Ferguson 135 diesel wont run

[Rick Beament]

Hi folks. I've just replaced the two main filters on my diesel 135 (the original ones were badly clogged) because the tractor would run for about 5 minutes, then starvation set-in and the revs went up for a minute before dying. Re-priming gets it going again, but the same thing happens. I'm confident that the new filters and sealing rings are correctly fitted and there's a reasonable squirt of fuel out of the fuel pump each time, so am I just left with draining-down the tank (it's full !) and changing the tap filter or is it possible there's something else going-on ?

 

[used red MN]

Hello Rick, welcome to YT! What brand of filters did you put on it. Not sure if this applies to your tractor but take a look at this if they were NAPA or WIX. NAPA/WIX fuel filter orings
High revs that can’t be controlled by the throttle are often a sign of pump problems.

 

[cjunrau]

Hi folks. I've just replaced the two main filters on my diesel 135 (the original ones were badly clogged) because the tractor would run for about 5 minutes, then starvation set-in and the revs went up for a minute before dying. Re-priming gets it going again, but the same thing happens. I'm confident that the new filters and sealing rings are correctly fitted and there's a reasonable squirt of fuel out of the fuel pump each time, so am I just left with draining-down the tank (it's full !) and changing the tap filter or is it possible there's something else going-on ?

Not sure if this helps but my cockshutt ran 5 minutes and would die. it was the return line plugged.

 

[Blackhole49]

If the "tap filter" is clogged, blowing air back through it should provide temporary relief.

 

[Dieseltech]

There's a constant air bleed orifice on the filter base top that bleeds any trapped air into the return line across the injector top, might be a straight fitting or a banjo bolt. MAKE SURE it's not plugged, as injection pump will shut down every time an air bubble goes to the pump inlet whenever that fitting is plugged. Most MF/Perkins three, four, and six cylinder fuel systems have the bleed orifice.

 

[Rick Beament]

Hi. I'm using Perkins filters (bear in mind I'm in the UK) - these are a good brand. They have the slots around the outside rather than holes in the top and I've been very careful to fit the larger rubber seal at the top so as not to block the oil flow. I'm reasonably confident that the filters are OK and correctly fitted (though maybe not bled properly. I was wondering roughly how much effort is needed hand-priming the fuel pump to fill these filters normally .... reason is that I actually gave up doing this because it was taking so long ad I primed the filters by using a syringe and filling them through input ports. If you'd normally expect this to take even a few dozen pumps of the fuel pump to get a reasonable amount of fuel in, maybe that's my problem .... the fuel pump. The tractor originally just stopped whilst I was using it - no warning or anything and whilst the filters were absolutely disgusting and desperately in need of replacement, I wonder if I'm chasing the wrong problem .... ideas, folks ?????

 

[Danny Prosser]

Not sure if it's the same or not but i've got a 230 diesel and where the diesel fuel line goes into the end of the injector pump it's got what they call a thimble filter in there. That was my problem it would crank and run for a bit then die. Worth a try.

 

[Rick Beament]

There's a constant air bleed orifice on the filter base top that bleeds any trapped air into the return line across the injector top, might be a straight fitting or a banjo bolt. MAKE SURE it's not plugged, as injection pump will shut down every time an air bubble goes to the pump inlet whenever that fitting is plugged. Most MF/Perkins three, four, and six cylinder fuel systems have the bleed orifice.

Thanks for this ... I did have a small leak in the banjo on the primary filter after I'd used the port as a place to fill the filter ..... is it possible, therefore, that this might be responsible foe air getting in to the system .... bearing in mind that, once running, there will be a small 'outward' pressure on the port from the fuel pump.

 

[miangus]

It's always the Perkins and the CAV system. Every time I run my MF 65 out of fuel it's an adventure. On my JDs I just remove the filter vent and crank until fuel blows out the vent, replace vent plug and away I go. My dad ran one or both of the MF 65s we had out of fuel at least once a year. I spent a fortune getting the gauge fixed on my 65 and still run it out of fuel, it still read 1/8 of a tank when empty. Of course, it was raining and it quit in a muddy cattle lot. In your case I would start at the tank, make sure the petcock is open, remove and reinstall both filters inspecting the gaskets, take the vent plug out of the first stage filter and crank engine inspecting fuel flow, do the same for the second stage, open the first bleeder at the pump and crank it over, repeat for bleeder number 2. I would then remove the return at the filter and start the engine. Once you get enough diesel sprayed around a Perkins they usually start and run perfectly. Oh, and you need to get some of that fuel on your pants. The Ford Majors we had would gravity bleed.

 

[Rick Beament]

Haha ... I've already got diesel all over the legs of my jeans !!!!!! Thanks everyone for their help .... hopefully fine weather at the weekend so I'm going to install a new fuel pump and go right through the system again ... wish me luck !