Bleeding My Diesel Tractor.

The sun just disappeared behind Bukit Kalong. The smaller hill is Bukit Tembak. Bukit Tembak used to be a perfect semicircle before the quarry did the damage.

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Eager to mow my lawn since Raya, I quickly got into my gardening gear after work and head for my ZL1501 tractor mower. After over two hours of mowing - My diesel tractor mower ran out of fuel for the first time in seven years. Assuming the same will work as the petrol engine, I left the tractor on the field overnight.

Went for a can of diesel the next day and once it was filled in the tank, I cranked the engine. It was idle for a few seconds and went dead. After a few attempts, the tractor won’t even start at all. Drove to a friend’s house who operated a few tractors and a back hoe and he dispatched his son to look after my problem. Only then that I knew, one have to bleed the fuel line before you can restart it again.

Harun or better known as Own went through these procedures..

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1- Fill the tank completely full of fuel. This will help add pressure to the fuel system and flush out the air much faster. Don't skip this step- it is important!

2- Locate the bleeder screw at the top of the fuel filter valve (the part that the fuel bowl is attached to). Open the screws at the top a few turns and wait for fuel to run out. This will indicate that the filter is full of fuel. If you did not fill the tank there will not be enough pressure to force the fuel through the filter.

3- Follow the fuel line up to the injection pump. There will be a small bleeder screw on the pump where the fuel line goes in to the pump. Loosen it and wait for all of the air bubbles to come out. You should be getting straight fuel now

** If you ran out of fuel completely while running the engine or you tried to start your tractor before bleeding the system you will need to continue on through step 7. If you did not try to start the tractor before bleeding the system you can start the tractor normally and go on with your day :) **.

4- Follow the steel lines going from the injector pump up to the top of the engine. Loosen the fitting on the end of the line. Do this on both lines.

5- While sitting on the seat, crank engine at full throttle until you see no more air bubbles coming out of the lines. Do not crank for longer than 10 seconds at a time, letting starter cool 1 minute between attempts.

6- 2 cycles and you should be ready to tighten the fittings back up.

7- The tractor should start now. Let idle for a few minutes to get out the remainder of the air.

NEVER operate starter for longer than 10 seconds at a time. Allow several minutes for starter to cool before re-trying.

Check engine oil pressure light and temperature light. They should both be off. If the red light is on after 10-15 seconds of running, or the amber light comes on- SHUT OFF IMMEDIATELY. You could be causing permanent damage. Locate the problem before running again.

FYI- Why Is a diesel engine hard to start when it runs out of fuel?
Diesel engines rely on extremely high pressure pulses in the injector lines. This high pressure is required to make a fuel spray that is fine enough to burn completely. The pulses cause the fuel injector to "pop" (a point where the pressure in the injector line reaches the required level and the injector opens) and sprays a very fine mist of diesel into the engine during the combustion stroke. When the injector line has even the smallest amount of air in it, the air will compress and the required pressure can not be met. The injector never opens and the air can not be purged from the line.

Own insisted on not charging anything when asked. I handed Own RM20 but he refused. I popped the money in his pocket anyway while he was washing his hands.

Thank you Own!