Ford 3000 stalls on steep hill

Shepp · Jul 30, 2013

Hello: i have a Ford 3000 diesel that starts fine, but when it gets on a hill she slowly loses rpm and acts like she is running out of fuel then quits. After I roll back down the hill I can start her again after a lot of cranking. It has a quarter tank of fuel. Could it be sucking water off the bottom maybe?

Gale Hawkins · Jul 30, 2013

It could be many things. Can you see water in the tank?

When was the last time you replaced the fuel filter?

By starting after a lot of cranking sounds like it may be loosing prime. I forget does it have a lift pump that may be or have failed?

rayikeo2 · Jul 30, 2013

How steep is the hill? If your tractor is gravity fed fuel you may need to go up the hill with a 3/4 tank or more. The fuel pickup might be above the fuel line on the slope with only 1/4 full. Another thing to try is backing up the hill. Running out of fuel is a pain in the a*s.

Shepp · Jul 30, 2013

rayikeo2 said:
How steep is the hill? If your tractor is gravity fed fuel you may need to go up the hill with a 3/4 tank or more. The fuel pickup might be above the fuel line on the slope with only 1/4 full. Another thing to try is backing up the hill. Running out of fuel is a pain in the a*s.

That must have been it. After I put 2 more gallons of fuel in and some fuel conditioner the problem went away. The fuel gauge is busted so maybe she was lower then I thought.

rayikeo2 · Jul 30, 2013

I am glad you got it running. When you need the tractor, you need it to run. Last winter I had a starting problem with mine when there was a foot of snow on the driveway. I had to jump the starter because the ignition switch was bad. I almost got an ulcer. I put in a new switch after that.