Fuel pump failure L3800

[sew]

On my "new to me" 2011 320 hrs L3800, I had instant fuel pump failure yesterday. Unusual for such a failure? Any suggestions, pitfalls to avoid when replacing? It should arrive on next Tues(Aug 20).
Thanks,
Steve

 

[Bluegill]

First I have heard of this. My L3800 has been flawless.

 

[sew]

Just tilling along, then w/i 1 sec a belch of black smoke and engine quit. Called dealer(>100 mi away) and he thought I likely accidentally put gas in my tank. Said fuel pumps rarely fail with this few of hours. So I drained the tank thru the hose just in front of the fuel filter, replaced the fuel filter, and tried to get a restart(used directions in the manual - air purging). No go. So cranked engine while finger over fuel pump outlet(sucked and light pressure, not pressure only). Took the 2 hoses off fuel pump, connected and got an immediate start. Gravity feed: low fuel demand. So awaiting delivery of fuel pump. At least I got to use my Kubota almost 11 hours without a mechanical break down .

 

[Bluegill]

Well that sucks! You must have got the one rare bad egg.

You'll likely get many, many hours of trouble free use after the new pump.

 

[crovol]

my l3800 has less than 200 hrs and it quit running. our kubota dealer checked it out and said the fuel pump was bad, i bought it new oct 2013, 2 years and 2 months . will they fix my hardly used tractor or am i screwed?

 

[Sammy3700]

I would hope they will fix it. If I am thinking correct the bumper to bumper is 2yrs and power train is 3yrs. Please let us know how it turns out my Dad's 3800 is 2yrs end of this month.

 

[lugbolt]

I have seen cases where a hose, from filter to lift pump, has gotten air into it. It throws a lot of seasoned techs for a loop, and their first thought is that the lift pump is junk, and they replace it to find that it still won't pump. The air gets into the hose and it won't let fuel reach the suction side of the lift pump. I've just taken the hose off of the inlet side of the pump, let gravity push fuel through and air out, reinstall, then remove the feed hose from the pump to the injection pump and crank the engine until fuel comes out. Reinstall the hoses and then start it.

At one time I seem to remember a fuel filter housing that had a check valve that was not working properly. It's supposed to shut fuel flow off when you remove the filter and cup. I think that tractor was a B series, but same filter cup assembly IIRC. Replaced the filter assembly, bled the system, and away it went.

Just a couple thoughts, for what they're worth.

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

If it's the fuel pump, that's not a big deal, $103.88 part,
Now if it's the injection pump that is a whole other matter.

 

[CaveCreekRay]

Diesel injector pumps run upward of 8000 psi. Not sure what Kubota runs their at but, a friend just lost his at 2700 hours and 20 years service. As WM said, they are not cheap. As "liquid insurance" I run some Stanadyne Lubricity in mine to make sure the pump stays well lubed. I imagine that would help the lift pump as well though its not under near the mechanical stress the injector pump is under.

Trivia: A mechanic told me the high pressure fuel pumps on the CFM-56 series jet engine on the 737 used to pump out jet fuel at around 40,000 psi to get a nice spray pattern for combustion. The pump for that motor was $15k and they rebuilt them. They would fail in flight about half the time but, quite often, your first clue it had failed was upon engine start: You'd never get a light off.

Ray

 

[ShaunRH]

I got the 5 year warranty on my L3200. I want it warrantied as long as I am making payments on it.

There could be a bad batch of fuel pumps out there. Kubota likely doesn't make them but sources them from a third party. I'd contact a Kubota rep if your dealer won't represent you.

The two reported failures on this list alone for the same year and model would be indicative of a possible bad batch. My L3200 would probably have the same pump so I'll look out for the issue.