Ran Out of Gas

[TZ250]

My wife says, "no good deed will go unpunished".

Well, I was helping out a neighbor today and didn't pay attention to my fuel gauge and ran out of gas.

Went home and got my gas container, filled up the tractor but now she will not turn over.

Does anyone have any ideas what to look for?

Robert

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

#1 What is it!
#2 is it gasoline powered or diesel?
If its diesel...get completely out of the habit of calling it gas, its fuel or diesel!
and if its diesel... did you put diesel in it or gas?

After you give model details we can tell you how to get it going again.

 

[85Hokie]

My wife says, "no good deed will go unpunished".

Well, I was helping out a neighbor today and didn't pay attention to my fuel gauge and ran out of gas.

Went home and got my gas container, filled up the tractor but now she will not turn over.

Does anyone have any ideas what to look for?

Robert

Robert, Robert, RObert!

You say gas........100% of all Kubota TRACTORS are DiEsEL!

SO......did you run out of DIESEL???????????

and if so - what tractor are you talking about?????

Now you might have a Kubota gasser in a riding lawn mower, but I am gonna say you are talking about a "tractor"

if you do NOT know how to bleed the system - tell us what model and we can help you~!

 

[85Hokie]

#1 What is it!
#2 is it gasoline powered or diesel?
If it diesel...get completely out of the habit of calling it gas, it fuel or diesel!
and if it's diesel... did you put diesel in it or gas?

After you give model details we can tell you how to get it going again.

wolfman - u beat me to it!!!!!

 

[D2Cat]

If "she won't turn over" you probably have a bad ground somewhere that finally showed up.

You didn't present enough information to give an accurate answer, as others have mentioned, but put the CORRECT fuel in the machine. Then remove the battery cables at the battery and clean them good. Then remove the ground cable where it attaches to the tractor and clean it there also. Wire brush the tractor side also, then reconnect your ground and battery wires.

Then report back, even if it starts so others can learn from this situation.

 

[Bulldog]

Battery may have crapped out. Stranger things have happened.

I hope you didn't pour gas in a diesel.

 

[cerlawson]

Check all safety switches, such as neutral, and power take off (should be not engaged).

 

[torch]

but now she will not turn over.

Please define "will not turn over".

Mechanics will define that as meaning the starter motor does not engage and crank the engine when the key is turned to "start" position.

Many non-mechanics mean to say that the engine does not start even though the starter motor engages.

Here are the two most fundamental rules of troubleshooting:

1. If it worked before, but doesn't work now, what did you do?
2. If there is more than one thing that could be wrong check the simplest and easiest thing first because a) it doesn't cost much time or money and b) that's usually the problem anyway.

So, with that in mind, if the starter does not engage when you turn the key, and given that it died on you unexpectedly: did you leave it in gear or PTO engaged or some other situation that could be activating a safety switch? (easiest) Did you leave the key on when you went home to fetch fuel, killing the battery? (next easiest).

Alternatively, if the starter engages and cranks the engine but the engine does not run then: Did you follow the bleed procedure for your machine, to get all the air out of the system?

 

[TZ250]

Guys,

My apologies for not being more specific.

It's a diesel (yes I'm embarrassed), a 2002 Kubota L3010 my pride & joy work horse...and yes, I did fill it with diesel.

It was working great, had finished the job at my neighbor's house and was ready to leave when the tractor konked out because she was out of diesel.

I had no luck starting it after filling up the tank with diesel. When trying to start it, the motor would turn over and then stop after 1-2 seconds. Same symptom over and over.

Went back home and go get the wife, we towed the tractor back to my ranch. I was ready to grab my manual and tools to figure out how to bleed air from the fuel line when I decided to try to start it one last time.

She started and ran fine...my wife said it missed being home and my neighbor started praying (she felt bad). I don't normally subscribe to such thinking but now I'm starting to wonder.

I was ready to start bleeding air out the fuel line starting furthest away from cylinders and working towards them. I have no idea where the bleeder screws are and was hoping the manual would help. Turns out I didn'y have to do anything.

Sorry for being vague and incorrect guys, I was in the hot Arizona sun all afternoon and I think my brain turned to mush.

You guys were great for jumping in so quickly...thanks.

Robert

 

[Daren Todd]

I've had that happen once or twice when I have stalled my tractor. Go to start it back up and it doesn't really want to turn over. My old tractor has a compression release. As soon as I bump the compression release, she will spin freely and fire right back up.

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

You say gas........100% of all Kubota TRACTORS are DiEsEL!

Sorry, on this note 100% of all Kubota's are not Diesel, they do make several versions of tractors and equipment that are gasoline powered, and yes I'm talking larger than a lawn tractor.

 

[kiwiguy]

Something similar happened on my old Cub Cadet 3205. Ran out of gas and would not start for more than a second or two. The problem was floating debris in the fuel tank and when it ran dry it was dragged into the fuel line and clogged the line or filter. Blowing the fuel line out and replacing the filters fixed my problem. See if you are getting fuel flow.

 

[torch]

I was ready to start bleeding air out the fuel line starting furthest away from cylinders and working towards them. I have no idea where the bleeder screws are and was hoping the manual would help. Turns out I didn'y have to do anything.

It sounds like the previous starting attempts were enough to work the air out of the lines.

Sorry for being vague and incorrect guys, I was in the hot Arizona sun all afternoon and I think my brain turned to mush.

I'm new to this forum, but not to other mechanical forums. A tip: For the highest quality advice, it is important to be as precise, accurate and detailed as possible when describing problems and symptoms, since those offering advice cannot directly see/hear/feel the recalcitrant machinery in question.

From your update, I suggest a more accurate description of the problem would have been something like "The starter motor turned the engine over, and the engine was consistently starting briefly but dying after 1 or 2 seconds each time."

(For bonus points, note that it is technically an electric motor but a diesel engine. In practice nobody will really notice or care and even some mechanics use the two terms interchangeably, but an engine is distinguished from an electric, spring-driven, or hydraulic motor by its use of a fuel. )

 

[jcy110]

When you turn the key to the position where the glow plugs get power, before powering the starter motor you should hear the fuel solenoid valve clicking. Let it click for a minute or two to prime the fuel line and push any air back through the return line and into the fuel tank.

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

When you turn the key to the position where the glow plugs get power, before powering the starter motor you should hear the fuel solenoid valve clicking. Let it click for a minute or two to prime the fuel line and push any air back through the return line and into the fuel tank.

Sorry to tell you the fuel solenoid does not work like that. All it does is allow the injection pump to operate, engaging or disengaging the fuel solenoid (Kubota uses have both style systems) closing the fuel rack. Cranking the engine forces fuel to the injectors not just the act of turning the key on (this does not apply to Common Rail systems).
Now, on older engines the fuel and air will be trapped between the injection pump and the injectors and will not purge itself until you manually bleed the lines of all air.
On newer engines the injectors are designed to pass some fuel and any air out of the lines, essentially making it a self bleeding system.
There are also other automatic systems on the newer diesel tractors that remove air out of the system, like vent lines that are between the filter housing and the fuel tank to help burp air after changing the filter.

 

[TZ250]

Dully noted.

It sounds like the previous starting attempts were enough to work the air out of the lines.



I'm new to this forum, but not to other mechanical forums. A tip: For the highest quality advice, it is important to be as precise, accurate and detailed as possible when describing problems and symptoms, since those offering advice cannot directly see/hear/feel the recalcitrant machinery in question.

From your update, I suggest a more accurate description of the problem would have been something like "The starter motor turned the engine over, and the engine was consistently starting briefly but dying after 1 or 2 seconds each time."

(For bonus points, note that it is technically an electric motor but a diesel engine. In practice nobody will really notice or care and even some mechanics use the two terms interchangeably, but an engine is distinguished from an electric, spring-driven, or hydraulic motor by its use of a fuel. )