx23 allows rain water into the tank. A new fuel cap will eliminate the problem going forward. Obviously you will have to change the fuel and fuel filters to remove any residual water.

 

[lawlopez]

Wow, I would have never thought of the fuel cap, thanks.

I'll start with drain the tank and change the filters.

How do I clean out the tank ?
Run some gasoline through it ?

Larry

 

[ultrarunner]

I had the same problem and the cause was a torn fuel line from a branch... once I got off the tractor, I could see the diesel leaking... had enough flow to idle but not much more.

Another thing as a long shot... one owner said his would cut out going down hill... turned out he would raise up out of the seat just enough for the safety switch to kill the motor...

 

[lawlopez]

Hi OR:

I thought it might be the seat at first but when it doesn't start at all but cranks it couldn't be a seat interlock.

Larry

 

[lawlopez]

I opened the line from filter 2 to the injector pump and the injector pump kept draining fuel. So much I wondered where it was coming from.

Turning on the fuel pump provided a steady stream of fuel from the hose.

Connecting the hose to the injector pump and pumping didn't allow me to start the engine.
Letting it sit lets me start the engine.

Eventually I drained the tank and replaced the filters.

It worked really really great after this.

It eventually warmed up, started missing a bit and sometimes made black smoke.

I know one clamp is in poor shape, I'll get some new clamps.

What do I do with the diesel I drained ?