3 cylinder diesel 350 dozer wont start

I have a straight 350 dozer that I have not used in three months. We decided to sell the dozer and I had someone come look at it this morning. The dozer would not start and I am looking for some advice. The dozer is a straight 350 with reverser on the dash. It has a rebuilt injection pump with less that 200 hours on it. The last time I used the dozer was in mid october and I used it for three hours. Since that time it has been sitting in my barn and has not been ran moved or anything. The dozer has a mechanical shut off on the fuel pump. I got my book out and checked the troubleshooting section. I went through all of those processes. I bleed all the injectors as good as I could by myself. I pulled intake hose off and used some ether sprayed directly in the intake. The batter was not spinning the dozer as fast as normal so I hooked up a booster and still am getting no fire. It will smoke a little wight smoke. I have never had an issue with this dozer starting. We have had some cold weather recently and it has sat a decent amount of time. Does anyone have any suggestions on what to check or do?
I have also moved all shifting reverser and throttle linkages incase that was causing it. I could not fine a neutral safety wire that I saw in other posts.

I know this sounds off the wall but I had the same situation last summer,, I ended up removing the intake hose at the manifold and poured 1/2 cup of motor oil into the intake,, and it started,, I shut it off and had to repeat the process again,, after it warmed up it would start on it's own,,My original thought was to help raise the compression from worn,dry rings...

Let me get this all straight. You got the injection pump repaired and afterwards - it started and ran fine. But since the pump-repair - you've never had to start it in cold weather, correct?

If I'm correct so far, my understanding is . . . now that you HAVE tried it in cold weather - it's not starting like it used to (in the cold).

My first guess is the person in the pump-shop turned down your pump's fuel delivery and now it's an awful cold-starter. Seen it happen several times. How was the power and visible black smoke when you tried it after the pump repair? Did it seem the same as before?

The screw that adjusts max-fuel delivery, if turned too far out - even by 1/8th turn - will let your 350 run and start OK warm and be worthless when its cold. I'm not saying that's your problem but it's one thing to consider.

If you are convinced the pump is still actually turning and getting fuel to it - I'd either install a engine-block tank-heater - or run point a salamander-type space-heater towards the engine and get it warmed up. Then try to start it.

That injection pump is self-bleeding. It's not going to get air-bound from sitting and even if it did a little. Some good cranking would clean it out unless the fuel-flow is a obstructed.

I doubt the mechanical shut-off has anything to do with the problem. That assuming the linkage is moving on the outside. On the inside of the pump - all there is to make it work is a push-on clip. If it fell off, the machine would start fine but would not shut off.

Tim I will give this a try tomorrow.

Yes I have never ran it in the cold since I have had it. When running and pushing there is very little black smoke. How do I turn the fuel up to it? Also I am not sure in difference before and after rebuild as I bought it at dealer who rebuilt the pump.. y linkage is working properly.

NO idea how cold is is/has been where you are, but any chance the fuel is jelled?

In reference to Bob's post, does it hasve winterized diesel in it???

OK. You're saying you've never owned this machine in cold weather so you don't know if it ever started well in the cold, correct?

Some 350s started well down to 30 degrees F and some wouldn't start unless it was 45F or above. That's for new ones. Then there's the case of an engine that started well unless a motor-job was done on it and the heads got ground too deep in the head.

When you first posted, I misunderstood. I thought it once started well for you in the cold, but then got hard-starting after pump work.

By the way, if the fuel was gelled - it would start right up and then die. Not quite the same symptoms as you're describing.

Give it a wiff of staring fluid,that's how most are started.

(quoted from post at 20:15:18 01/18/15) Give it a wiff of staring fluid,that's how most are started.

Click to expand...

Reread his post. He did that. No joy. Too new for me. But I'd check fuel flow to injection pump and maybe timing.

Adrian

The 350 that my father had would start at -20F with no pre-heat, just a sniff of ether, it had a very good ether injection system.

We had a fleet of over 20 rental crawlers. All 350s up to a few 350Cs. I can say, for sure, none would "start right up" with just a "wiff" of ether. A few of the older ones though could start at 20 degrees F with NO ether. To the contrast, some of new-at-the-time 350Cs could barely start at 45 degrees F.

I agree with JD these models don't like ether very well..

I'd be careful with that oil trick as you may hydro lock the engine .

Was my first thought too Mike,, but it did work for me..

My 350 crawler about drove me crazy one winter because after doing a few little things to it it suddenly wouldn't start. I checked everything I or anyone else could think of. Finally had a mechanic come look at it and he tried starting it while wiggling the loader lever. It started!
It had a couple of hoses in the back which at one time most likely were connected to a backhoe. They were couple together. They became uncoupled and no oil could flow through, causing such a load that the engine couldn't overcome it.

Whenever I hear someone pouring something into the intake I remember the Cadillac tech. who bent a rod in a northstar engine from trying to put something into the intake to free up a suspected sticking valve. What a disaster !

Ooh Yes it can happen....And I was apprehensive about doing this the first time,, but nothing else was working, my thoughts were raising the compression from worn engine rings, or possible stuck rings...and that may be just what happened ?? I am just sharing some things that I have had work,,and I am not embarrassed to share some of the thing that didn't work,,Darn it

Ours was about a 1966 model, I guess the old ones were better. A 440 JD skidder was almost as good! The 440 engine was just one more cylinder. Both pieces of equipment had to have 2 good batteries in the winter.

(quoted from post at 12:05:29 01/19/15) The 440 engine was just one more cylinder. .

Click to expand...

440 was a 2 cylinder engine in either gasoline or diesel.

Correction: Sorry but when I stated 2 cyl engine I wasn't thinking about correct model. Thanks for correcting me.

Ha, thats what I did, got the injectors out. Didnt mess anything up other than injectors when getting them out. Thanks for answering your phone tim and helping me out I appreciate it.

I had a 440 skidder for years. Same Dubuque-style engine as a 450 crawler or a 2020 ag-tractor, and yes -same as the 350 with one extra cylinder. I also had a 540 that had a straight-six in it. Again, same format as the 350 engine - just two of them stuck together. Same basic engine as used in the 4030 ag-tractor. Some of the old engines were built with better quality control and were good cold-starters. Deere got the worse when the 350Cs were new, When the 350Ds came out with engines built in France - they were good starters again.

440 and the 440A had four-cylinder Dubuque
engines. 300 series just like the 350s and 450s
used. 540 and 540A skidder had a six . Photo with
the little kid is my son on my 540. 450B skidder
has a turbo just like many 450B crawlers had.

I know on the skidders there was a little T-handle valve on the pump that disabled it, made for cold starting.