diesel injection pump...

[junkyard dawg]

any of you fellas know anything about priming an old diesel tractor injection pump? Its a small allis chalmers 5020. Never have run it out of fuel until the wife needs to use it... Now I can't get it to start. I have fuel to the pump, but can't get anything out of the fuel lines at the top of the injectors. there is no lift pump on here. It just gravity feeds fuel to the injector pump. cracking the lines on top of the pump don't show any flow either. I've never had to prime a pump that didn't have either an electric lift pump before it or a manual pump for priming. Any ideas?

[Dnderhead]

Don't know about allis,but some you crack all the fuel lines to the injurers and crank, some have bleeder on pump if it does start their.

[junkyard dawg]

I've cranked the battery down pretty far, and it still won't pump. I thinking I might try to put a little compressed air into the fuel tank and see if that will push it into the pump...

[DestructoMutt]

the last time i heard of someone using compressed air in a diesel tank - the fire department and the coroner showed up shortly after the explosion. (they also were trying to push the fuel along....now they are pushing up daisies.)

the filter assembly should have a bleed port, gotta get the air out, replace the filter while you're at it, emptying the tank draws a lot of the accumulated debris into the system (sludge, water, rust, dirt, etc...). disconnect the power to the glow plugs, if equipped, make sure the tank is open (no vacuum being created), make sure the fuel pump is working (you have input, but do you have output at the pump?), and other than that......keep cranking.....when charging/jumping, keep the RPM up on the charging vehicle.

good luck.

p.s. diesel engine starting fluid spray

[heynonny]

The filter housing or top of spin on filter should have at least a screw to bleed air out to top of filter. If theres a bottom valve if its there, dont open that, its for draining water out. You can crack a FEW fuel lines at the nozzles 1 or 2 and then crank it over till fuel starts slobbering out at the nozzle /fuel line connections, then tighten them. This might involve re-charging the battery if your'e not so lucky. (like me) If your machine has glow plugs, dont bother using them till you get smoke from the exhaust. While doing this, you can (!!BE CAREFUL HERE!!) spray propane like from a torch into intake "Judiciously", DO NOT use ether, especially if you have glow plugs. Propane is to diesels like nitrus oxide is to gasoline engines, just be careful!!!

[junkyard dawg]

Thanks fellas...

not to worry destructo, I'm not going to blow anything up... what was that other guy doing?

I've heard wd-40 is a good starting fluid for diesels... haven't gotten there yet. I've cleaned it all from the tank to the pump. I have fuel flow to the front of the pump, but nothing on top... short of installing a lift pump, I'm not sure how to prime this pump??? maybe I'll go find a tractor forum

[trthskr4]

And if any of that works....hide the keys next time.

[junkyard dawg]

now thats some helpful advice...

[DestructoMutt]

jd-

they think he put too much air pressure into the tank, possibly to force the fuel into the system as a quick way of priming, however, it is not really known for sure what happened. he was DOA, as a result of the explosion.

it's the compression that ignites diesel.

[Hawke]

Have had to pull a tractor around the farm a time or two to get them fired again.
Usually cracking the lines at the injectors works but not always.
Another thought, take one or two of the lines loose and use a squirt can to fill the lines with.

[heynonny]

I've heard wd-40 is a good starting fluid for diesels...

Propane is used as a propellant for wd-40, , , It works ok, just an oily mess. you need to remove air filter first. heynonny

[big worm]

cracking a line at the injector till it pumps is the best way, but if it still won't pump the pump could be pluged or broken. i never recall it taking more than a few turns to start a flow again.

[junkyard dawg]

i never recall it taking more than a few turns to start a flow again.

yeah, thats whats got me worried. No luck with anything so far. I think I'm gonna pick up one of those little rubber bulbs like you prime an outboard motor with. Put it in the fuel line and see if what will develop enough pressure to purge the air out.

[Dnderhead]

Some pumps have a filter in them. a larger nut where the fuel line goes in.some also have "puf" limiter wont let ful fuel flow until 30 psi is applied
( on turboes).

[smokerscully1]

We use ether for starting fluid here--comes in an aresol can--careful cause you can blow an engine if you use too much. Ask me how I know.
I'd crack the nut on the injectors and crank until fuel flows--no fuel to injectors I'd say the pump is bad.

[big worm]

i found that a rag with some gasoline drapped over the breather starts easyer than eather and its not so hard on the motor

[goose eye]

ole mf2705 an ih1466 got a place for ether.
would make sure you got a couple spare fuel filters handy

so im tole

[Butch50]

Used to place a rag over the intake and then squirt canned starting fluid onto the rag, get the engine running on the ether and keep giving it little shots as needed to keep it going. Eventually the diesel comes up and takes over. Unless the pump is bad that is.

This also works on really cold days when it just doesn't want to run enough to warm up.

[goinbroke2]

Still haven't got it going??

I've been a diesel mechanic for over 25 years now. (I'm a tank mechanic in the army)
I had a fuel cap in my tool box with a tire stem brazed in it. Crack the line where it goes INTO the inj pump and add about 10lb's pressure to the fuel tank. When the fuel comes out tighten up the line and crack the lines up at the injectors themself. With the 10-15psi still hooked up, crank the engine until you see fuel making a mess. By this time it will be kicking a bit too. Leave two loose and tighten the rest. Crank it and when these two start firing and the bubbles stop, tighten them up. It should be hitting on at least two cyl's now and one by one crack each line at the inj and purge the air then tighten. Each time you purge the air, that cyl will start firing.

That would be a worse case scenario.

What will probably happen, add 10psi to fuel tank and crack line going into the inj pump. When fuel comes pouring out tighten it. Crack the lines at the inj and crank the engine. It will spit a bit of fuel out of the lines then fire up thrashing madly and making loud clackity clack noises. Stop it, tighten the lines and fire it up. Run it at a fast idle for a minute or two until it smoothes out.
Done.

[junkyard dawg]

I put a 2" bung in the tank cap and put a couple pounds into it. It was a pretty clumsy setup and too hard to keep the pressure in. Never could get a flow out of the fuel lines.

Then I decided to try turning one screw on the pump that I thought might be a bleed screw. I had great fear that I might screw up something by doing that, but could see that the screw had been turned in the past... There are other screws on the top of the pump that are connected with a braided copper wire. Clearly meant to say 'don't mess with us'. Well, I got it about a 1/4 turn out and it started to bubble fuel and air . when it ran clear, I tightened it back up, cranked it, and had fuel at the injectors . After I cranked those down again, it fired right up.

[goinbroke2]

EXCELLENT! Good to hear.


Next job...running it on veg oil..

[junkyard dawg]

im werking on making a biodiesel processor. I have some friends save me the fryer oil...I have 150 gallons so far...

I met a guy with a new dodge dually and a veg oil conversion in it. He could drive to dallas and back loaded for about 4 bucks... thats a 500 mile trip...

[big worm]

good deal jd.i was wondering if it was gonna whip yer ass...lol

[junkyard dawg]

i was wondering if it was gonna whip yer ass

yeah, me too...