Can't Get Tractor Started -

kincaid · 24-01-2010 2:35pm #1

Hi, I got a old john deere 6cyl 3140 here and went to it yesterday to start it but cannot get it going
Its been sitting outside for 3 months and due to working away had not been started (was starting ok before this).
Anyway put 2 good 017 fully charged batteries in it and its churns and churns but no go put jump leads to my jeep and put some easy start in it but wont give the kick to start.
Its doesn’t seem to be turning fast enough either but all batteries are fully charged and even have the back up of jeep but cant get the bugger going.
Anyone able to advise

Thanks

pakalasa · 24-01-2010 2:54pm

If it's not turning fast enough then get it heated up. Get some heater in inderneath it and cover it so the heat gets trapped. Give it a couple of hours and try it again. If the oil in the sump is hot, it should turn more freely. In the meantime get the batteries charged up.
Don't set fire to it! Use some kind of domestic oil heater - it's safer.;)

kincaid · 24-01-2010 3:13pm

ok so i wont light a small fire underneath her then LOL !!!!
..Its it the bottom field so not convenient to get heat to it at present and ground very wet so would not get out even with another tractor to tow it up…[/SIZE][/FONT]
Even with another tractor they cant be towed to try and start them due to a high and low pack in them… not sure if that’s true but wont chance it anyway..

Even when I use “easystart” its having no effect at all which I find strange….no kick nothing…

corkcomp · 24-01-2010 3:28pm

kincaid wrote: »

ok so i wont light a small fire underneath her then LOL !!!!
..Its it the bottom field so not convenient to get heat to it at present and ground very wet so would not get out even with another tractor to tow it up…[/SIZE][/FONT]
Even with another tractor they cant be towed to try and start them due to a high and low pack in them… not sure if that’s true but wont chance it anyway..

Even when I use “easystart” its having no effect at all which I find strange….no kick nothing…

opel the fuel line where it enters the filters, make sure clean diesel is flowing as far as the filters - take off the filters and clean, or replace if you can, and put em back on - bleed fuel system and try again. ive seen diesel lines gummed up on lots of things recently due to cold weather and dirty filters ..

kincaid · 24-01-2010 6:54pm

ok will try

anyone know what bolts/etc to open to bleed a JD 3140
i know there's a small 10 bolt/screw on the injector pump you open and a manual pump on opposite side but what else does you need to open?

thanks

poor farmer · 24-01-2010 8:03pm

prime fuel system keep an eye on diesel filter glass block, bubbles or 7 up effect indicate a restriction of fuel

MrFoxman360 · 24-01-2010 8:29pm

Are you getting smoke when your turning it over, if not that would indicate a diesel problem alright, cold weather does make diesel wax up a bit, and gives fierce problems, and with it been sitting out for so long and all,

One thing I always do with stubborn diesels is take off the air intake pipe at the manifold and hold a butane blow lamp in it while turning it over. Diesels need heat to start and this seems to work a treat for me. Even a worn diesel will usually start like this even on the coldest of days,

kincaid · 24-01-2010 8:47pm

theres doesn;t seem to be much smoke but has plenty diesel in tank and i did hold a blowtorch for a minute or so and like the easystart it had no effect,

if i drain the diesel and put it fresh stuff would it be any good

no glass block on these but when i open the nut on injector and prime theres some diesel coming but some bubbling too, do i need to open up any other nuts up

MrFoxman360 · 24-01-2010 9:27pm

kincaid wrote: »

no glass block on these

Oh, I thought there would be a rectangular block like diesel filter on the off side of the tractor, up near the cab, it would be made of glass and the the top of them is usually clear so you can see into it.

Usual procedure for a bleed would be to open the bleeder on the side of the injector pump and pump the lift pump manually until it flows clear with no bubbles. Then open of the injector pipes at the injector and crank it over till its spurting out diesel with no bubbles, even just three open would do....

If the diesel ain't flowing it might be worth changing the filter, rectangular glass ones are a doddle to fit.

kincaid · 24-01-2010 11:40pm

Yes there is a black square type fuel filter up near the cab on the R/H side but its not clear…

Ok I know of the small nut type bleeder on front of injector pump and the injector pipe to the right and left and several to the side etc… so just loosen a few of these attached to the pump too then.
Do I need to touch any of the big six up above???

millertime78 · 25-01-2010 2:30pm

Definitely sounds like a diesel problem, it'll turn and turn but won't start. I don't know anything about John Deere's but I would

Put in a new diesel filter,
Wash the primer/pump in petrol
If possible drain out the diesel as it might not be the best, get 2 x 5 gallon drums of new diesel

That should put up smoke!

kincaid · 25-01-2010 3:22pm

ok will give it a go- found out today from a guy who worked at these john deere's that there is winter and summer diesel for these -mine must have had the summer stuff and says this will turn to a jelly type stuff in frosty weather

thanks

corkcomp2 · 25-01-2010 6:58pm

kincaid wrote: »

ok will give it a go- found out today from a guy who worked at these john deere's that there is winter and summer diesel for these -mine must have had the summer stuff and says this will turn to a jelly type stuff in frosty weather

thanks

they add additive to diesel during the winter alright, this is all green diesel and not just for john deeres!!!!! even the winter diesel as turning to jelly around here in early january ... id say as per previous advice, get clean diesel running as far as filters - change filters and bleed , should do the trick along with heating manifold ..

snowman707 · 25-01-2010 10:12pm

no experience of jd's but slacken the the locknut on the feed pipe to one injector you should see diesel flowing free when you crank the engine.

kingofthehill · 26-01-2010 12:16am

I have an old JD 3130 that had the same problem over the cold snap, the fact that it hadn't been started for a couple of months like yourself made it worst.

Firstly buy a new glass diesel filter.

Empty the fuel tank, there is a 'tap' directly beneath the fuel tank.

Put in a drum of new diesel.

Take off the glass filter.

Check the flow of diesel coming as far as the filter (while it is off) by pumping the hand pump.

If there is a good flow great if not, do the following....

Unscrew the bolt at the very top of the hand pump,

Careful not to rip or tare the rubber seal that divides both halves of the pump,

Clean out any dirt in the pump with a flat head screwdriver,

Use a narrow length of tubing and blow out remaining dirt,

Re-assemble the hand pump,

When you are happy with the flow, fit the new glass filter,

Use the hand pump to fill the glass filter,

Go around to the other side of the tractor and locate the pump for the injectors, it will be roughly located on the lower half of the engine nearest to the front wheels,

There is a tiny nut on the side of this pump that needs to be opened with a vise-grip, only a couple of rotations will do it,

The next part, if you're not used to bleeding a tractor will need 2 people...

One person has to use the hand pump, the other needs to check the air bubbles (it will be like a spitting motion) coming out of the injector pump on the other side.

Once the bubbles have stopped coming out of the injector pump and it is now solely diesel, tighten the nut, stay pumping until you feel there is pressure on the hand pump.

Using a set of jump-leads, connect the battery of your 3140 to a jeep/tractor

Squirt a small amount of easy start into the air input

Start the tractor.

Hope this helps

kincaid · 26-01-2010 1:24am

thanks for that advice guys,
i got the glass filter cost €12 and will give it a go friday when i get back home and lets you know how i get on

kincaid · 31-01-2010 4:40pm

ok fitted the new filter and the tank is half full new diesel and now seem to be getting some smoke but cant get it started, im using easystart...
there are 2 fully charged 017 batteries and it tried to start (kicked slightly 3-4 times) then just churned seems to run the batteries down very quickly or something-ive connected jump leads to an 03 passat tdi(no longer got access to the jeep) put it to 2000rpm for 15 minutes and it charges the batteries up again kicked and then churns and dies.

MrFoxman360 · 31-01-2010 5:31pm

now that is unusual, if its belching out smoke the whole time wile cranking with the trottle wide open then that should be an indication that you are getting diesel to the injectors.

You can check that by taking off the diesel pipe right at the injector and turning it over, you should see a good squirt each time the injector pump turns. I'm presuming you have these pipes bled out already after fitting the filter,

If its only a little bit of smoke when turning then it might be just the easy start thats making it kick, and you could still have a diesel problem, maybe check the operation of the stop control down on the injector pump,

31-01-2010 6:36pm

i had a new holland same as you cranking slowly and runing battery down quickly. starter was the problem . i had bought a new battery thinking that was the problem.

kincaid · 31-01-2010 7:17pm

starter is ok as got it checked...
i put the booster on to the batteries and same story got it kicking up good but wont start so may have not bled it right..

i opened the small bolt screw in middle of injector pump and the loosed the nut on the pipe to the right on the injector pump and pumped it manually for several minutes till diesel was coming out.

maybe i need to open more??

corkcomp · 31-01-2010 7:23pm

kincaid wrote: »

starter is ok as got it checked...
i put the booster on to the batteries and same story got it kicking up good but wont start so may have not bled it right..

i opened the small bolt screw in middle of injector pump and the loosed the nut on the pipe to the right on the injector pump and pumped it manually for several minutes till diesel was coming out.

maybe i need to open more??

tractor has been sitting a long time in the cold, the missing component now is heat! it sounds like you got the disel issues sorted out.
you need to heat the manifold or use a small portable gas torch and fire into air intake .. if you get the heat to the right place she should start ... Im not a fan of easy start tbh .

pakalasa · 31-01-2010 8:25pm

Ya, you need heat.

You've more than likely air-locked it aswell. That's the danger when you open any pipes. There's a sequence to bleeding them. Follow the flow of the diesel. Get someone else to keep the key turned and bleed it along the line as the tractor is turning.
I know on my David Brown, there are 2 bleed screws on the fuel pump. You open one, wait for the diesel to flow at pressure, then tighten. Then do the same with the second one. Then open slightly the top of the lines at the injectors (as mentioned in last post).
You'll run the batteries down very quick though.

kincaid · 31-01-2010 8:54pm

ok i connected a wire from the plus on battery and attacted it to the heater connector on the inflow pipe and its starts to glow and a fire starts inside , i suppose if i left it on long enough it would heat up but dont want to damage anything... anyone know long timewise can i keep this attached for?

also anyone fimilar with how to bleed this john deere?

what exactly do i need to open, do i need to open any of the big 6 up on top ?

MrFoxman360 · 31-01-2010 10:21pm

kincaid wrote: »

what exactly do i need to open, do i need to open any of the big 6 up on top ?

Like I said before, you need to get diesel up to the injector pump first by manually pumping the lift pump which you seem to have done, then, with that bleeder tight, open the nuts where the pipes go onto the injectors on top of the engine and crank it over until a good squirt of clear diesel is coming out. You may get away with only doing this with three of them, and only loosen then a few turns. Cranking it over should pump out all the bubbles of air in the system, wasting your time if you don't do this

kincaid · 01-02-2010 7:06pm

ok got her started today but took some time...

thanks for all the advice guys;)

pakalasa · 01-02-2010 8:25pm

...ah well done.:D
Next time you'll be able to do it no problem. It's worth knowing these things.

kincaid · 01-02-2010 8:40pm

i will

but would never believed i wud have to do this to a tractor that was sitting up for just over 3 months and going 100% before this

thanks

GERMAN ROCKS · 01-02-2010 10:07pm

did it start away grand for the rest of the day???

kincaid · 02-02-2010 9:44am

yes starts ok now but notice a milky colour on oil dipstick, would that be water in the oil
its going fine otherwise

Ford4000 · 02-02-2010 11:13am

kincaid wrote: »

yes starts ok now but notice a milky colour on oil dipstick, would that be water in the oil
its going fine otherwise

Milky oil is never good, better to investigate that before you do too much more driving could be head gasket, liner, or various thuings i dont know much about them jds but i would air on the side of caution

GERMAN ROCKS · 02-02-2010 11:13am

kincaid wrote: »

yes starts ok now but notice a milky colour on oil dipstick, would that be water in the oil
its going fine otherwise

id say head gasket but i could be wrong

Can't Get Tractor Started -

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