I have a cat 259b with 750 hrs. This past summer every couple of weeks it starts plowing white smoke then runs fat and eventually choakes itself out. I have drained tank, checked injectors replaced fuel filter multiply times any thoughts. By the way every time I take to the mechanic it runs fine.
When it white smokes can you detect a smell of fuel in the smoke..? Also it is using any coolant at all..?
It smells like fuel and coolant is fine.
But the exhaust only smells of fuel when the engine is white-smoking, correct..? The rest of the time it doesn't..? When I asked about coolant I was meaning are you having to add coolant to the radiator on a regular basis..? You stayted that the problem occurs every couple of weeks approximately. Can you think of anything that would be common to what you were doing with the machine when it happened..? Type of work maybe, how hard you were working it, even what the weather was like on the day..? I'm not sure if the turbo on that model is wastegated. If it is the wastegate could be sticking open which will result in the engine losing boost - result white smoke that smells of fuel because of incomplete combustion. When the engine gives the problem does it sound like it has a misfire (one or more cylinders not firing at all) or does it sound more like a gas engine where you've pulled the choke..? In other words it's hitting on all 4 but doing nothing..? In that case it could be a a bad injector. You said in your OP you checked the injectors, how did you do that..?
You correct with the smell. I have not had to add any coolant. Just working the machine normally digging out 5-7" of top soil or moving sand or fill around. The weather condions have been from normal summers in N.W. Indiana to the winter condions we are have now temps toward upper 40's. It sounds like the engine has a misfire. We pulled all of the injector and took them to a diseal shop were the clean and test injectors. I have been using a wicks filter for the fuel. So yesterday I went back to a cat filter, It ran horriable for 5-1o min. blowing white smoke running supper fat. So I kept priming the fuel pump and notice as it sounded like air (sucking in or blowing out) at the pump above the filter. So I loosed up the fuel pump and heard air escaping or being sucked in. Then the machine started to run fine. Ran it for about 1 hour moving a tri-axel load of stone. Just stumped going to run it a little bit today doing nothing hard moving a couple of yards of stone (don't even have to get the tracks dirty so it will be on flat surface). How would you even test the turbo. I have been told that before but machine only has 700 hrs. Thanks you so much for your help. Would like to get this fixed since my season is almost over tired of the crap shoot when I use the machine.
Would you like to take a photo of the turbo and post it here so that we can identify whether or not it has a wastegate...? At least that will identify whether there is a potential problem with the turbo.
I have a 259b3. 700 hours. Almost the same problem. Except when it gets cold than the problem worsens. Changed fuel filters numerous times. When the engine gets hot, seems like it loses power and gets kind of sluggish. It doesn't over heat or anything though. Any leads would be very helpful.
Disassemble the filter head COMPLETELY on the first filter from the fuel tank. Ensure all passages and cavities are clean. This applies to both problems above.