John Deere 5103 02-04 no start

[Pmp2220]

got a 5103 from my uncle it’s been sitting for a few years but he said it was running when parked but not well (don’t know what he meant by that)

He’s had a new injection pump within the past 4 years.

Have a new battery installed, pumped fuel priming bowl till I get fuel at injection pump. The fuel shut off solenoid isn’t clicking when key is on. But I can run a jumper from battery and hear it click. Cold start sensor is unplugged, and all fuses have been checked. But even with some squirt juice it still won’t fire up. Any ideas ?

 

[redman135]

You have a computer and /or electrical problem.
"Not running well when parked" sounds like a computer issue. The electronics can get out of adjustment and cause the engine to run/sound harsh. A reset will fix the problem.
On a 6910 that just cut out on the road, the problem appeared to be no fuel getting to engine.Had fuel to injector pump, but not to engine. Overhauled injector pump,ouch. Still no run. Actual problem was a dead module(not letting fuel into engine) in the computer, but computer still ran everything else. Replaced computer.
Good luck.

 

[Harry in Ky]

A 5103 with a computer controlled fuel system? When did that happen?

 

[redman135]

Harry in Ky, I had been told that the 5000 series had gone electronic due to tier 4.

 

[Harry in Ky]

got a 5103 from my uncle it’s been sitting for a few years but he said it was running when parked but not well (don’t know what he meant by that)

He’s had a new injection pump within the past 4 years.

Have a new battery installed, pumped fuel priming bowl till I get fuel at injection pump. The fuel shut off solenoid isn’t clicking when key is on. But I can run a jumper from battery and hear it click. Cold start sensor is unplugged, and all fuses have been checked. But even with some squirt juice it still won’t fire up. Any ideas ?

Been sitting a few years? You have fuel TO the pump (you're sure about that?) and the solenoid clicks with a jumper wire. Loosen at least one injector line on the back of the pump and crank it a few times. If nothing shows up you probably have internal pump problems that will require qualified attention. If you DO get fuel pulses then you need to try bleeding at the injectors next and hope the "it was running when parked but not well" issue was only a fuel supply problem and nothing serious.

 

[MTGreen]

Pretty sure a 5103 in the 03-04 vintage doesn't have a computer. It should have the same 2.9L 3cyl mechanical injection diesel as my 02 5220 -early versions no turbo later versions with turbo.

You've only got a few possibilities. Assuming the engine is complete and structurally sound, mechanical diesel engines need fuel (correctly timed) and compression.
You need to figure out if fuel is actually getting into the cylinders. I would start by cracking loose the tubing flare nuts on the pump end then the injector end of the injector tubes one at a time while cranking and look for fuel spraying out.
If that looks good do a compression test on each cylinder. If that looks good then follow the procedure for checking the injector pump timing.

 

[Harry in Ky]

Harry in Ky, I had been told that the 5000 series had gone electronic due to tier 4.

I've been told a lot things too, but the 5103 is at least fifteen years old. Tier IV hadn't been invented yet.

 

[Richard001]

I'm not sure what of the fuel solenoid you have, but most have two coils, on to pull in the solenoid and the second one is the hold coil.

You have to have power to hold coil before you activate the pull in coil. The pull in coil only requires a momentary connection, not more than a few seconds. Any longer than that, you run the risk of burning out the pull in coil.


Richard

 

[MTGreen]

Also these motors didn't come with a lift pump and can lose prime. I would pull the fuel line at the base of the tank and make sure the outlet isn't clogged with crap and your line is good flowing all the way to the pump. Some models had check valves also that can clog

 

[Williy]

Info about tier 4:

Tier 4 requirements were phased in starting in 2008. By the time final Tier 4 regulations were fully implemented in 2015,

willy

 

[CH4Ohio]

There's a high temp sensor / switch on top of the engine near the front. It screws into the water jacket and has a short pigtail with 2-wire modular plug. Try unplugging that to see if it makes any difference. I seem to recall that mine would run with that unplugged, but you might want to jump it just to be sure. It's worth checking.

 

[CH4Ohio]

There's a high temp sensor / switch on top of the engine near the front. It screws into the water jacket and has a short pigtail with 2-wire modular plug. Try unplugging that to see if it makes any difference. I seem to recall that mine would run with that unplugged, but you might want to jump it just to be sure. It's worth checking.

To elaborate . . . I shut mine off in the hayfield one nice sunny day and a few minutes later it wouldn't start. Would crank just fine but acted like it wasn't getting any fuel. I fooled around with the fuel pump and fuel line and fuel rail . . . Broke the flared end off the fuel line and had to remove that and reflare it . . . . For lack of anything else to try I unplugged that sensor and it fired right up just like it always did. I don't recall that I had to jump it either but not 100% about that. That was my problem the whole time.

Except for a dead battery, this is the only thing that's ever kept that tractor from starting on the first crank.

 

[Pmp2220]

I got was able to crack injector lines and got it to fire up for a about 30 seconds and then it shut back down and can’t get it to restart unless it lost prime again

 

[CH4Ohio]

I got was able to crack injector lines and got it to fire up for a about 30 seconds and then it shut back down and can’t get it to restart unless it lost prime aga

Did you check the fuel filter? Does fuel flow through the fuel line to the fuel filter free and clear?

What you're describing makes me think you might have "gunk" (technical term) in the fuel line. Have you taken the fuel line loose upstream of the fuel filter? Have you changed the fuel filter????

 

[Pmp2220]

New fuel filters and blew out lines last week. From tank and to injection pump. But fuel was also setting for a couple years maybe didn’t get all the old fuel out on draining. Just wouldn’t imagine bad fuel causing this issue since there’s been 5 gallons of fresh added to it. Or gunk built up in the Injection pump over time

 

[MTGreen]

It ran for a short time so good news you can be fairly certain you narrowed it down to a fuel problem.

I had a tractor that had sat for a while and had a gravity feed line from the fuel tank -blew compressed air through fine, but turns out I couldn't blow through the line by mouth because the line had rotted internally and was collapsing on itself. Never would have guessed looking at the outside of the hose. New line fixed the problem.

 

[Pmp2220]

It ran for a short time so good news you can be fairly certain you narrowed it down to a fuel problem.

I had a tractor that had sat for a while and had a gravity feed line from the fuel tank -blew compressed air through fine, but turns out I couldn't blow through the line by mouth because the line had rotted internally and was collapsing on itself. Never would have guessed looking at the outside of the hose. New line fixed the problem.

good idea, had not really thought of that could be starving the pump as to why I am able to run for a short period. will check that out. thank you!

 

[thepumpguysc]

One other thing to check now that u got it starting..
The 1st fitting coming out of the top cover..
It has a spring and glass ball in it.. if it gets clogged or stuck from dirt/rust, the engine will start and shut down, over and over and over..
The premise is: if u can’t get fuel OUT, u can’t get fuel IN..
and it shuts down..
Easy check is remove it from the system.. simply unscrew it and see if it stays running..
Fuel WILL flow out of the hole, (if the hoses are clear) so be prepared for that..
If it’s not a big deal, let it flow..
Good luck

 

[Pmp2220]

One other thing to check now that u got it starting..
The 1st fitting coming out of the top cover..
It has a spring and glass ball in it.. if it gets clogged or stuck from dirt/rust, the engine will start and shut down, over and over and over..
The premise is: if u can’t get fuel OUT, u can’t get fuel IN..
and it shuts down..
Easy check is remove it from the system.. simply unscrew it and see if it stays running..
Fuel WILL flow out of the hole, (if the hoses are clear) so be prepared for that..
If it’s not a big deal, let it flow..
Good luck

Where exactly is this located

 

[Pmp2220]

One other thing to check now that u got it starting..
The 1st fitting coming out of the top cover..
It has a spring and glass ball in it.. if it gets clogged or stuck from dirt/rust, the engine will start and shut down, over and over and over..
The premise is: if u can’t get fuel OUT, u can’t get fuel IN..
and it shuts down..
Easy check is remove it from the system.. simply unscrew it and see if it stays running..
Fuel WILL flow out of the hole, (if the hoses are clear) so be prepared for that..
If it’s not a big deal, let it flow..
Good luck

wait are we talking first fitting as return line on injection pump?