UPDATE Time
The dealer finished putting the engine back together with the new short block, but they had trouble getting it to run. Multiple fuel injector related error codes. Fuel return test found the injector for cylinder #3 filled a pint bottle in about 30 seconds.
When I gave them the tractor, there were no error codes, but cylinder #3 was clean. So that injector was apparently leaking and that’s why the cylinder was clean. However, the engine idled smoothly and there were no error codes.
They decided to take a used injector from a warranty return engine to save me some money. I would have rather replaced all three, even though they’re $620 each from LS, but I didn’t feel like I should bring it up at the time since they weren’t charging me for the injector.
They had me pickup the tractor on 3/21, a rainy miserable day. Had to crank it a bit to get it to start and the idle was a bit rough, but I convinced myself that I was just being picky. With the rain running down my neck, I loaded it and took it home.
Next morning, it still idled rough. Warmed it up and started running it up a hill, but it really bogged down. Now with it warmed up, the rough idle was still present and it chug-chugged when I advanced the throttle. It sounds like a cylinder isn’t firing right. Shortly after, I start getting injector related error codes and it stalls. I was fortunate enough to have it re-start and run back onto the trailer. Obviously, I took it back on 3/22. I’ve kicking myself ever since for picking it up and not paying enough attention to how it sounded in the first place.
The dealer and I settle on rebuilding the injectors from cylinders #1 and #2. Unfortunately, nobody seems to be able to get the parts to rebuild these Delphi #28359042 injectors. So they get new ones from LS and install them. I go to get the tractor yesterday, 4/20, yes almost a month to the day. The idle is still rough, the rain is again running down the back of my neck, but I’m determined to check it out thoroughly before I take it back. It doesn’t bog down like before and I didn’t get any error codes in the 30 minutes that I ran it around there lot. Unfortunately, the idle is rough and still chug-chugs when the throttle is advanced from idle. Once it’s above 2000 RPM, it seems to run OK, but below 2000 RPM, it seem like one of the cylinders is not firing right. Needless to say, I did not pick-up the tractor. If I were a betting man, I’d bet the “free” injector that they put into cylinder #3 is not working correctly.
What I find the most disturbing about this experience is that their “mechanics” can’t hear the difference between an engine running on all three cylinders and one that is not. It seems that the absence of an error codes is good enough. The lack of what I would consider a “good” mechanic really focuses my concern on the rest of the rebuild. Since there were sales people at the dealer yesterday, I’ll have to call on Monday to start down the path to recovery.