Replacing fuel hoses on GC1715

thefisherman · Oct 22, 2023

Hey all. I made a bonehead mistake the other day. I was cutting down a hedge tree that was growing in the middle of some junipers and using my 2017 gc1715 to tug out the branches as I cut them off. At the end of the day I left my tractor back there and walked to the house. That was three days ago. I just went back out and smelled the unmistakable smell of diesel, and there was a wet patch under the tractor. Pop the hood and yup, a pack rat made itself a mansion in those three days, and apparently felt a fuel line was good for something because it's been chewed through somewhere. Fortunately no electrical was harmed, as it did start and I was able to back it out into the open and spot the dripping.

There are small spots of fuel residue on my seat, coming through the radiator air intake under the steering wheel, and coming out at a steady drip right behind the steering rack.

I have quite extensive experience working on personal vehicles, but never anything diesel, and the only thing I've had to do to this is jump start it. I'm willing to give it a shot but I suspect that the fact I had fuel on my seat means it was a pressurized line that was chewed. I shut off the fuel at the filter, and am kind of just trying to figure out what to do at this point. Any help is appreciated. Willing to get more pics of whatever is needed.

WranglerX · Oct 22, 2023

Unfortunately the factory service manual leave a lot to be desired..... This is about all it says for fuel system.... You may just have to bite the bullet and start tracing it from injector pump to the "fuel pump" to tank....

thefisherman · Oct 23, 2023

This is actually pretty helpful. I really had no idea how to even get to that area behind the engine. Do you happen to know if it's okay to use off-the-shelf fuel line as long as it's the right size, or are there requirements that mean I need to order the pre-molded hoses from Agco?

WranglerX · Oct 23, 2023

Probably get by with autoparts store hose as long as it is correct diameter, diesel fuel rated, and you don't put any kinks in it when installing..... It will probably be 1/3 to 1/2 the cost of a AGCO hose...

thefisherman · Oct 24, 2023

I opened up the area under the steering wheel and found another nest, and the cut fuel line was visible right next to it. There's a hole chewed through the loom around the line, and then a few nicks that opened up the fuel line. I think I'm going to just repair it by cutting the line in half at the chewed section then putting a union in there with spring clamps and covering it with a fresh piece of loom.

Fortunately it's the return to tank line so if there's any debris in the line it'll go to the tank and get caught in the filter before making it back to the injectors.

WranglerX · Oct 24, 2023

These work good, hardware, big box store item...

not2old · Oct 24, 2023

I've had to replace the line under the floor due to a second leak that just happened for no reason and heard that others have had to do the same While you are in there, I'd suggest that you replace the whole line from the electric fuel pump all the way to the injector pump. The cost is insignificant and it would be easier than doing this all over again in a year or two. apparently the OEM hose is not that great.

thefisherman · Nov 1, 2023

All right. It turns out there were two leaks. The first one I was able to fix with just a 1/4" brass union and some hose clamps. It was the return line from the injector pump to the tank.

After I fixed it and started it I discovered that the line from the pump to the injector pump was also gnawed on, and it was spraying a stream of diesel onto my shoes for the whole ride to the house. That one I couldn't repair with a union since it was right off the end of the pump. Hose size is 7mm ID and 1/4" won't fit over the nipples. Local dealer doesn't carry the right size, but ordered it for me. In the mean time I have work to do so I did a little southern engineering and patched it with marine heat shrink. I washed the exterior of the hose with degreaser so the glue in the heat shrink would stick and it patched it right up. I hooked up the pump end and ran the pump for a few seconds to flush the line before connecting to the manifold. It'll hold for a few days til the right hose comes in.