Problems bleeding a Long 2610

We got this tractor new in '92, I think, and I've had to bleed it several times (my dad was bad about running it dry). A few weeks ago it quit and I thought I ran it out of diesel so I put a few gallons in and bled it. It ran fine for a few hours then died again so I put 3 more gallons in and bled it again, it ran fine while I finished plowing.

Two weeks later I tried to start it in the shop and it wouldn't start so I decided if I was going to bleed it again I'd change the fuel filters. I assumed it might still have some air in it. I changed the filters and bled it and it ran fine for a couple of hours. I was pulling an 8' shredder Saturday and it started speeding up and slowing down about 100 rpm every minute or 2 and I could hear it pop periodically so I knew it must have some air in it. A few minutes later it died.

When I tried to bleed it I got good pressure on the bleeder port on the low pressure side of the injector pump but nothing at all on the high pressure side and nothing but bubbles at the injectors.

Sorry for the long story, here's the question - is the injector pump dead? I also noticed I developed a new oil leak that might be the fuel pump, I didn't track it down yet but even if it's leaking I had plenty of pressure on the input side of the injector pump so I assumed it should at least let me bleed it.

Any ideas?

Tnx,
Kerry in Texas

Don't have a 2610 but my long 445 which is similar is real finicky when it comes to priming/bleeding the system.still
what you describe sounds like a fuel supply problem,follow the lines starting at the tank.you might have blockage
somewhere.if not check your fuel pump before you look at the injector pump

We used to have a 445, I think we got it about '73. My dad always ran it dry too, I had to bleed that one for him too! I'm getting lots of fuel at the bottom bleeder port, the low pressure side, so I think the fuel pump is ok. I'm not getting anything at all on the top bleeder port on the injector pump.

I learned to bleed that 445 when I was about 15! ;-) It was a great little tractor but wouldn't pick up a round bale without blowing out the lead plug in the valve under the seat. I can't complain, nobody has worked on this 2610 but me since '92, I think the only thing we've replaced is the tach.

Thanks,
Kerry

On CAV DPA pumps the most important bleed screw is the lower one next to the name plate, there must be NO air at all there for the pump to work correctly. The top bleed screw can be bled later after the engine is running, it's just to keep the top full of fuel to help prevent the internal linkage from rusting. MF dealer I worked for sold Long tractors too, and they might have the same trouble over time like I've seen on some MF Perkins fuel systems. Look and see if there's a constant bleed orifice fitting on top of a filter base with a small line that returns fuel back to the tank. May go through the small tank for the thermostart first if fitted. Usually a banjo bolt, or could be a straight fitting also. It's job is to constantly bleed any air out of the filter base before it can get to the injection pump, causing engine shut down. When it gets plugged, air will go to the pump, and give you trouble. Brother's MF 1105 did it years ago, would run a half day, or a half hour, and would start again only after bleeding. Cleaned the fitting that was plugged and no more trouble, worth a look..

That's good info that I didn't know, I'll check it out. I did see what I assume was a return line on the tank last weekend.

Thanks!
Kerry

I'd do 2 things before going any further. Take the fuel line loose at the lift pump to make sure you have a good fuel flow from the tank. They do get trash in them. While at it, make sure the shut off valve in the line is opened all the way. Grandson closed one of mine once.

Then I'd check the strainer under the top cap of the lift pump. If you are not getting the proper amount of fuel to the injector pump all the bleeding in the world will not solve the problem.

My best method of bleeding...get someone to pull you up the driveway, around the yard, down the road,etc. with another tractor with it in high gear. The motor will turn faster than you can bleed by hand and if all is working correctly it will start in a short time.

Sounds like the lift pump is going bad that's the way they'll act sometimes when its getting ready to quit,but as others said you need to check out the fuel flow first.

Looks like I got off easy, it turns out the fuel valve was clogged with a little piece of crud. I drained the fuel, took the valve out of the bottom of the tank, cleaned the valve, flushed the tank and put it all back together. A friend looked at it for me and blew back into the fuel line and got it going again, he told me to flush the tank. Apparently I was getting enough fuel to get some out the bottom bleeder port because I wasn't pulling enough volume. When he unhooked the fuel line from the fuel pump it just trickled out.

When I finished flushing the tank last weekend I bled it up to the first filter and ran it for a couple of hours with a 8' shredder and it never missed a beat. That's much better than replacing an injector pump!

Kerry