Tractor Won't Start and Not Getting Fuel? Here's Your Problem (or at least the first thing to check)

I get comments all the time from viewers whose tractor won't start. They're not getting fuel, they crank and crank, what could be the problem? I've been wanting to do a video about a common issue for a long time...a clogged fuel tank, but until it happened to me I couldn't show the remedy on camera. Getting the tractor running is pretty easy, you gotta blow air back through the fuel line to dislodge the clog, then, at some point, drain and flush the fuel tank. That's a later video; today I'll show what to do to get the tractor started when you're cranking and she won't start...

I finished my video on doing the spring service on a tractor and since I'd changed the fuel filter, I bled the air out of the fuel line and she started right up. I walked back to the tractor and it sputtered a couple of times and died.

Thinking there was still air in the line, I bled it again and it still wouldn't start. By that time it was getting dark so I left it outside and decided to return to it later. Something didn't quite seem right.

Came back a couple of days later and tried to start it again. Wouldn't go and sounded like it wasn't getting fuel. Bled it again and it started right up. I left it running to recharge the battery and came back to move it inside and it had died. What the...?

From that point forward it wouldn't start at all, and when I began tracing the fuel line backwards I could see why. The fuel bowl was more than half empty (or half full if you're a "fuel bowl half full" type of person). There must be a clog in the bottom of the tank, a very common occurrence that will stop a tractor dead in its tracks.

In the fuel chain on my tractor, there's a polyurethane tank, then a long fuel line that leads to the fuel bowl which is where the filter is. There's nothing in between the filter and the tank, so if the fuel bowl isn't full of diesel, there has to be a clog in the tank. There's an easy way to check, and if you're tractor isn't running you'll want to try what I'm going to do in the video.

Before we do, you may wonder why I'd have a clog. I did too. It could be an accumulation of dust and debris has made its way in there, it could be the slimy, algae-type stuff that can grow in a diesel tank has congealed in a disgusting gooey plug, could be I accidentally dropped my nose ring in the tank while I was refueling...don't know what's plugging it up. If it were a metal tank I'd think it was a little chunk of rust which is common, in my polyurethane (plastic) tank, it could be some chunks of that stuff have flaked off and accumulated there in the bottom.

To find out if this is the problem, disconnect the fuel line at the filter housing and use compressed air to blow back through the line. Make sure you have a receptacle to catch any diesel that runs out and a pair of vice grips to clamp the line, in case you run into an issue. Once you disconnect the line, if nothing comes out, you've found your problem. When you blow back through the system, like I do in the video, the obstruction should clear and be ready for a good stream of diesel, which is exactly what happened. I put it all back together, bled the fuel line and she's running like a champ again.

Now, we know that until I flush my fuel tank, this can, and probably will, happen again. I'm hoping I get through the busy season and I'll run the fuel level down low and tackle that project this winter when I'm not needing the tractor as much. I'm sure I'll be doing a video about it. I'll be curious to see what's there in the bottom of the fuel tank causing the problem. Stay tuned!

LINKS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT...
The Tractor Fun Store: https://asktractormike.com/products-for-sale/
Support the Tractor Mike Channel: https://www.patreon.com/TractorMike
Visit the Tractor Mike website: http://asktractormike.com/
Visit Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/Ask-Tractor-Mike-312112962245304/

Copyright 2019 Tractor Mike LLC

Видео Tractor Won't Start and Not Getting Fuel? Here's Your Problem (or at least the first thing to check) канала Tractor Mike