JD 2040 weird fuel problem

BlakeTyner

New User
Hey all. I've posted here in the past and gotten good help, so hopefully y'all have some ideas that I don't have.

Backstory: Was driving my 80 model John Deere 2040, PTO disengaged, and everything was running fine. I hit a bump, accidentally goosed the foot throttle, and within about 30 seconds the tractor just died, as though I had killed it with the fuel shutoff switch. Will not crank again. Flat, level ground. I dropped the cutter and towed the tractor back to the house. There was no obvious fuel leak or fuel under the tractor when it died. Tank had half a tank of diesel.

What I know so far:
1) I know the engine is getting air. Just to check, I pulled the air filter to see if it'd start. It didn't. However, the tractor WILL fire for a few seconds (3-4) if starter fluid is squirted into the air intake.

2) My first thought after that was air in the fuel lines. I know the fuel transfer pump on the right side of the engine is working, as you'll see below. Filter is full of clean fuel.

3) Fuel IS getting from the fuel tank, through the fuel filter, through the transfer pump, and to the left side of the tractor.

This is where it gets weird and I don't know how to proceed.

4) There are 2 bleed screws on the injector pump on the left side of the engine. In the photo below, I've marked them as 1 and 2.


If I loosen bleed screw 1, which is the bottom one, and crank the engine, I get a steady supply of diesel out of it. However, if I loosen bleed screw 2 and crank the engine, there is ZERO fuel coming out.

5) Following about the only thing I know how to do, I then loosened and removed the fuel lines from the 3 fuel injectors, as well as disconnected the fuel return line above them, at the front of the engine, just above what I've labeled injector 1 in the photo below:


So here's the weird thing (to me anyway.) When the black fuel return line (to the top of the fuel tank) is removed, and I crank the engine, I get a steady flow of fuel out of it. However, with the fuel lines to the injectors taken off, I only see a few dribbles of fuel coming out of the fuel line for injector 2 (the middle cylinder) and NO FUEL coming from the lines for injectors 1 and 3.

So...I'm stuck. The batteries are now dead and I need to tow the tractor closer to the house so I can recharge them and keep working. I'm really hesitant to pull the entire fuel injector pump off the tractor (I'm just a shade tree guy...) but I'm curious about taking the upper cover of the pump off--I know that's where the 'valve' is for controlling fuel flow via throttle and kill switch. I'm wondering if a piece in there just finally gave out and maybe broke or got stuck closed. What do you guys think?




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<image src="http://forums.yesterdaystractors.com/photos/mvphoto4296.jpg"/>
 
The CAV DPA pump won't handle air well, have seen a good bump knock an air bubble loose in the filter and kill the injector delivery when the air gets into the injection pump. Get the starting system charged, loosen all three injector line nuts. Bleed the LOWER screw and make SURE there is fuel only, NO AIR at that screw, if you see air, keep bleeding. Don't worry about the top cover bleed screw, it can be bled later with the engine running. With good fuel at the lower screw, then tighten it and crank the engine 20-30 seconds at a time with the fuel stop on, throttle about 1/3 or more. May take several tries, but if injection pump is working you should have fuel delivery at each injector. When you do tighten the nuts and engine should start.
 

Read the operator’s manual regarding towing to prevent tearing out the transmission bearings .
Best to avoid ether , particularly on the 300 series Dubuque/Mannheim engine .
Did the bump shake loose a couple decades of dirt in the fuel system ?
Is the throttle linkage adjuster that the pedal hitting the floorboard limits the travel? Or is the foot pedal unable to touch the floorboard due to be stopped by the throttle linkage?
 
It's possible that the jostle and goosing the foot pedal shook loose debris or an air bubble in the filter. I'm pretty good about
maintaining the stuff like that that I know how to change, fuel filter, oil filter, air cleaner, etc. This was my late father's tractor,
and I grew up on it, so I keep everything pretty well-maintained, or try to.

Both the foot pedal and the hand throttle have full travel, back and forth, to the floorboard.
 
Whoo...I like hearing this option before having to tear into the pump. Once I get the batts charged again, I'll try this procedure.

I do need clarification on one thing: you say to crank with the 'fuel stop on'. Can you clarify what you mean here? Like, crank while holding up the kill knob?
 
I think that means as not in OFF position. It looks like that has a cable to stop it so the cable would be in which IIRC is the normal run position. This will let fuel flow to the injection lines.
You should have a transfer pump on the side of the engine with a little hand lever to manually pump it for bleeding the fuel to the filters and pump housing. Make sure you push this little lever back towards the engine block when done pumping as if left out it can not let the pump work as good when running.
 

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