Oil & Fuel Fuel Starved?????

Mike_B · Jul 30, 2005

My B7500 is acting up. Forget the fact that I just paid it off last week! Oh well...

I was mowing last week and all of a sudden it lost power. I disengaged the PTO and brought it down to an idle. It spit and sputtered and finally shut down. I pulled the fuel filter, re-installed it and it started and ran fine....for a few minutes.

After following this routine two more times, I went out and got a new fuel filter, thinking this would solve the problem. It did not. Today, when I mowed, it would shut down sporadically. Starting with a cold engine, the first shut down happened after about 20 minutes of mowing. The second only two minutes later. Sometimes I can go 5 minutes sometimes one minute. Each time, I just let it sit for a minute and it fires up and sputters to life.

You guys have any thoughts on what the problem could be. I don't mind taking it in to my Kubota dealer but with all the heat, rain, and rate of grass growing down here he has become very busy and I may not see it for a couple of weeks. If it is something simple, I will take care of it myself.

Thanks in advance...

Gatorboy · Jul 30, 2005

It could be water in your fuel. Do you have a water separator? If so, you may want to drain it to see if water comes out.

wushaw · Jul 30, 2005

Pull the fuel line coming from the tank and drain about a pint into a clear jar and check for water. Water will settle to the bottom of the jar.

AntrimMan · Jul 30, 2005

I don't understand why it will start up and run fine for a while if it is a water problem. Why would the water show up all of a sudden and then go away after a while?
Leave the fuel tank cap loose a little bit and see if it still happens. Do this with the tank 1/2 full or less to avoid spillage. I think you may have a vent clogged. The tank must breathe just like you and I.
I am dumb as a stick, your mileage may vary.

All the best,
Martin

v8dave · Jul 31, 2005

This type of problem has been reported several times here on TBN. Several of the problems turned out to be a plugged fuel tank vent.

Try taking the fuel filler cap off next time the problem occurs. If the engine picks up and continues to run the problem is a plugged fuel tank vent. The vent is usually in the cap--an easy fix.

Mike_B · Jul 31, 2005

Just eliminated fuel vent as a cause of the problem. I ran without a cap for a few minutes and the problems still exists.

I will try to look into water in the fuel next.

Mike

botalvr · Aug 1, 2005

White smelly smoke as well when it starts happening? I am a old pro at water in fuel - no more since I get all my fuel at a farm co-op.
And my Mr. Funnel is leaking, so there goes my confidence in that thing. Twice I called them and have to talk to the owner. I am going to start calling every day until they replace it.
Not very good service IMHO.

rbargeron · Aug 5, 2005

Mike - My rig acted like that - it would be ok at idle or with a full tank, but would starve going up hill or with a load. I replaced the transfer pump (on the side of the main diesel pump) but that didn't help. I found some fiber-like debris obstructing the outlet pipe in the tank (not the vent). The stuff was like strands of yarn - it had caught on the sharp edges of the outlet tube where it is welded. It obstructed flow enough to allow the filter vent to pull air, starving the engine. Hope this is useful. Good luck.

Mike_B · Aug 8, 2005

Thanks Guys,

I know it has been a while since I've responded but this is where we are today. I drained the fuel and re-supplied the tank with fuel from a different gas station just in case it was bad diesel from that station. No Luck.

This is a wierd one. Sometimes I can go 15 minutes, sometimes it happens every 2 minutes. Maybe I do have something clogged in the bottom of the tank.

Is there a screen in the tank?

Mike

rbargeron · Aug 9, 2005

Not sure if yours is the same as mine - but my tank has no screen on the outlet. It has a small round cup welded on the outside and the outlet pipe runs from the bottom of that. Inside the tank there is a square plate over the cup, leaving 4 crescent-shaped openings into the cup - it is hard to see and work in there. I rigged up a small bulb to hang in the tank so I could see in thru the filler neck - then I ran a wire in through the outlet pipe to push the cruft into the main part of the tank where I could snag it with another piece of wire. Took some doing but its all better now.