Mahindra 1533 HST starting failure

[jmccabe06]

Hello TractorByNet community!

I have a 2016 Mahindra 1533 HST. I'm having trouble starting it.

Beginning a year ago (roughly) I was unable to start it at all. After trailering it to the dealer they:

1. Showed me where the manual pressure pump is and how to use it
2. Replaced much of the fuel injection system because the mechanic "didn't like how it was running"

Once I came back with it I found that if it was more than a few hours cold I was unable to start it without first using the priming pump to pressurize the system.

A month ago I went to use the tractor. I have accepted that I must manually pump the system and did so. After priming the tractor started, ran for a few seconds, then stopped. I repeated the priming and got the same behavior - it ran for a few seconds, then stopped.

I realized that I may have accidentally run it dry and concluded that I should come back to it once I can put a gallon of fuel in, drain the air, from the line, etc. That gets us to now.

This morning I put 1 gallon of red No. 2 in the take. The fuel gauge reads ~25%.

I primed the system as above and very quickly (5 pumps?) felt pressure in the system. The motor immediately started despite no bleeding. And then ... it sputtered and died.

I am now unable to get the manual pump to resist even after 30+ pumps, making me believe there now truly is air in the system.

If I pump 30+ times ((7) in the photos), then attempt to start the tractor, it just turns over and over until I release the key. There is no evidence of a "start," or even sputtering.

To try to address this I have:

• Verified that there is fuel in the system by loosening the drain bolt on the 1st fuel filter ((1) in the first photo) and verifying fuel comes out
  • Repeat with the two bolts on the top of the 1st fuel filter ((2) and (3))
  • Fuel comes from all three bolts
• Loosened the two fuel bolts on top of the fuel injector ((5) and (6)) and verified diesel is coming from them
• Loosened the inlet/bleed bolt on the injector (kinda bulbous looking connector on upper-right of injector - (4)) and attempted to turn the engine over to bleed any air from the line

Any advise on what I can/should do? I'd love step-by-step instructions for troubleshooting from Step 1 (assume I've done nothing). I am no mechanic and it's entirely possible I'm tightening/loosening the wrong things. Please assume very little knowledge.

Thank you all very much!

 

[Leejohn]

Are you using the glow plugs?

 

[5030]

Sounds to me like it's sucking air between the fuel tank and the primer pump.

 

[jmccabe06]

@Leejohn , I am allowing the key to stay in the "on" position until the glowplug indicator turns off, then attempting to start the motor.

@5030 , how might I test for this and/or correct it?

 

[5030]

You'll have to remove the fuel line from the tank to the primary filter and just replace it. Fuel lines often fail. I bet it has a crack in it. Don't take much for you to loose your prime. Had that issue with my Kubota diesel mower, small crack in the fuel line so I just replaced it. Whatever you do, don't use Tygon fuel line, only braided rubber,

 

[jmccabe06]

You'll have to remove the fuel line from the tank to the primary filter and just replace it. Fuel lines often fail. I bet it has a crack in it. Don't take much for you to loose your prime. Had that issue with my Kubota diesel mower, small crack in the fuel line so I just replaced it. Whatever you do, don't use Tygon fuel line, only braided rubber,

Are there any visual clues that might indicate this?

And, for that matter, why/how would that contribute to the manual primer pump no longer getting to a solid feel after several pushes?

 

[5030]

Not really other than carefully inspecting the hose, off the tractor. I'd just replace it, fuel lines aren't bank busting.

 

[jmccabe06]

Spent the afternoon trying things.

• Cracked the hard line injectors to the cylinders
  • No diesel at all
• Cracked the two hard lines coming from the injector to to the manifold
  • No diesel at all
• Cracked the supply line feeding the injector (after both fuel filters)
  • Got a nice steady supply of diesel dribbling out

So - maybe the supply relay in the injector is janky? Anyone know if there is a fuse for this guy that I can check (there is a green and a while wire feeding it, but I can't figure out where it goes once it ducks into the harness - the only fuse boxes I can find are covering ECU unit and various lamps/bulbs). And does anyone have a recommendation of a test bulb I could use on this pigtail to verify that it's getting voltage?

 

[jmccabe06]

Thanks for your advice, all.

After sitting for a while trying to get a mechanic to come out I figured I'd try turning it over again. This time, for reasons unknown, the hand-pressurizer got more the pressure firm than it was before, and when I turned it over it cranked for about 1 second and then roared to life. No idea what's changed.

Any advice on how to check the fuel tank to see if it has detritus in it that might block the outflow? And any advice how to clean this if it is there?