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Hi all, I need some guidance on an issue with my tractor.
I went out to day to start it up and move it, and it barely started, running on what seemed to be only one cylinder and was pouring out great volumes of white smoke. Checking revealed the fuel in the sediment bowl was cloudy with obvious water sediment in the bottom. I presume this got in the tank through condensation primarily, since we've had about a month or more of heavy rains interspersed with very hot sunny days and the tank was down to about two or three gallons of fuel. My oversight. I do know better, but I was lured into a false sense of security because it is parked under cover. What didn't register with me was that the cover had deteriorated so badly that i t might as well have been nonexistent.
I drained most of the fuel from the tank and dumped in a bottle of diesel additive I had on hand, pulled the feed line at the banjo fitting on the bottom of the priming pump, and cleared the sediment bowl. My question is, what next? I have a gallon of denatured alcohol on hand. Can I dump that in the fuel tank to get the remaining water to mix with the diesel and drain it out?
Due to my health issues with the recurrence of my cancer, I need to sell this thing and need it running and looking good. I'd prefer, of course, not to have to remove the tank since the loader is parked on the ground and would have to be raised to get to the tank. Will I need to pull the injectors or can I just prime and bleed the system and then start it up?
All advice is sincerely appreciated.
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First, I am saddened by the news of your health and wish you the best.
Unfortunately, alcohol (methanol) is not miscible with diesel fuel. It floats on top of it, and, as you know, diesel floats on top of water.
I don't recommend putting any alcohol in your fuel tank. You can decant the water from your fuel tank, dump what you have in the sediment bowl, change the secondary fuel filter, and completely bleed the system. Check your results with water finding paste such as Kolor Kut.
Get better.
Account deleted.
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Thanks, Bob. I got it taken care of. Unfortunately due to the way it was parked, removing the tank was not an option as the loader was in a position that prevented opening the bonnet. I flushed the tank a dozen times until it ran clear and purged it with a mix of acetone, methanol and diesel to remove any traces of water. Mission accomplished – reassembled sediment bowl, fuel line and pumped the primer and cranked it up with the compression release open for a half minute or so. When I closed the comp release it fired instantly and ran cleanly. To say I am relieved would be an understatement. No sign of diesel bugs at all, only tramp water.
As for the health issue, it is what it is. The new chemo is helping, reducing the new tumors some and easing the pain a bit. It isn't and won't be a cure, unfortunately, but should buy me a bit more time. No idea how long, maybe six months, maybe a year. Unlikely it will be more than that, but I am ever hopeful. In the meantime, I'm getting things in order, as they say, so it won't be as much of a burden for Sally. No complaints from me, life is uncertain at best and there are never any guarantees it will be long or even pleasant. Mine has been pleasant for the most part, and always interesting, so I figure I'm ahead of the game.
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