Cannot start the Major

[Lesterz]

Hi everyone,
I was slashing yesterday afternoon when the Major started to over rev. I pulled the stop button but since then I have turned the engine over as normal but there is no sign of a start. It sounds just like it is out of fuel but I put in 20 litres just before doing 30 minutes work. Last week I gave it a wash down with a high pressure cleaner but it started at that time & started yesterday as well with no sign of a problem.

Does anyone have any suggestions on where to start looking for a solution?

Thanks Lester

[Pavel]

My first investigation would be for water in the fuel. Tank caps or often a loose fit -- and after many years of use, the more so -- and with pressure spraying water could have found its way past the cap. Try removing the fuel filter canister and checking for water inside.
As a relevant aside, water spray injection is a performance modification for cars and, because of the oxygen content, increases the RPM for a set throttle position than previous -- which appears to correspond with your described symptoms.

Pavel

[Dandy Dave]

My old 1924 McCormick-Deering 15-30 has a second carburetor bowl to mix water while burning kerosene. Keeps carbon from building up also. Dandy Dave!

[oehrick]

Any chance you filled up with the wrong / mixed / contaminated fuel ? What does it look like in the glass and is it bleeding freely ?

I'd be inclined to drain down the fuel lines up to the injector unions (assuming its diesel, to the carb if not), refill with known good fuel bleed and try again, dying within 30 minutes of starting after a refill sounds dodgy, I've had plenty of experiences of water getting past damaged lift pump filter but while white exhaust has issued, faltering and loss of revs has been the result, ours tends to potter around, if hot from working hard and in the sunny land of Aus with a higher ambient temperature, racing as Pavel describes may be a good indicator, my series 1 Landrover always pulled better in a fog but I could never replicate this to order by feeding water in - not seen it on a tractor but several of the early kerosene stationary engines had a water feed to reduce pre ignition.

Starting to ramble, hope you get to the bottom of it soon.

[Lesterz]

Sorry, I forgot to mention that it is a diesel engine & the fuel I put in was definitely diesel. I will try some of the suggestions today & let you all know of the outcome.
Thanks for all the replies.

[Brian]

Increase in engine revs then will not start after the stop has been pulled could be symptoms of a sticky rack in the injection pump.

Thoroughly clean around the side plate on the injection pump then remove it and try moving the rack, should move with a screw driver against a spring then move back. Lubricate with WD40 or similar and make sure it is free and clean. Do not get any grit or dirt in here. The pump is lubricated by diesel and if the tractor has not been doing a lot of work condensation could have rusted the rack.

Could also be a faulty diaphragm in the governor. To check this, remove the pipes from the intake manifold to the pump, pull the stop and place your fingers over the holes, you should feel a suction and the stop should hold in one position. If it just flops straight back there is a hole in the diaphragm.

[Lesterz]

Did some work on the old girl today (tractor I mean). Fuel tank filter is clean. Lift pump was gunked up with a sludge & has now been cleaned. Both fuel filter have been removed & checked. There was no obvious water or rubbish in either. I removed the side cover of the injector pump. Seems like a fair bit of rubbish in there. The second spring/piston from the front was not moving at all. The rack only moved about 3mm. When I cranked the engine over I could not get any fuel pumping out the top of the injector pump. I removed the whole pump to take it to a diesel mechanic & the liquid that ran out of the pump didn't resemble diesel at all.
Sounds like it might need some of the folding stuff thrown at it to get it working properly again.