Mahindra dies after turning it on its side

[Woodstock Walt]

Sure, but if it turns over fine, it should still be able to stay running, i would think.

It doesn't turn over fine, most recently it makes half a revolution and stops. It hasn't run at all since it's been upright. He turned it upright, let it sit for a few days, turned it over and it made a few revolutions, blew some smoke, then stopped. Now it won't turn over. Sounds an awful lot like hydrolock or at least damage caused by hydrolock.

Edit: Looking back at the original post, you may be on to something Deezler. If it actually did run for a few seconds, it could be possible that the lines are air bound and the battery is dead, compounding the symptoms to make it seem like a worse problem than it actually is. Regardless, I apologize for discrediting your theory.

 

[CalG]

It doesn't turn over fine, most recently it makes half a revolution and stops. It hasn't run at all since it's been upright. He turned it upright, let it sit for a few days, turned it over and it made a few revolutions, blew some smoke, then stopped. Now it won't turn over. Sounds an awful lot like hydrolock or at least damage caused by hydrolock.

Edit: Looking back at the original post, you may be on to something Deezler. If it actually did run for a few seconds, it could be possible that the lines are air bound and the battery is dead, compounding the symtoms to make it seem like a worse problem than it actually is. Regardless, I apologize for discrediting your theory.

This is the description in the original post

quote]
Once upright, I let the tractor sit for 5 days and replaced the oil filter, air filter, and refilled with the recommended oil (can't remember if 5W40 or 15W40). The engine took an entire gallon of new oil.

After the filter replacements and new oil, I started the tractor. For about 3 seconds a lot of white smoke came out of the exhaust. A few seconds later, the smoke turned gray and the engine cut off. When I try to restart, the engine tries to start but only makes one short attempt to fire up but stops abruplty and doesn't turn over. {end quote}

Have events changed? "I Started the tractor", for about 3 seconds ..white smoke, a few seconds later the smoke turned gray and the engine cut off"

Sounds like the engine ran for at least 5 seconds.. that would be about 100 revolutions, The engine is toast...or it's not.

A bent rod could allow the engine to turn over and not start or run. A cracked head/water jacket could have allowed a coolant leak that resulted in a different hydro lock condition.

 

[tstex]

Until the tractor is examined and all of facts are known, it’s a lot of “good” speculation. Hope the OP posts back so i know to whom to send the cigar!

 

[Woodstock Walt]

This is the description in the original post

quote]
Once upright, I let the tractor sit for 5 days and replaced the oil filter, air filter, and refilled with the recommended oil (can't remember if 5W40 or 15W40). The engine took an entire gallon of new oil.

After the filter replacements and new oil, I started the tractor. For about 3 seconds a lot of white smoke came out of the exhaust. A few seconds later, the smoke turned gray and the engine cut off. When I try to restart, the engine tries to start but only makes one short attempt to fire up but stops abruplty and doesn't turn over. {end quote}

Have events changed? "I Started the tractor", for about 3 seconds ..white smoke, a few seconds later the smoke turned gray and the engine cut off"

Sounds like the engine ran for at least 5 seconds.. that would be about 100 revolutions, The engine is toast...or it's not.

A bent rod could allow the engine to turn over and not start or run. A cracked head/water jacket could have allowed a coolant leak that resulted in a different hydro lock condition.

Yeah, I reread the original post and edited my post above when I realized my mistake.

Regardless, the OP seems to be MIA so I'm done with the theoretical arguing this thread has turned into.

 

[DutchInNZ]

Have you checked the condition of your battery ? Does it still have fluid in it ? Take it out of the tractor, and do a load test on it, after giving it a full fluid check, and charge.

What's a battery got to do with a diesel being able to run? If the starter tuns over, as it obviously does in this case, the battery is out of the equation. Diesels don't need any electric system at all, as long as you can crank them over for starting. Big ship's diesels are started with compressed air into two cylinders.

 

[LittleBill21]

Diesels don't need any electric system at all

how do they magically hold the fuel solenoid open for the injection pump then?

 

[DutchInNZ]

how do they magically hold the fuel solenoid open for the injection pump then?

That was no magic when there were diesels but no electricity yet, which now seems to be unimaginable. Have a look at diesels from the almost 100 years before 1980. Injection pumps were mechanical and usable solenoids were not even invented. You just opened the valve in the feed line and with smaller engines pulled hard on the flywheel. Oil engines (google: Hornsby-Akroyd oil engine) and the later developed Diesel engines ran idling with a governor, that took over when the pump was at minimum, and switching off the engine was simply done again manually by closing the valve in the feed.

 

[ruffdog]

......and to shut them old ones off you had to pull a lever or lift the foot feed with your heel.

 

[LittleBill21]

That was no magic when there were diesels but no electricity yet, which now seems to be unimaginable. Have a look at diesels from the almost 100 years before 1980. Injection pumps were mechanical and usable solenoids were not even invented. You just opened the valve in the feed line and with smaller engines pulled hard on the flywheel. Oil engines (google: Hornsby-Akroyd oil engine) and the later developed Diesel engines ran idling with a governor, that took over when the pump was at minimum, and switching off the engine was simply done again manually by closing the valve in the feed.

my point is this is not relevant to this conversation, his battery needs to be good for the fuel rack to operate. talking about a 100 year old tractor helps no one here

 

[airbiscuit]

First time poster here....
Amazing how tipping on its side can cause so many problems. I guess it's a tractor/diesel weakness.

Put a car, truck, skidsteer, lawn tractor, or just about anything else on it's side and you will have the same problem(s) unless you do the restart process correctly. I don't view this as a tractor/diesel weakness. Glad no one was injured.