Flushing fuel system on diesel tractor?

[Destroyer]

So I have this old 80's Ford 1210 3 cylinder diesel tractor that's been sitting on the property for around 8 years. I want to get the thing running but it has had fuel sitting in it since it was parked. No doubt the fuel is bad so I want to drain everything and prime it with fresh. Can I just drain what I can from the tank and lines and then pull the lines off the injectors and turn it over until nothing comes out then refill and repeat? Will turning it over without any fuel in the cylinders kill it? I don't have a FSM for it but some research indicates many tractors have a manual method for priming the system? Never really messed with a diesel before.

Thanks,
-Destroyer

 

[ARB-XJ]

Don't know any specifics about that tractor but with our Deere's you can get 90% of the fuel out w/out turning it over to pump it out. But i would probably think the new ones have more filters/separaters then the old. Either way i dont see turning it over hurting the engine (as long as its no in excess) it is just like if it ran out of fuel.

 

[ridgerunner97]

Drain the tank, etc. like you said. You will have to crank it and bleed the injectors when you have the fresh fuel in the tank by cracking the injector lines while you crank it. You may be able to prime the pump with a hand plunger found on the injection pump.

 

[ChiXJeff]

Don't know about Ford diesels, some JD diesels have a remote priming pump.

Be very careful about not allowing anything into the fuel lines when you crack them open to bleed them. You also want to be careful to not open them up any more than necessary, they're under very high pressure.

You might want to consider taking a look at http://www.yesterdaystractor.com.

 

[Jeepman401]

I have a similar tractor, and there is no primer pump on it.
To drain the fuel, take the line going into the fuel filter off to drain the tank, pull the fuel filter off and replace it, take the line off at the injector pump to drain that, then reattach all the lines, loosen the injector lines, and crank it over. This will get 99% of the old fuel out.

 

[Destroyer]

Awesome, thanks for the advice guys! Do I need to add new fuel before clearing the final injector lines, or should I run it completely dry then refill? How would I prime all the lines since it does not appear to have a manual primer? Keep cranking until fuel begins to flow on it's own?

 

[ChiXJeff]

Do *NOT* run a diesel injection pump dry! At a minimum, you'll need to reprime the injection pump. At worst, you'll score the pump internals, and have to replace it.

 

[Jeepman401]

Agreed, flush to the pump, then refill the system before going further. I should have been more clear on that.

 

[Destroyer]

Gotcha, so the system should self-fill back to the injection pump provided the filter is clean and filled as well? I threw in an extra Optima I have but unfortunately the starter is not getting any voltage (I wanted to try and bump the engine to verify it isn't frozen after 8 years) but it didn't even click. The main battery to battery tray/frame ground is nasty, but the idiot/warning lights still work so not sure what's up there. Think I'm going to pull some cables off something else here and create a new ground before going further.

Edit: Some pictures of the old workhorse

Been sitting like this for around 8 years.

The engine doesn't look too bad though.

Battery tray however, not so nice.

 

[Jeepman401]

Its a different engine than I was thinking, but the concept is the same. There may be a primer pump on that engine that will speed things along.

 

[Matthew Currie]

I don't think I'd bother to pull the lines off the injectors. Drain the tank and open the vent screw on the pump (shouldn't be hard to find, needed whenever you run out of fuel), then crank until new fuel comes out. There's not that much in the injector lines, and there's a good chance it will start if you crank long enough. Get a good battery that spins fast.

I have a 1510, similar engine. If yours is like mine, you need to run the glow plugs for a good 20-30 seconds. Not like some tractor diesels that start without a glow in decent weather, this one needs it every time.

If it's' not cranking, make sure the shift levers are all in neutral, and jiggle them. Depending on whether it's the kind with the shuttle shifter on the steering column or not, the interlock could be in that or in the main shifter, and after all these years, it could be in need of a little persuasion.

I have an IT service manual for this series, but can't seem to find it at the moment. You can get these at Tractor Supply stores. It's pretty general, covering a whole range of models, but still pretty handy.

 

[Destroyer]

Thanks man, I got it to crank over today so I have hope! Made a temporary ground down to the trans and found that the connector for the starter to the harness was all corroded. Cleaned that up and drained the tank and filter. Filter was full of all kinds of nasty, and tore it apart trying to get it off. The fuel didn't look bad at all coming out but the tank looks pretty crusty so better to be safe. Anything in particular I should used to clean out the tank? Blast it with carb cleaner and let it drain again? I remember it always took quite a while to warm up before so I won't be surprised if it takes some cranking. Off to napa or the new holland dealer for filter parts tomorrow.

 

[mcantar18c]

Not too familiar with Ford tractors, but I know that diesel fuel can grow bacteria and whatnot when left for a while. They have chemicals specifically made for cleaning it out, I don't recall the name but a google search should get you the info you need for it. That's what I'd use for the tank if it were mine.

 

[Destroyer]

Thanks for the advice everyone! The new fuel filter assembly came in today so I put it on as well as some new fuel line. Filled the system with fresh diesel and let it bleed down to the injection pump and fired it up. Didn't even need to warm up the glow plugs, it started right up and sounds great! Got the new hydraulic hard lines installed (the reason it was parked in the first place) and started bleeding the system. Aired up the tires and drove it around. Everything is a little stiff but with a good greasing of all the zerks and some use I think it will be all good.

 

[87manche]

Drain the tank and put fresh fuel in it and also change the fuel channel. While the fuel filter cartridge is out, fill the canister w/ ATF and also the filter, this will bail clean out the injectors upon start up.


https://www.tracxxxxxxxxtortool.com/

did you seriously join so you could bump a 4 year old thread and spam a parts website?

i'd venture a guess that if it's not been started yet it probably never will be.

Also, we don't want to be part of your google ranking scheme.

 

[Matthew Currie]

I would strongly suggest going with a couple of armed friends to keep watch for zombies while you're working on that tractor, and perhaps a little compressed air as the tires may be getting soft by now.