Hello and a question

Hello all! Have enjoyed reading a bit here and gleaning some of you tractor buffs' knowledge. Appreciate the helpful atmosphere here.

My bro is the gear head of the family but doesn't have Ford tractors so he's a bit stymied by this issue. I know you folks will shine through! I am severely limited (bro says "handicapped") in my knowledge and abilities with these machines.

Ford 3000 gas tractor. In tank filter screen dislodged and allowed some debris to block hole of fitting. Nothing found in glass sediment bulb or when blowing air back through gas line from it. Now assembly replaced (because I snapped off the plastic shutoff), tank reinstalled, sediment bulb cleaned and gasket replaced and all is hooked up again.

Problem: Tractor fires when choked runs briefly and dies. Adjusting choke or throttle has no effect. Glass sediment bulb filled with gas. If I remove plug from bottom of carb I get some gas but no continuous flow. (Is that norm?) Is this a fuel availability issue ie fuel pump or carb issue? Or air in line/lock situation?

I was strongly advised by the implement guy that sold me the tractor who my bro has worked with that I should not open the carb on my own. I will take that advice.

Wondering if there is anything further that I can try before consulting an experienced Ford mechanic.

Thanks for any advice you can provide. EB

Unless if has a fuel pump you should have a good steady flow of gas out of the carb drain plug. Been to long since I messed with a 3000 to remember if they have a fuel pump or not. If you trace the fuel line back you should be able to answer if it has one or not. No pump then work you way back from the carb to the tank till you fin where the fuel is not getting past a clog. The carb may have a screen in the inlet hook up that is clogged up

3000 gasser has 3 or 4 fuel filters.

1. First one is the screen on top of the shutoff valve inside the tank, the one that you said got dislodged in the first place.

2. The second one is a screen in the top of the fuel pump, which is located on the front of the engine near the top left side, just trace the fuel line from the shutoff valve and you should find it. Yes, all 3 cylinder gassers have a fuel pump, at least they came from the factory with one.

3. The third filter is inside the sediment bowl, and it looks like a stack of washers connected to the top of the housing that the bowl itself attaches to.

4. The fourth filter, if yours has it, as some did and some didn't, and some have been removed over the years without being replaced, is inside the fitting where the line from the sediment bowl attaches to the carb.

My guess would be the screen in the fuel pump. Blowing backwards through the line from the sediment bowl will push anything blocking that screen back up into the line from the tank, but as soon as the pump starts pumping again it will get sucked right back down into the screen.

(reply to post at 23:51:37 08/08/14)

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Thanks for the info. Will check it out in the AM. Will trace the line from fuel tank forward and LEFT.

There is free fuel flow (when engine off) through the sediment bowl when I unscrew the retainer loop. There was no debris in sediment bowl when I dismantled it. Didn't mess with stack of washers in there as no debris apparent.

The multiple filters seem to be a foolproof way to prevent debris in the carb. But some have called me a fool when it comes to engines....

You're asking questions and getting the right answers instead
of throwing parts at it. I think that rules out being a fool.
Verify the fuel flow all the way through the carb.
Welcome to the forum!

Looked it over and here is how I am seeing the fuel line, please correct if I got crossd up in the maze!

Tank shutoff fwd past solenoid, down, fwd then left across front of engine to front left of fuel pump (11 o'clock viewed from above). Outlet from front right of fuel pump (1 o'clock) then up over in front of valve cover then back and down in front of 2nd intake manifold (?) port then to rear, down and fwd to sediment bowl. Out of sed bowl up and to right into top of carb. What ever happened to straight lines?

So when is blew air into the line I blew from rear of sediment bowl back into fuel pump and out at tank connection point.

Would appreciate suggestions on how best to get at fitting on fuel pump. Really crowded in there and can hardly turn a wrench. There is a loader on this tractor that is a real PITA to work around.

Do I remove whole alternator or just belt?

If I have fuel running out of the sediment bowl and its screen isn't plugged then I shouldn't have issue getting fuel from there to carb?

Don't know if thins is pertinent to the issue:

Found a wire appears brown/white or maybe brown/yellow with a female blade connector (exposed metal) that is dangling loose from harness near alternator.

Should that attach to fuel pump? (Don't know if fuel pump requires current to operate?) Or does it go someplace else I can't find?

Fuel pump is mechanical; no wires connected to it.
A 3000 would have originally had a generator. If you
have an alternator, that wire may no longer be
needed. I don't have a schematic handy to see which
wire is brown/yellow.

According to the schematic, the brown/yellow wire would go from the generator to the "D" terminal on the voltage regulator, so if yours has been upgraded to an alternator you likely don't need that connected to anything.

If I have fuel running out of the sediment bowl and its screen isn't plugged then I shouldn't have issue getting fuel from there to carb?

Click to expand...

Really shouldn't have a lot of fuel running out when you take the sediment bowl off, just the amount that was in the line between the fuel pump and the sediment bowl. If it is flowing constantly then the fuel pump is likely bad and it's gravity feeding from the tank past the pump, so it will not run well when the tank is low on fuel, especially on hills.

Have you tried disconnecting the line from the sediment bowl where it connects to the carb to see if you've got good flow there?

Also could be the needle valve in the carb is stuck in the seat so it's not letting any fuel into the float bowl, which is more likely to happen if you're running gravity feed because of the bad fuel pump, as that needle valve design really needs some pressure from a pump behind it to get it to open properly

Called it an alternator. Likely it is a generator. Not clear on difference (don't know = ignorance). Does not look like car/truck alternator. Just a black cylinder. Has tach cable coming out of it. 2 wires attached to blade terminals on rear surface. Loose wire may be same color as oil indicator light from back of instrument panel. Don't see a sensor terminal in vicinity other than temp which has blue/green wire.

Greatly appreciate the help. Frustrating to not be capable enough to figure this out but it is all new to me.

Sorry for the side track. Still hoping for suggestions on accessing fuel pump fitting. Loader frame is really a hindrance. Looks like I will have to move generator. Now I know why my bro has so dang many different wrenches....

Loosened and moved generator over to move belt and get at fuel pump inflow. Disconnected fuel lines at tank and fuel pump intake. Blew that out with compressed air. Disconnected at sediment bowl and blew back toward fuel pump. Adjusted gasket on sediment glass. Cut it from inner tube in a pinch and it may have been a little small ID to allow easy flow in to glass. Put it all back together...turned the key...started and ran without a miss. Ran throttle up and back down. Sounds like success! Hoorah!!

Now how to better adjust throttle to get it down to idle? Gets to a point where throttle lever doesn't make it slow to idle. Push on the rod linkage as I don't have all covers on yet and it gets it a bit lower but can't get a low idle speed. Also need to replace spring on foot throttle pedal.

And then there's the matter of a leak from somewhere in the power steering pump/lines. Need to do a couple searches here.

Thanks for the replies, helpful advice and encouraging words. This is the first "big" repair I have tried on this old yeller Ford and I am so glad to have found a measure of success!