Ford 4000 Diesel

[SyOh]

So ive just purchased a ford 4000, guy claims it is a 1970 but brother in law thinks its a little older.

Anyways, Im trying to figure out the RPM miss it has. It will idle great, still has plenty of power throughout the rpm range but coming off an idle starting at a certain RPM it has a noticeable misfire.

We cracked all the injector lines as it was running with the miss and seemed like number 1 injector was weak, i went ahead a bought a new one to slap in and see what would happen but the results are the same.

If i cracked open the line with the new injector the miss is worse and same thing when cracking the other injector lines. Not really sure where to start looking from here. This is my first diesel tractor that ive attempted to work with.

I changed out the fuel filters as well which resulted in me having to order a new double filter head as the bleeder decided it wanted to bring from threads with it on the way out lol.

We did try to clock the injection pump to see if maybe the timing was off but it did not change anything that we could tell besides it reving up a little more at a certain spot.

Blowby is very minimal when watching with the oil fil cap off the valve cover. i'm thinking possibly sucking air from somewhere anda t higher RPM its getting more fuel but more air also?

Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.

 

[Check Break]

Lots of possibilities. You'll get better suggestions than these. Sucking air. Short on fuel. If it's doesn't have any visible leaks, I'd start with short on fuel. Is the return line to the top of fuel tank open and clear. Is the screen on the shut off valve in the fuel tank clear. Are the fuel lines to and from the filter body open. You replaced the filters. Is the filter screen in the priming pump clear. Does it shoot fuel 4-6 feet out the side of the bleed screw on the injection pump when the screw is removed. I'd start by looking at some of these potential problems until you get a professional opinion from someone like Dieseltech.

 

[sotxbill]

Since you changed injectors... I would... first check valve lash for correct settings, cause its easiest.... If no fix, then check compression... If compression is good or same as other cyls,,, it would point back to injection pump problem. However I have seen a lot of them with a lower cyl that still make good tractors for normal chores around the farm. Do you burn oil? Do you have excessive blow by? Does it smoke really bad? Exhaust burn your eyes? If NO, work more and worry less.

 

[SyOh]

I half thought maybe short on fuel. The fuel shutoff is actually broke and that wont be in until maybe wed/thur. When i changed the filters it seemed like there was a steady flow of diesel coming from the tank
but it wasnt gushing out. when i took the bleeder out to let air out it seemed like it took forever for fuel to finally start coming out and somewhat longer to finally notice the bubbles to stop.

I have not checked the bleed screw on the injection pump, i assume thats the little one on the side closest to the starter correct?

It seems to start much easier with the 1 new injector and new fuel filters though. I'm not able to currently see what RPM the miss starts as the cluster isnt working, thinking either the cable or the gear as
it will read Zero and goto 2 on the tach when started.

 

[SyOh]

As far as i can tell it doesnt seem to be burning any oil. I dont smell any oil, It does smoke some, usually black but a little bit a white but smells like diesel to me. Its not enough to make youre eyes burn though.

I took the oil fill cap off and watched it as i started and shut it off and it had some smoke but nothing that would be very concerning to me.

 

[Check Break]

[i:052c72a33c]The fuel shutoff is actually broke[/i:052c72a33c] Not sure what this means. The lever on top is broken or does the damage extend into the pump. Your fuel stop may be partially engaged under the top cover restricting fuel flow.

[i:052c72a33c]there was a steady flow of diesel coming from the tank
but it wasnt gushing out[/i:052c72a33c] The fuel doesn't really gush out but does flow at a greater rate the more full your fuel tank.

[i:052c72a33c]it took forever for fuel to finally start coming out and somewhat longer to finally notice the bubbles to stop.[/i:052c72a33c] If forever is two minutes, ok, but if five minutes, you have a problem. What brand of filters did you install. Did they come loaded in the new housing.

[i:052c72a33c]I have not checked the bleed screw on the injection pump, i assume that's the little one on the side closest to the starter correct?[/i:052c72a33c] The injection pump bleed screw is on the side of the injection pump. It has a 5/16 head. Remove this screw and crank the engine. Does fuel shoot out 4-6'. If not, you have a problem. If it does, replace the screw and crack two of your injector lines at the injector. Crank, wait for fuel flow at the injector, and tighten fuel line thereafter. She should start stumbling and then running as you tighten the second injector line.

 

[Eman85]

Start with basics like compression. As someone else said pull the valve cover and check valve lash, probably hasn't been checked in 40 years.

 

[SyOh]

Bottom of the tank fuel shut off is broken to where you cant shut it off it is always on but how far its on i do not know.

Probably didnt take 5 minutes but seemed like it took a while to me.

I just ordered some fuel filters off ebay so i had to replace the gakets and o rings on the filter head BUT i ordered a new double filter head to replace this one as the bleeder on top decided to take out some
threads on the way out and will no longer tighten down.

I will check the pump when i get some time.

 

[hawghill]

Does it skip under load or just high rpm no-load?

 

[Texasmark]

+1. It wouldn't hurt to remove the fuel from your tank and remove the drain valve assembly. The screen may be clogged with rust,
scale, or algae. There is only one moving part in your assembly and that is the petcock shaft. There are no gaskets in that port or
the output port. I just went through my fuel system on my 3000 so I have first hand experience on the system. When you return the
fuel to the tank, get a paper paint filter and put it in a funnel and pour the fuel through that.

 

[Check Break]

(quoted from post at 07:54:53 08/07/22) +1. It wouldn't hurt to remove the fuel from your tank and remove the drain valve assembly. The screen may be clogged with rust, scale, or algae.

I'm dealing with this now. Replaced the valve on my 4000 3cyl with one ready to go on the shelf. New screen 3-4 months ago. It's already plugged with algae and the valve has build up. I resealed the pump not long ago but the problem starts in the tank which I just replaced. Cleaned the valve and fuel lines. New fuel filters. She'll be running this afternoon. Algae (microbes) also took out my '07 Kubota 9540. Damaged the priming pump (filter housing) and water separator/fuel shut off/fuel screen. Gave it a good dose of biocide and I'm not getting the build up in the pre-filter screen any longer. Hate to look in the tank for fear of what I'm going to find. Something for a later date. This ULSD is worse than I expected and I should have been using a biocide ten years ago. All I can do now is repair the damage, treat the fuel and try to avoid future problems.

 

[Jim.ME]

(quoted from post at 16:58:46 08/07/22)

(quoted from post at 07:54:53 08/07/22) +1. It wouldn't hurt to remove the fuel from your tank and remove the drain valve assembly. The screen may be clogged with rust, scale, or algae.

I'm dealing with this now. Replaced the valve on my 4000 3cyl with one ready to go on the shelf. New screen 3-4 months ago. It's already plugged with algae and the valve has build up. I resealed the pump not long ago but the problem starts in the tank which I just replaced. Cleaned the valve and fuel lines. New fuel filters. She'll be running this afternoon. Algae (microbes) also took out my '07 Kubota 9540. Damaged the priming pump (filter housing) and water separator/fuel shut off/fuel screen. Gave it a good dose of biocide and I'm not getting the build up in the pre-filter screen any longer. Hate to look in the tank for fear of what I'm going to find. Something for a later date. This ULSD is worse than I expected and I should have been using a biocide ten years ago. All I can do now is repair the damage, treat the fuel and try to avoid future problems.

Sounds like you have a water problem, either in the fuel you are getting, carry cans, or in your tanks. Although commonly referred to as algae, the substance growing in your fuel tank is bacteria and fungus. Algae is a plant and needs light to grow, no light in most fuel tanks. The bacteria lives in the interface between the diesel and water, feeding on the diesel hydrocarbons and leaving the black waste behind. Best to drain the tank the best you can and clean it. Add the dose of biocide needed for a full tank (plus) and then fill the tank so the fuel and biocide mix well to kill any bacteria left on the tank walls. Once the tank is clean and disinfected you shouldn't need to run biocide all the time, if your fuel is clean and water is kept out. You can have the problem in a storage tank and carry bacteria back into the tractor tank every time you add fuel to the tractor. If that is the case the storage tank needs to be treated the same way. JMHO

 

[Check Break]

I believe the water is coming from condensation. For years I've been been wondering if I'd have a problem. Always filled the 9540 with fresh fuel from the local truck stop but never filled the tank full. I don't put many hours on her and wanted to be operating primarily on new fuel. I know that doesn't mean the truck stop's fuel was clean and probably wasn't, given what I know about them. I'll get around to inspecting and dropping the tank if need be. From now on I'll be wintering on a full tank to reduce condensate and running a shock dose of biocide until things get back to normal.

 

[Jim.ME]

If you are in an area with big temperature swings in the winter, a good amount of water can gather through condensation, especially if a fuel tank level is low. A full tank reduces the area for condensation to form. I fill the ones that get parked for the winter, as they are put away, leaving a minimal expansion space based on the temperature at the time.

This post was edited by Jim.ME on 08/07/2022 at 04:22 pm.

 

[Check Break]

Yes. Sometimes wild temp swings. I'll be storing it full of fuel this winter.

 

[Destroked 450]

(quoted from post at 14:23:49 08/06/22) Bottom of the tank fuel shut off is broken to where you cant shut it off it is always on but how far its on i do not know.

Probably didnt take 5 minutes but seemed like it took a while to me.

I just ordered some fuel filters off ebay so i had to replace the gakets and o rings on the filter head BUT i ordered a new double filter head to replace this one as the bleeder on top decided to take out some
threads on the way out and will no longer tighten down.

I will check the pump when i get some time.

Your 4000 should have a single filter base unless it's a early model
Compare the arrows on the fuel inlets to make sure they are the same was what you have
There's a couple of different bases with different fuel flows

 

[SyOh]

we believe its a 65 or 66. It has the duel filter head. My brother in law who has been around most fords his life is telling me that its just how the 3 cylinders sound to him. To me it sounds like a miss but
it doesnt seem to have any loss of power and when i crack each injector line one by one there is a noticeable change in running sound.

It fires right up no issue after putting a good battery and the number 1 injector in. We are still waiting for the grass to pick up for second cutting before i can truly run it for a while to see what it does.

I did the fuel filters and ended up having to change out the whole double filter head as the bleeder decided to bring threads with it when i took it out to try and bleed the air out.

Also ordered a new fuel shut off but apparently it was not the correct one so that will be going back and i'll be ordering a new one from here along with some other stuff i want.

 

[SyOh]

high rpm it seems, havent really put it under a load really except for putting it in road gear and taking off but doesn't bog ou or anything. It'll just take right off no issue. I would do a video but its hard
to tell in videos exactly what you are hearing.

 

[hawghill]

I chased a high RPM, no load skip in a 4500 years ago. New injectors, pump rebuilt, played with timing, nothing made it better. Mentioned it to an old mechanic at the Ford dealer. He told me to dump a qt. of hyd fluid in the fuel tank each fill up. He said the low sulfur fuel had worn particular components in the pump that were not changed during the rebuild and hyd fluid would replace the sulfur for lubrication. I tried it and skip cleared up within an hour. Ran that tractor for several years before selling. Any time I started to notice skip, I'd add a little fluid. I've used it on other 3 cvl/cav pump tractors since. "High rpm, no load skip" was the mechanic's term; but, it described the problem exactly.

 

[Benjaminearl]

(quoted from post at 21:34:33 08/16/22) I chased a high RPM, no load skip in a 4500 years ago. New injectors, pump rebuilt, played with timing, nothing made it better. Mentioned it to an old mechanic at the Ford dealer. He told me to dump a qt. of hyd fluid in the fuel tank each fill up. He said the low sulfur fuel had worn particular components in the pump that were not changed during the rebuild and hyd fluid would replace the sulfur for lubrication. I tried it and skip cleared up within an hour. Ran that tractor for several years before selling. Any time I started to notice skip, I'd add a little fluid. I've used it on other 3 cvl/cav pump tractors since. "High rpm, no load skip" was the mechanic's term; but, it described the problem exactly.

I literally am dealing with a high rpm no load skip/miss. Just tested injectors brand new fuel system really think it's a timing advance issue but in the pump timing not the pump clock timing. Hydraulic fluid doesn't hurt engine?

 

[hawghill]

No, not in small amounts. Most of my tractors are late 50's to late 70's, I use it in all of them.