desiel engine not starting

[longviewlawncare]

hey guys, hope yall can help. i have a Front deck mower with a Kubota 21.5 hp engine in it. It ran good last year but when we wanted to start using it this year it won't start. i have purged fuel system so no air in system. Injection pump is working and i have disasembled the injectors and cleaned them. i am still not sure if i am getting fuel trhough them or not but it will not start even with starting fuild. The glow plugs work also and everything checks out ok. It just won't fire up. turns over until i kill the battery but no fire. please help. thanks guys

[Mowingman]

Have you dumped all your fuel and put fresh fuel in it? One of my friends has a small asphalt paver with a Kubota engine. It acted just like yours. Turned out his diesel fuel was old and tank had a lot of water in it. After purging the system of the watery fuel, we put in fresh diesel and it fired right up. If you are getting good fuel to the cylinders, it should run. Not much else can go wrong with a diesel.:)

[Arnold]

Are you getting white smoke out the exhaust that is a good way to tell if it is getting diesel. If it isn't are you purging it at the fuel filter/injector pump some times you can get a air lock in the injector pump. If you try to purge it at the injector pump make sure you loosen the right bleed screw best to check your manual.

[ducky1]

Kubotas usually have a electronic fuel shut off solenoid that kills the engine when you shut it off. It may not be getting activated when you are trying to start it.

[captdevo]

also, check your air filter...diesels are simply... compression, air, fuel

[bob]

Originally posted by ducky1
Kubotas usually have a electronic fuel shut off solenoid that kills the engine when you shut it off. It may not be getting activated when you are trying to start it.

This is what happened to my diesel Gator engine. It would turn over forever, but wouldn't fire. It was the solenoid.

[longviewlawncare]

the fuel solenoid is working, that was one of the firts things i checked. I belad the fuel system again today alway the way up to the injectors. I am getting fuel comeing through the injectors and still nothing. I called our jacobsen dealer which i know well and asked one of there techs, he asked me about everything that has already been mentioned. he said if all that does not work then there is probably something wrong insdie the enigine. The air filter is off the unti totally. It will not start with starter fluid or even try to catch. i will prob have them take a look and if nothing else replace the enigine. Anyone know where i can buy a good rebuilt kubota engine online? Thanks for the help guys.

[captdevo]

doesn't sound good...maybe.

pull the injectors or glow plugs and put a few drops of oil in the cylinders then try it.

if it runs a little, you've got low compression.

[longviewlawncare]

just like regualar motor oil? If it starts what would be causing the low compression? that is what i think is wrong but i don;t kow what to do. i will try that in the mourning? thanks cpt. devo

[sdwally]

If you've checked the solenoid, then check to make sure you getting power to the glow plugs. You also can check the glow plugs by removing them and apply 12V to them, tips turn red hot.

PS - You mentioned using starting fluid, very bad idea with glow plugs. The ether can ignite the second it comes near a red hot glow plug. I've actually seen first hand after someone did this on a large diesel engine. The result was the the intake manifold was blown off the engine block. Not a pretty sight!

[captdevo]

yes, motor oil will work.

rings could be gummed up and seized.

i've had a couple Kubotas do this.

i was lucky with each one to 'release' the rings, i poured some marvel mystery oil in the cylinders and let it sit for a week and then drained the engine and refilled with oil and they ran fine.

make sure your getting fuel out the injectors too.

[longviewlawncare]

i have not used the oil yet. i went in this mourning and it fired for justa sec. I am going to drain all the fuel again, go head and put in new glow plugs just in case, but the oil in and let it sit for a couplke days. I am also going to go ahead and replace the injectors while i am at it. Anyone know where i can get kubato parts online. It is hard gettin them from my local dealer cuase he marks everything up so high. Thanks for the help guys.

[sdwally]

I would see about having the injectors rebuilt. The cost is about 1/4 to 1/3 of the cost of new injectors. Check your yellow pages.

[Birken Vogt]

I did not see a definite answer to the question if you are getting fuel? There should be thick white "smoke" (atomized fuel) puffing out the exhaust pipe after a few seconds of cranking. If you don't have this you don't have fuel.

Also some diesels like to have the fuel control (throttle) moved all the way up to get them to start especially in the cold or after a long layover.

Birken

[Bunton Guy]

How did it go did you ever get it started?

[longviewlawncare]

i am waiting on injectors and glow plugs to get in. After that it should start fine. mecheanic checked and said that should work

[steinerguy]

Did you get her back in service and what was the end result?

Thanks,
Joel

[longviewlawncare]

still waiting on injectors, i am in no rush. i will have it running by mid summer anyway. i have bigger fish to fry. One of my guys blew the engine in our Kubota L4150 tractor. I gave him a quick road trip.