BX24 acts starved for fuel after a minute of running

mpowrd · Jul 24, 2020

Our BX24 has been a workhorse for over 10 years. Just today, it started doing something I've never seen.
It starts fine, but after about a minute, the RPMs drop and it acts like it's starved for fuel. Sometimes just sitting without doing anything will let it recover up to 2400 RPMs or so, but sometimes it just flat dies.

If I let it sit for 15 minutes or so, it will fire back up fine.

Fuel tank is at 3/4 and has been running fine on this tank of fuel in the last week.

My first suspicion is fuel delivery, so I was going to get new fuel filters tomorrow.

Any other ideas what I should check?

Tx Jim · Jul 24, 2020

Does your tractor have a water seperater filter housing? If so check for fuel blockage there. My M4900 I once owned acted similar to what you described & I located a clogged screen in fuel shut off valve on WS housing.

Grandad4 · Jul 24, 2020

Check the fuel filters (both of them). Clogged filters are the first thing to check.

Mendonsy · Jul 24, 2020

Also try running it with the fuel cap loose. The caps can get plugged up by insects, dirt, etc. and create a vacuum in the fuel tank.

ruffdog · Jul 24, 2020

It needs fuel and air to run. Plugged air filter or mouse nest, fuel filter(s) plugged or blockage from water or tank outlet. Plugged exhaust?

Volfandt · Jul 24, 2020

Make sure the electric fuel pump hasn't gotten unplugged or the wires cut. It's located on the engine side of the 1st fuel filter under the tractor. Likes been said if you haven't changed the filters out in a couple years replace them, especially the 1st one under the tractor.
Good luck

rnbrn21 · Jul 25, 2020

So I lived with this same problem for about a year. Did the same thing, changed both filters which did not solve the problem. I then clamped off the fuel line from the tank and disconnected the line from the first filter. Removed the tank cap and blew compressed air up the fuel line into the tank while opening the clamp. That was a year ago with no more problems. I clearly had a blockage in the fuel line.

mpowrd · Jul 25, 2020

UPDATE: So I got the problem fixed. Thanks to all for your suggestions.

I got 2 new fuel filters and started troubleshooting.

First I started it and when it started to die, I removed the fuel tank cap. This didn't fix it, so I ruled out a plugged cap vent hole.

Then I clamped off the fuel lines at the first filter and tried blowing air back into tank. After reconnecting the fuel line, it started and ran fine, so the problem looks like a plugged tank outlet of the fuel line to the first filter.

I then replaced both filters anyway since the ones in there were pretty old. Now it runs great and doesn't die at all.

Is there any good way to clean the tank out without removing it from the tractor?

Thanks again to all the great people on this list!

rnbrn21 · Jul 25, 2020

So when I did this, I didn't really expect it to be a permanent fix. The prospect of removing the tank for cleaning seems daunting. So I was thinking if I started having the problem again I thought I might install a "T" in the line before the first filter and run a line up to the seat area and put some kind of a cap on it. It would be easy to blow out the line any time it was needed. But since I have not had the problem again, I have not had to install the "blow out" line.