Frozen??

steve terplak · Mar 15, 2017

Upstate NY - snowed a couple feet yesterday, out plowing all day. Tractor ran good.
Massey 265 Diesel
Plugged block heater in the morning, started up pretty good ( a little sluggish), ran - low on power. Died in the driveway.
It will re-start, run for 30 seconds and then die.
Fuel is fairly fresh. I see some evidence of water in the bottom of the bowl.

I am under the assumption that it is frozen/gelled. But I'm unsure...just the ease at which it re-starts is making me worried that it is not just gelled fuel.

Thoughts?

oldtanker · Mar 15, 2017

(quoted from post at 08:03:33 03/15/17) Upstate NY - snowed a couple feet yesterday, out plowing all day. Tractor ran good.
Massey 265 Diesel
Plugged block heater in the morning, started up pretty good ( a little sluggish), ran - low on power. Died in the driveway.
It will re-start, run for 30 seconds and then die.
Fuel is fairly fresh. I see some evidence of water in the bottom of the bowl.

I am under the assumption that it is frozen/gelled. But I'm unsure...just the ease at which it re-starts is making me worried that it is not just gelled fuel.

Thoughts?

Sometimes just enough fuel will seep through to allow it to start for a few seconds with jelled filters. Swap the filters IMO.

Rick

steve terplak · Mar 15, 2017

I should add-was out plowing 4 hrs yesterday.

rusty6 · Mar 15, 2017

How cold is it? I have run summer diesel fuel down well below the freezing point in winter with no sign of fuel gelling. Once we get into winter blend diesel I have no concerns at all. Plug in the block heater for an hour and the old Super 90 will start on the first crank of the starter.

MARK ROBKE · Mar 15, 2017

You have water in your fuel which is frozen somewhere,most likely the filter,and restricting fuel flow.It starts and dies because it is starving for fuel,but some is getting thru.Change the filter,maybe check for fuel flow to the filter to make sure there is no ice in the line.If it starts and runs ok,I would put some additive in to absorb the water.It could be jelled if your temps are 15* or below,and you can see it in the filter when you remove it and dump it out.But if you see water/ice in the filter-that's a problem.Mark

old · Mar 15, 2017

If it where me the first thing I would do is change the fuel filters good chance there fill of dirt and or water that has frozen

paul · Mar 15, 2017

Well there could be all sorts of expensive problems; but 90% chance it is water/gel in the filter.

Get a icecream pail of really hot water from the house, pour it on the filter (or if you can put the water bucket up covering part of the filter!) slowly to heat up the filter. Long and slow and hot is what works.

If that lets you run 4 minutes then you have your problem - gell/water. Adding some treatment can work it out, the red container from power service is best at this point, the simple treatments help.

A new filter also helps a bunch, but I really hate changing them when it is fridgid cold out, takes a lot of cranking or finger work to purge the air out and if it's already starved for fuel the cold just makes that process miserable and hard on the starter and battery. Once you get it running a while and engine hot, then change the filter.....

It was zero degrees this morning. Nuts.

Paul

mjbrown · Mar 15, 2017

Sounds like a classic case of wax solidifying due to cold and plugging the fuel filter. You might get it to run enough to get back to the barn if you slowly pour boiling water over the filter. The wax will not go back into solution until the fuel has warmed up. In the future mix kerosene with your fuel 50/50 before cold weather.

2underage · Mar 15, 2017

Got to your nearest truck stop or ag supply store and buy a can of 911 diesel fuel treatment. Measure the fuel that you have in the tractor and add the amount indicated on the can to your tractor's fuel tank. Start the tractor and let it idle for several minutes until the 911 mixes with the fuel and reaches the gelled fuel. Should take about 20 minutes until the tractor will run right. Change the fuel filters when the weather warms a bit.

DoubleR · Mar 15, 2017

I had the same problem with a 231 Massey Diesel. Did everything everyone has mentioned and still had the problem. I finally took the petcock off at the bottom of the fuel tank. It was full of crud, cleaned it out and never had the problem again.

Bob Bancroft · Mar 15, 2017

Same thing happened to me a couple of years ago. (southern Cayuga county) I did just as 2underage advises. I left tractor idling with the filter in the sun, with the loader raised way up, while I got some 911. (It would idle, but die if you tried to rev it up). Did the job.
It's nice and sunny here in NC! I'm told there was 18" of snow in my driveway this AM!

Stroby · Mar 15, 2017

Put a can of Seafoam in it once you get it running, the make sure you put one in before winter in the future. Works great!

showcrop · Mar 15, 2017

Classic wax. As the other guys said 911. One time I was in the middle of nowhere with one of my employee's trucks when it stopped. I had a full quart of regular Power Service and I was able to pour the fuel out of the filter, fill it back up with the PS, I gave it ten minutes to work and it started and ran.

steve terplak · Mar 15, 2017

Ended up using the wife's hair dryer for 5 min.
Put it back before she got home.

Bob NY · Mar 15, 2017

My 65 diesel died on me yesterday too. Been working fine all winter.

RodinNS · Mar 15, 2017

You have already provided the answer to your own question.... The bowl is full of ice. No doubt the filter, line and tank strainer are as well. If you're lucky... the pump is not.
What I have seen happen... you get a tank with a bunch of water in it. Tractor doesn't do much, doesn't get warm... ice stays put. You run it for 4 hours and get it good and warm, the ice melts. Some makes it to the bowl and filter. Some remains in the tank well and strainer. So... heave the filter. It's 5 dollars and 50 cents for a CAV filter. If you have good flow from the tank when you pull the filter, consider yourself lucky. If you don't... you're going to have to chase that back and probably remove the tank shutoff/strainer and clean the ice out of it. Install a new filter, fill the tank and bleed it... Should be good to go. If I have to remove the tank strainer I use a shop vac loosely in the filler neck to hold the fuel up in the tank.
I avoid using alcohol concoctions if I can avoid it. Problems...

Rod

mj · Mar 16, 2017

(quoted from post at 09:24:48 03/15/17) How cold is it? I have run summer diesel fuel down well below the freezing point in winter with no sign of fuel gelling. Once we get into winter blend diesel I have no concerns at all. Plug in the block heater for an hour and the old Super 90 will start on the first crank of the starter.

Well, that must have been a lot stouter 'summer' fuel than the stuff that gelled on me at 25F. Different batch, I reckon - different area and batch but I believe that a guy ought to err on the side of caution. Optimism won't get you going.

Frozen??

steve terplak

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oldtanker

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steve terplak

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rusty6

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MARK ROBKE

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old

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paul

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mjbrown

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2underage

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DoubleR

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Bob Bancroft

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Stroby

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showcrop

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steve terplak

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Bob NY

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mj

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