L185 Won't Run

[Joe L]

Recently my Kubota L-185 began to lose power. After troubleshooting, I determined that loosening the rear fuel line on top of the engine caused the engine to sputter and die. When I loosened the front fuel line, the engine idled a little rougher, but continued to run. A local tractor mechanic, after hearing the tractor run and my troubleshooting, told me that it was likely the front fuel injector. I decided to take a gamble and replace the front fuel injector, but instead of fixing the problem, now the tractor will not run at all. I then re-installed the old fuel injector and got the tractor to crank, but it runs worse than before. Does anyone have an idea of what I could do next to fix this tractor?
Thanks,
Joe

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

When you installed the new injector did you bleed all the air out of the line?

And were the new injectors Kubota brand Injectors or EBay aftermarket ones?

 

[Joe L]

The injector was purchased from the local Kubota dealer, and yes, lines were bled.

 

[meanjean]

Bleed, bleed, and bleed some more.

 

[Joe L]

Thanks meanjean. I understand the need to bleed the system. The problem with this situation is that I put the old injector back in, I can bleed the system down and actually get the tractor running. However long I bleed the system with the new injector, it won't start.

 

[Daren Todd]

Hook the new injector up to the fuel injection line. Do not install it in the tractor!!! Slide a piece of paper or cardboard under the injector and check to see if you have a spray pattern. You can check it on the other fuel line too. You may have an issue with the one side of the injection pump not building enough pressure. This will at least let you know if it's an injector or injection pump issue And it is rare, but you could have gotten a bad fuel injector out of the box

 

[Tooljunkie]

10 years in the auto parts business, same amount as a tech.
Its not a rare thing to see "junk in the box"
From oil filters with loose internals to 500 dollar MAF sensors.
Things occasionally miss quality control.

Good advice as the injector/pump goes.

 

[coachgeo]

Hook the new injector up to the fuel injection line. Do not install it in the tractor!!! Slide a piece of paper or cardboard under the injector and check to see if you have a spray pattern. You can check it on the other fuel line too. You may have an issue with the one side of the injection pump not building enough pressure. This will at least let you know if it's an injector or injection pump issue And it is rare, but you could have gotten a bad fuel injector out of the box

REMINDER...... wear gogles etc. This spray... while not like a high pressure injection system, it is still powerful enough to inject thru the skin if not slice open the skin. This can causes poison to the system (diesel fuel enters blood stream) and can make you very very ill.

Not saying don't test this way. It is a valid test..... just do it WISELY!!!