Hop in, turn the key, it starts, and idles fine. Run it for awhile, and it dies. Crank crank crank.........No start. Get out, open hatch, unscrew fuel/water separator, tighten back up, starts and runs. Goes for awhile then dies again. Thought it was a plugged vent hole in the gas cap, so cleaned, and it ran better for awhile. Thought I had problem solved, but it just did it again. Ran with gas cap off, same thing. Any ideas?
Have you checked screen under top of lift pump. You can remove it without taking lift pump off. Blow out screen and re-install. Make sure you don’t lose O-ring under metal top and install the screen just like it came out or it will leak. It has an indention that helps line it up, pretty Straight forward once you see it.
Remove center screw to access screen referenced above.
The lift pump is not like the one pictured above. Mine has 5 screws (slotted for flat-head screwdriver) to remove the top, and there is no screen inside. The only thing inside is the diaphragm.
Since it's not as above, can you post the serial number?
*5FZ04574* It looks like this............... https://www.amazon.com/Holdwell-As-fuel-Transfer-153-0488-Caterpillar/dp/B013HH138K
Now that u found it.. buy it.. {its cheap enough} If u pull up on a corner of the diaphragm, u might see the valves & see if theres anything stuck in the valves keeping it from working properly..
But would that solve the problem? Correct me if I am wrong, but if the lift pump was going bad, unscrewing the fuel/water separator, then screwing it back on would not have any impact on the lift pump?
#1) does water separator have glass bowl on bottom, or just drain plug? #2) when were filters last changed? #3) whose filters, and what numbers are on them? #4) awaiting answers for above.
1) Just the drain plug. 2) One month ago. 3) Fuel/Water separator is Carquest part #86638 3) Fuel Filter is Carquest part #86546
Tag both fuel lines to water separator head, so as to not mix up where they connect. Remove the separator filter. Remove and cap off both lines. Unthread top cap on filter head, taking care to not lose the square cut oring. Extract plastic "funnel". Unbolt filter head from machine (usually 16mm headed bolts). Holding filter head upside down, inspect inlet port for debris by insert a piece of wire until you can see the tip in the concentric tube (as indicated by arrow below). Any blockage? If so, install a baldwin BF7863 screen element in the supply line from the tank.
PROBLEM SOLVED! Did as heymccall advised and there was no blockage in fuel/water separator. Decided to bypass the separator altogether and ran fuel line from tank directly into lift pump. Ran like a charm. Cat filters from now. Carquest is junk.
As is often the case in this world, you get what you pay for. Glad to hear you got it fixed.
Funny thing is I've never had an issue with any Stanadyne type filter from any source. It's always either debris blocking the inlet, or someone else here omits the O-ring between the optional water bowl and the filter. And I've got a lot of FM100 filters running around out there, many added by me.
UPDATE...............heymccall hit the nail on the head. Started having the same problem with the Cat filter so I removed the entire fuel/water separator housing and gave it a thorough cleaning. It was so dirty I am surprised it ran at all.
How could you have missed that the first time? Did you add an inline strainer, like shown above, to prevent the cavities of the separator housing from plugging again?
How did I miss that the first time? I didn't know how the housing worked so just checked the bottom of it as you suggested. Now I know to remove and clean the entire housing thoroughly when I change filters too.
No, you don't have to remove, clean, disassemble the separator head anymore. Just add an inline strainer and walk away. Then, change filters on interval, just like before. The inline strainer will only need serviced when visibly plugged/ dirty.
heymccall, I am having a very similar problem on my 2006 CAT 242B. Once it warms up later in the week, I will be tearing out my filter head assembly and perform the suggest cleaning. Adding the inline filter sounds like a great idea as well. Thanks for sharing. I'll let you know how this works out for me. Regards, 3CW
I was able to resolve the fuel problem on my 2006 CAT 242B. This skid steer was “new to me” in November 2019 and I have been doing lots of catch up maintenance on it. It has the 3024C engine – Arrangement Number 233-6648 – which is the 2.3 Litre Perkins Shibaura rated at 61 hp at 3000 rpm. I replaced the fuel filter earlier as part of my scheduled maintenance, as I was not sure how recently it had been done. I put 6 hours on the skid steer after the fuel filter change, had just finished 3 hours of plowing snow, was down to about 1/8 of a tank and went to refuel. I got to within about 30 ft of my farm tank and the skid steer died on me. I thought … darn, I ran it out of fuel … even thought the gauge showed an 1/8 of a tank and I had previously run it down purposely without problem to zero on the gauge when running out the summer diesel before winter. So I jerry canned 5 gallons of diesel into the skid steer, primed the fuel system with the prime pump on the top of the fuel filter / water separator housing and it started right up. Crisis averted, I filled the fuel tank completely and went back and did a few more hours of plowing snow. When parking the skid steer, I left it to idle to cool down some. I got out of the cab and the engine stalled out. I have never had that problem before. I restarted the engine without problem and got out of the cab. It started to stall again so I pumped the prime pump and was able to keep the engine running but not smoothly. When I stopped priming, the engine died again. I left it over night, but it would not start in the morning. I still had the old fuel filter, so I cut it open and found what I felt was a considerable amount of solids imbedded in the filter pleating and some additional solids in the filter can. I figure that I have a real dirty fuel tank or the fuel filter had not been changed in a considerable amount of time (see photos below).
So I started my troubleshooting. I drained the fuel bowl of the water separator until it was empty and then pushed the primer pump. With each push of the prime pump, fuel entered the bowl and drained out the open drain of the water separator. I pumped perhaps two cups of fuel and assumed that the fuel line from tank to filter housing was clear. I closed the filter drain valve and disconnect the outlet line from the fuel filter / water separator housing. I again pushed the prime pump and the sediment bowl filled up and at the same time foamy diesel fuel discharged from filter housing outlet. I pumped the primer for 15 minute and recovered perhaps twice the filter assembly volume (about 1 quart) with no change - still very foamy diesel fuel coming from the outlet. I then disconnected the fuel pump discharge line and had my wife crank the engine to check the mechanical fuel pump operation. When cranking, there was a very small amount of fuel discharged but it consisted of only a few drops per stroke, with not much measurable volume. As per “heymccall’s” suggestion earlier in this thread, I completely disassembled the fuel filter / water separator housing and checked for plugging as per his post … it was clean as a whistle. This was just a preventative check as the discharge test of the fuel pump had obviously failed. I then remove the air filter housing / mounting bracket to make room and then pulled the fuel pump. My thoughts at that time was the fuel pump had failed. As per “03spfld’s” suggestion earlier in this thread, I removed the cap on the fuel pump and found the filter basket in the pump to completely plugged with debris … bit of grass, dirt and grime that were completely plugging the filter basket (see photos below). I cleaned up the filter basket and blew it out with air. I also replaced the O-ring on the cap, as the old one was in pretty bad shape. I mechanically cycled the fuel pump a few times before installing and it was spitting out fuel, so it appeared operational.
I reassembled the fuel pump and also installed a clear in-line filter in between the fuel tank and the fuel pump, as per “heymccall’s” suggestion earlier in this thread. This is a relatively small filter, but it was what I had sitting on the shelf. If I have to replace it, I will do so with a larger one. This clear in-line filter will be an easy place to check to see if additional debris is accumulating. I also plan to pull the drain plug on the fuel tank when the fuel level gets low again and see if I any debris comes off the bottom of the tank. And perhaps flush it with a few gallons of diesel to perhaps wash out more debris.
We crank tested the fuel pump after installation and instead of just putting out a few drops, it was splitting out fuel but a pretty low rate … my “guestimate” might be ½ teaspoon per cycle. At this point I was thinking that the fuel pump perhaps still needed replacing. After assembling everything, I disconnected the fuel line to the fuel injection pump and fully primed the system. When priming, I received clear diesel fuel back with each stroke with no foaming. I thought that I might have had a leaking primer pump with the previously foamed diesel, but the foaming was likely due to the plugged fuel pump filter basket. The skid steer fired right up after this repair. I checked for leaks (none) and went and plowed snow for a few hours. I have to say that I thought my CAT 242B was running fine before, but it is running smoother and has more power after this repair. I guess that the fuel pump is working fine at the operating engine speed vs. the low output that I saw at the cranking RPM. Thanks to the Heavy Equipment Forum members for their previous posts … there was some great information contained in this thread which helped me trouble-shoot this problem. I hope that this long-winded post is helpful to others in their trouble shooting. Regards, 3CW
When you finally remove the tank and clean it have your shovel ready. You'll need it.
Carquest filters are junk? Really? Are you aware that these filters along with Napa are made by Wix?
I wouldn't put Wix/NAPA filters anywhere near the top of the "filter food chain" as regards quality either........... YMMV I made the same point earlier on another thread about Donaldson filters. Just because Donaldson manufacture for a number of OEMs (jncluding Cat) does not mean that their "will fit" element is the same internally as the OEM element manufactured to an OEM design by them. It's easy to prove that, just cut the two respective filters open and look inside. Same thought process applies to Carquest filters being manufactured by Wix.
When I lived in upstate NY I had a winter job of plowing snow using a 6 cylinder air cooled Trojan dozer for three years..This machine and many others including Cat, John Deere,Case, and along with diesel dump trucks were all serviced with Wix oil and fuel filters. We never had a fuel related issue because of a bad filter.
I imagine this was some considerable time ago by the sounds of it. Fuel systems and as a result fuel filtration requirements have moved on since then, I make no comment whether that is for better or for worse. I think what worked then is not necessarily what would be required to provide better than 2-micron levels of protection to one of today's fuel systems.
Nige,twas the winters of 2001,2002,2003 in Rome NY. Yes things may have changed however I still use Wix products in all my gasoline vehicles.
The tank is built into the frame, so shoveling is not an option. I will keep an eye on the clear inline fuel filter for any debris ... and have an extra filter ready if needed. The inline filter is staying clean so far with only perhaps 5 hours on the skid steer since the filter was added. I suspect that the glob of debris that I pulled out of the fuel pump filter basket was accumulated over a long time period ... but who knows for sure. The joys of "catch up" maintenance when buying a used machine.
That inline filter ain't designed for diesel fuel. Expect it to create a restriction, even when it isn't dirty. The one I use is a screen, not a cellulose insert.
Thanks for your help ... that's a good suggestion ... I will look for a transparent screen filter as it will certainly have more capacity for filtering debris.
On a previous thread HMC posted a photo and details of the inline that he installs on all his SSL machines. see here - HeavyEquipmentForums
Thanks Nige. I have been able to locate that Baldwin BF7863 filter locally ... if I ever get into town during this pandemic, I will pick some up for my 242B, for other equipment and put a few spares on the shelf.