TC24DA loosing power after 30 minutes of use...

[ohdeerfarmer]

okay gang....my TC24DA started loosing power about 2 weeks ago while tilling a garden. It's a 2004 with 185 hours on the meter....original owner, too. I was about 30 minute into the job, i do this every year and used the tractor all winter to moove snow without any issues, but suddenly the engine RPM's dropped. I applied the clutch, disengaged the PTO, but the engine still stumbled and studdered?!?! When I moved the throttle it seemed as if it was not functioning....I rocked the tractor forward and back and after a few rocks it seemed to pick up RPM's again. So I continued but it didnt take long for the problem to come back. This continued for about 30 minutes until I finally gave up and went to the barn!

It feels like a fuel related issue to me but I did a complete maintenance anyway consisting of new fuel filter, engine oil and oil filter change, complete hydraulic system drain and filters changed, air filter replaced and cleaned the radiator and it's screen as well!

Tractor ran great after the maintenance but I didn't have time to test it for 30-40 minutes that evening. Today, I went out and started moving some manure piles just using the FEL and about 30 minutes later it started doing the same thing it did two weeks earlier. The temperature gauge is reading normal everything sound like it should but RPM's drop off and the engine stumbles and studders for a few minutes then seems to come back to normal. I say normal but it NEVER seems to be running at the correct RPM as stated on the tach....it feels lower to me.

Could it be bad diesel fuel, debris in the tank, a faulty fuel line??? What should I look at next???

 

[boggen]

no mechanic what so ever. just experience and what lead to fix over the years. i would check the carburetor. and linkages to it.

also make sure you do not have air in any of the gas lines. you noted changing fuel filter. perhaps air bubble in filter (double check site glass) double check your valves, did you not open a valve all the way?

what happens when you pull "choke" out some?

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again no mechanic what so ever. so i could be way off game. and highly suggest waiting for someone else to reply back to your thread.

 

[ohdeerfarmer]

thanks boogen but this isn't the first time i've changed the fuel filter and yes i purged the fuel lines as recommended in the service manual for removing air...glass bowl is "air free"....yes, fuel valve is open completely....same problem before and after filter change so i don't think it's air in the fuel but maybe its debris...there isn't a choke on the TC24DA.

i've read some fuel related problems with other NH "boomer" models that suggested a screen inside the fuel tank but dont know if the TC24DA has this or not??? In these posts they recommend blowing air thru the fuel lines to purge any debris...but this seems like a temporary fix to me?!?!

Seems odd to me that it takes 30-45 minutes for the problem to arise???

 

[thclimer]

I'm not an expert at all, but if it were bad fuel why would it run fine for 30 minutes then start to struggle?

Sounds to me like its not getting enough fuel. I guess the next time it slows down I would immediately perform the procedure for bleeding the injectors and see if that cures it, if so then I would suspect its being starved of fuel, now the next question would be what's blocking the fuel?

Hope others here have more advice for you, good luck and let us know what you find.

 

[JFS2295]

This is a gas motor????? Anyway .....

Typical with the 30 minute issue would be a clogged vent in the cap, the check being open the cap and see if the problem resolves.

Second are debris that clog the inlet in the tank. Did you add any anti-gel during the winter? Sometimes when people use additives when they dislodge the seal at the opening of the container by pushing it into the spout, then it gets poured into the tank and this can happen.

 

[ohdeerfarmer]

This is a gas motor????? Anyway .....

Typical with the 30 minute issue would be a clogged vent in the cap, the check being open the cap and see if the problem resolves.

Second are debris that clog the inlet in the tank. Did you add any anti-gel during the winter? Sometimes when people use additives when they dislodge the seal at the opening of the container by pushing it into the spout, then it gets poured into the tank and this can happen.

It is a diesel....tried removing the cap no change....nope don't use any additives in the winter!

your question about anti-gel agents did get me thinking....i didn't fill the diesel can a buddy did it for me and i wonder what might have gotten in the can??? it does act like an engine that has gelled fluid in the winter....the first year i owned the tractor i experienced fuel gelling but simply adding "winterized" diesel to my tank solved that problem in about 3 minutes! Thanks for your ideas, i'm still thinking there is something in my fuel tank restricting the flow.

 

[ohdeerfarmer]

I'm not an expert at all, but if it were bad fuel why would it run fine for 30 minutes then start to struggle?

Sounds to me like its not getting enough fuel. I guess the next time it slows down I would immediately perform the procedure for bleeding the injectors and see if that cures it, if so then I would suspect its being starved of fuel, now the next question would be what's blocking the fuel?

Hope others here have more advice for you, good luck and let us know what you find.

why does it seem to cure itself after 2-3 minutes and begin running again??? i don't have to shut it down and let it cool...if i rock the tractor back and forth it will begin operating again for a few minutes before this all happens again??? i'm no expert on diesel fuel so i am hoping someone with this model tractor has seen this problem before and can say...."do this or check this".

with all due respect unless it is sucking air why would it need the injecters bled after 30 minutes of run time??? if it is debris in the tank or the fuel lines restricting the flow of diesel this should not require bleeding the injectors....injector bleeding is preformed when air is the problem and being gravity fed only an empty tank would cause the fuel lines to get air. the fuel cap someone else mentioned was the first thing i removed because it has a full tank of fuel...no change in performance???

looks like it might be headed to the NH dealer on Monday...BTW, they told be it was the hydraulic oil filters and/or debris in that system causing it to loose RPM??? when the unit is not in gear or the PTO's are not running how could that be the case??? this is why i've resorted to TBN and not taken it to the dealer....they are scaring me! LOL

 

[thclimer]

Sorry I missed your statement that in 2-3 minutes it clears itself and begins running normal.

My only thought with bleeding it would be not to clear air but to show that you have a blockage cause you can not bleed them. To me it seems very clear now that you have a fuel flow issue. Hope you can find it.

 

[V1Rotate]

You said that a buddy refilled the fuel for you. Is it possible that some gasoline got mixed with your fuel? You might want to do a complete drain and re-fill of you fuel systerm.

 

[ohdeerfarmer]

You said that a buddy refilled the fuel for you. Is it possible that some gasoline got mixed with your fuel? You might want to do a complete drain and re-fill of you fuel systerm.

I'm doing this today V1....it had been running fine right up until he got the fuel for me while i was tilling his garden! Figure it wont hurt just to be safe but it smelled like diesel going in but who knows???

Thanks thclimer, i certainly see why you would recommend that...it seems to be a restriction issue but maybe there is a fuel pump that pushes fuel thru the injectors??? i don't know squat about these little 3 cyl diesels...i'm hoping someone on here has some experience with these jap diesels and can give me some direction!!! BTW - i see you have the TC33...that's the tractor i wanted but the 0% interest for 48 months back in June of 2005 sucked me in on the TC24DA! It's funny how easy it was to justify a smaller tractor when the payment was much lower....LOL but if i had to do it over again I would have gotten the TC33 instead!