Oil & Fuel Old Ford won't start after replacing fuel filters

weezil · Jun 9, 2015

Tractor started surging so I did a quick search on the forums which led me to replacing the fuel filters. I did so and she started right up afterward but ran for a few seconds and died. Now she won't start again. Then I did another search and discovered I should have bled the air out before I started it up. I'm assuming I have air in the intake? I read another post from a Ford 1720 owner that had the same issue and he took the fuel lines loose from one cylinder at a time and cranked till fuel sprayed out then tightened them back down. Is this the universal remedy? I also found a video on youtube where a guy had someone tow his tractor behind a truck then put it in gear and that pushed the air out of the system and started it up. Anyone done this? Thanks.

jcl22 · Jun 9, 2015

Yup, that's where I would start make sure fuel is on if you had turned it off

jayman30 · Jun 9, 2015

weezil said:
I read another post from a Ford 1720 owner that had the same issue and he took the fuel lines loose from one cylinder at a time and cranked till fuel sprayed out then tightened them back down.

If it's anything like my 3600, you first need to bleed all the air out of the new fuel filter by loosening the bleeder screws at the top and bottom of the filter housing until you get a solid stream of diesel out of them both then tighten them back up.

After that you must bleed the air out of each injector by loosing the lines where they screw into the injector one by one and cranking the motor until no air bubbles can be seen. (about 10-15 sec.) then tighten and go on to the next one. Be careful not to let your starter get too hot with all the cranking. After that it should fire up.

weezil · Jun 10, 2015

I did that, but never got fuel from the injector lines so I called a neighbor and he helped me figure out there is a bleeder valve on the fuel pump itself. We loosened it and cranked until a steady stream of fuel came out then tightened it and she fired up without bleeding the injector lines. Thanks for the help. This is my first post that Soundguy hasn't weighed in on... you slippin buddy? Haha.

Aussiebushman · Jun 19, 2015

I know this is an old post but I'm having a similar problem with my Ford 6000 Diesel after replacing the fuel delivery hose.

I installed a remote starter switch to allow the engine to be cranked from the pump side (can''t reach the starter in the cab) and have managed to get some air out of the system - mainly at the number 6 injector BUT no fuel is coming out of the main bleed screw and the separator bowl is only half full so there must be an air-lock somewhere - probably in the pump. The attached picture is an exploded view of the pump on this model but I can't see any bleed screws.

Also, there is a "push-in" pin above the govenor arm and in the past, the engine would not fire unless this device was pushed in and locked. Now the pin will not lock in. Please see picture

Any ideas welcome - also does anyone know where a pump seal/diaphragm kit could be obtained please

Alan

weezil · Jun 21, 2015

Not sure if it helps but the bleeder on my pump just looked like a regular 1/2 inch nut. I overlooked it until my neighbor pointed it out. Good luck.

Creamer · Jun 21, 2015

Aussiebushman said:
I know this is an old post but I'm having a similar problem with my Ford 6000 Diesel after replacing the fuel delivery hose.

I installed a remote starter switch to allow the engine to be cranked from the pump side (can''t reach the starter in the cab) and have managed to get some air out of the system - mainly at the number 6 injector BUT no fuel is coming out of the main bleed screw and the separator bowl is only half full so there must be an air-lock somewhere - probably in the pump. The attached picture is an exploded view of the pump on this model but I can't see any bleed screws.

Also, there is a "push-in" pin above the govenor arm and in the past, the engine would not fire unless this device was pushed in and locked. Now the pin will not lock in. Please see picture

Any ideas welcome - also does anyone know where a pump seal/diaphragm kit could be obtained please

Alan

My bet is that it is the "bolthead" that is just to the right of the fuel lines on top of the pump. that is what it looks like on my 1710.

1968F250 · Jul 10, 2015

If your separator bowl is only half full, you may have some debris in the tank. This is pretty common, especially on older machines. I knew a fellow who was having a similar problem, and he had a hickory nut that had fallen into the tank unnoticed. It remained in the tank until it became saturated with fuel and sank to the bottom. Every so often it would find its way over the outlet and stop the fuel flow.