TC 35 starving for fuel

rims421 · Aug 20, 2015

I have a 2001 TC- 35 with around 1800 hrs. I was flail mowing a section of our front pasture that is rather hilly when the tractor began to bog down occasionally.
At first I thought it was just extra thick grass that was the cause. But I noticed that the fuel bowl was not filled all the way. I made a run for the barn and just barley made in the door when the tractor stalled. The fuel bowl was completely empty now. I backed of the retaining ring on the fuel bowl and it filled right up with fuel I was able to restart the tractor and as it ran I noticed the fuel level in the bowl begin to drop again. I opened the fill cap on the tank thinking it might not be venting properly but it had no effect as the fuel level continued to drop while running. I changed the fuel filter and added some diesel additive and ran the tractor and it seemed to be OK.
Fast forward a couple of days and I am back on the hilly pasture and the same thing happens again. It seems like some fuel is trickling into the bowl but not enough to completely fill it. Again I just make it back to the barn before the bowl is completely empty. This time I pull the fuel line of the filter assembly and let it flow into a fuel tank it has good flow and after several minutes of uninterrupted flow I reinstall it on the bowl assembly and once again the tractor runs fine and the bowl remains full. I don't know what to check next and am looking for any ideas you guys may have on trouble shooting this problem. I was thinking about pulling the tank to see if something may have fallen into it and sometimes covers the fuel pickup inside the tank. I have not looked at it closely to see how hard it is to pull the tank yet. Any suggestions or ideas would be greatly appreciated.

Raw Dodge · Aug 23, 2015

I'd loosen the fuel cap and see if it stops doing it..it may not be venting properly. .then replace the fuel lines from tank to the bowl and remove the pet cock if it's removable and clean it out...probably got something in the fuel tank pickup, like a thick blade of grass...you can usually blow very lightly with compressed air on the line and temporarily "fix" it...

rims421 · Aug 26, 2015

I have tried removing the cap and it did not make any difference. It seems to be an intermittent problem so I am leaning toward something blocking the fuel pickup in the tank. I cant check the fuel tank outlet without removing the tank. I will try blowing compressed air through the fuel line the next time it happens and see if that makes a difference.

PILOON · Aug 26, 2015

If nothing else back blowing with air will temporarily clear any blockage and confirm if that is your problem.
Most tanks should have a finger screen at the exit point which if clogged would be your problem.
Maybe cover the filler hole with a rag when back blowing as fuel could blast out.

rims421 · Aug 28, 2015

Thanks for the tip on blowing the fuel line out.
We have been so busy on the farm the last few weeks that I have not had a chance to do much of anything with this machine.
I normally work on equipment when we have a rainy day. And this year we have not had very many of those.

TnAndy · Aug 29, 2015

You've got something in the tank.

Had the same issue with my brand new Yanmar. In my case, it was the plastic spiral drill shavings all wound together, along with some kind of small bug (like a roach). It would float over the outlet hole and starve the engine for fuel. Finally saw the plastic clear filter bowl sucking inward when it happened once. Took the fuel line off the tank, and just a dribble coming out. Poked a long skinny screwdriver up in the outlet port, and got hosed down with fuel. Removed tank, and out rolled that clog.

Don't know what your's is, but I'd about bet that is the issue.

rims421 · Aug 30, 2015

I think your right I have been running the tractor on fairly level ground and have had no issues.
It seems like it is only a problem when I am running on steeper terrain. Must be something moving around in the tank blocking the fuel outlet.
I can only pray that at some point it will rain here and I can get a chance to take a good look at it.

802 dave · Aug 31, 2015

Hi i am new here and posted this same problem ,mabye in the wrong place ,anyway's i have a 2003 tc35 and it also will drain the fuel filter bowl down i have drained the tank and pulled the grommet out of the bottom of it, had really good flow while draining ..thing is when this happen's all i do is crack the filter bowl and it fill's right up..have changed fuel filter ,took bowl assembly apart ,blown out vent line .I am at a loss on this ..curious to what you found ..thank's ..Dave

rims421 · Nov 2, 2015

Well it happened again. The tractor bowl was almost empty after running the tiller on almost level ground.
I believe it is not related to running the machine on hilly terrain but is related to running the machine at high RPM under load that requires full fuel flow.
This time when it happened I pulled the vent hose off the top of the fuel bowl and it filled right up with fuel. I found that the fuel vent line was full of fuel.
I blew some air through the vent line and it was not blocked. But it was full of fuel. Is this normal. The vent line runs back to a tee fitting with one line running to the tank and the other runs to the side of one of the injectors. Is their supposed to be a check valve or something in that line going to the tank to prevent the fuel from filling up the vent line.

dynasim · Nov 2, 2015

It could very well be the auxiliary fuel pump. It is located right behind the fuel bowl/filter. I had your problems, and changing it fixed the issue. The fuel pump should keep the bowl completely filled at all times(by recirculation).

It is about 100$, and trivial to replace(20 minutes).

Chris