B1550 Crank no Start, ran out of fuel

[ssolid]

Ran my B1550 on and off throughout the winter with no issues here in TN.

As the weather got warm I turned her on and got let her idle a bit...got distracted....she ran out of diesel.

I turned what I believe to be a relief valve (round and serrated like a dime). Cranked it a few times and she started right up. Mowed the yard for a couple hours with the belly mower...shut her down for lunch.

Came back and she hasn't started since in 2 weeks.

I refilled the tank since that is what I had done when it started prior after running out. Nothing doing.

Battery seems strong as it cranks no problem. I don't want to ruin my starter and am not sure what to try next, the novice that I am.

Any suggestions are welcomed.

Thank you all in advance.

Steve

 

[ShaunBlake]

ssolid, do you have a manual?

I've had a wonderful experience similar to yours when I ran my B6100 out of fuel, and did not have to do CPR to get it running again. However...

I suspect that your setup is similar to mine: gravity feed from the tank to the injector pump, and the injector pump lifts the fuel to the jets. When the injector pump is full of air, the pressure from the fuel tank isn't great enough to displace the air in the injector pump. Nor is the air in the pump dense enough that the pump can pump it out -- it just spins, and spins, squishing the air but not moving it out.

What to do? Bleed the system. Your manual gives you the steps (since mine is so much older than yours, it's fruitless and might be dangerous to tell you what my process is). If you don't have a manual, go to KubotaBooks.com and download one: Tractor Owners Manuals/OPS B1550 b1750.pdf

Good luck, and keep us posted on your progress!

 

[Russell King]

You may want to change the fuel filter first before bleeding the system. It may be clogged.

Just to rule it out, please go to this link and ensure you bleed your lines well and there is fuel getting to the injectors:

http://www.orangetractortalks.com/2008/11/how-to-bleed-kubota-fuelinjector-lines/

 

[ssolid]

I will try both of those and see what happens and will reply back.
Probably won't get to it till Saturday.

Thank you both for your input.

Steve

 

[ssolid]

OK...

Bled the system (through cranking)...diesel comming out of all 3 fuel line connections.
Tightened them back.
still Nothing.

So...I did what I probably shouldn't do...took off the air filter and poured a very small amount (several drops) of my weedeater mix of gas and oil (i use ashless 2-cycle oil) and she coughed and sputter...started and ran all day.

Sunday...next day...Crank no start.

Any further suggestions are welcomed.

Thank You

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

You need to start at the tank and work your way threw the fuel system.
Did you replace the fuel filter?
Did you close all the bleed valves?

 

[Russell King]

OK since it has run a couple of times but just won't start I think your fuel system is probably OK.

Also since it runs for some time, your air intake is fine and PROBABLY so is your compression.

Here are a few further things to try/eliminate:
Ensure that you are using the glow plugs and they are working properly. It may still be cool/cold enough that you need the extra heat to start. Store tractor inside in a heated area if possible and see if it starts.

Is it spinning over fast enough to start? Attach a second battery/jump start the tractor to see if it will start with a "better" voltage/amp source.

If you have a decompression knob, spin the engine up under the decompressed state and then apply compression and see if the additional speed helps it to start.

That is about all I can think of for now. I recall a thread on here about the starting problems - see if you can locate that thread and see if it helps.

 

[ssolid]

So I think it may be the glow plugs as you suggested Russell.

Once it is started and run for a while...it will start right up if I turn the tractor off. The only hard time starting is when it is cold.

When I turn the key...the glow plug light stays on but I am guessing the light is on but no glowing is happening at home in the engine.

Is there a simple way to check the glow plugs with out taking them out.
It looks like I will have to dismantle the fuel lines and such to get to the glow plugs.

Am I looking at this correctly?

I found some glow plugs on eBay "New Kubota Tractor B Series B1550E B1550HST-E B1550HST-D Glow Plug" for 10.99. Any counsel on whether to stick with Kubota Glow Plugs $30 or an aftermarket product?

I tested the battery and it was charged correctly.

Also, When I was trying to start it Saturday morning after keeping the starter going for several seconds....I noticed the NEUTRAL WIRE BURNING near the battery terminal?????

Any thoughts on why that is occurring?

Thanks,
Steve