My D4H Caterpillar runs great for about 30 minutes and then it begins to act like it is running out of fuel. The last time I tried to use it I let it run for one hour then started my work. 30 minutes later I had to shut it down because it was missing and would only run at 50% power or less. If the throttle was increased, it made no difference. No change in the engine sound. I have loosened the fuel linkage at the ?fuel distribution block? Before it goes to the cylinders and fuel is present, no air (my D4H does not have a hand pump to purge air and pressurize the fuel line). I have looked for a fuel filter but have not found one. I am looking for a filter about the size of a soup can, that is what is on my IH tractor. Does anyone have some clue as to what is happening to my baby? Can there be water in the lines? Seems like that should keep it from running altogether. Thanks. These are all the numbers that I have found. Caterpillar D4H Dozer 1986? Ser num. 8pb01884 45v66228 --------2431 Holt tag on back W/O. 0115330 S/N. 1CE0236p Caterpillar tag near seat D4H 3204DI*8PB01884 45V66228 1CE02431
Have you drained the bottom of the tank lately? Sometimes you'll have a petcock on the bottom of the fuel tank to drain off the water and dirt, if that's plugged up with dirt, then you have a good clue to what's going on. Finding the fuel filter shouldn't be that hard, start at the tank and follow the line. Or start at the injection pump (might look like a fuel distribution block) and work back toward the tank. If the line goes directly to the tank, then it's a fuel return, not the line you're looking for. If it's not a familiar canister filter, then be careful taking it apart that you don't lose any pieces or put it back together wrong. How long have you had this d4 and how long has it done this? Same with a full tank or half tank of fuel? Is there any suction on the fuel tank cap when you remove it when it stalls?
Having went through this with a 3204 in 931B I believe your problem is a plugged strainer at the lift pump. It will cause the machine to only idle and eventually quit. There is a long hex fitting on the lift pump where the fuel line connects. Take this hex fitting off and there is a screen on the end that goes in the lift pump. The screen is removable using a hex key inside the hex fitting. I didn't quite understand what people were telling with mine and was really stumped until I finally realized where the screen was and how it comes out. I could run for about 30 minutes then only idle and then would quit altogether. I let it idle/sit for a few minutes and then could use it a bit more but the time would get less and less. It took me about an hour to move it an 1/8 of mile. I had to move it as the ground was soft and I didn't want it sink sitting overnight. It looked like shredded wood in the strainer.
Thanks for all the info... I will look for a drain on my tank (I have never done that) and check the strainer on the lift pump. I will make an effort to find the fuel filter, I confess I haven't traced the lines yet. I'll report back.
Check the strainer at the lift pump first. It gave me fits and did exactly what you are describing.
Agreed. That's one of the most likely things to let it run that long and then plug, then let it run again. Please find the fuel filter too, and the tank drain.
Filter is number 17 in this picture. You should be able to follow lines from pump.
That looks like the filter is on the left side of the engine, the opposite side of the lift pump.
I took apart all the connections to my lift pump but I did not find a "screen" filter. I did drain some fuel from the tank and it did have some black garbage come out as well as some possible water. I started it up and it sounded real good, but that only lasted about ten minutes. So I'm back where I started. I drained some more fuel, but it looked good this time.
Sorry, I can't post a pic. but there should be screen on the fuel line at the lift pump. My 931B is a 1986 as well. On mine it is a long hex fitting with a screen in it. The screen sticks out the one end but is removable to clean.
Here is my lift pump, back together. I think I'm missing the screen. Must have come on the D4H-L, the luxury model. I'm going to change the fuel filter next, since I had that mess come out of the tank.
I think I've found my problem, thanks to you all. The fuel filter was about half full of water and garbage. I bought a NAPA Gold 3522 with a drain on the bottom. Hope I remember it's there. Next time, this will turn out differently.
Maybe it's in the elbow? On another forum was where someone with a D4H was explaining to me where the screen was and that it's not uncommon to become clogged. Where is the hard line to the injection pump coming from?
You'll know soon enough if you have it fixed. Now drain a cup from the filter and the tank every time you use it, until it comes completely clean for many times in a row, then drain them every time you fill the tank. I like to drain the filter when it's been run so it's warm and loosened up, and starts and runs easily, then rev it so it doesn't die as it's refilling the filter.
If the fuel stays Black drain the fuel use it on brush piles, use a few fresh gallons to flush the tank out then put in clean new fuel WITH a algaecide in it. Black goopy crap is fuel born algae bloom and damned hard to get control of, fouls filters regularly and just nasty to get rid of.
Hope this topic is not to old for me to post. Forgive me MODS, its my first post. I had / have the same problem as the OP. I have a D4H series 2, it doesn't get used much at all. I finally found the pre screen from the tank to pump. It was under the injector pump about 12 - 15" hidden by I don't know what. All I can say is take off the panels and look around. Follow the lines. I had an inch and a half of what looks to be diesel algae in the screen bowl, and the gravity line was just trickling fuel. So I cleand the screen, and bowl. And Slightly blew air back through the line to the tank. Then drained the line into a container, some chuncks of algae came out. gravity fuel flow seems good now. I also loosened that pre screen bowl until fuel came out so not to allow air into the system.
I'm sure Ill have on going problems with this and many other issues. At least I know where that darn fuel pre screen is on a D4H, and hopefully this thread helps out more people. I guess now I should go introduce myself to this wonderful community. Thanks all.
Just a possibilty...could have algae in the fuel line....i though the guy was joking until he showed me the algae treatment....
A bit late...saw where Dmiller already mentioned this...
If the machine is used infrequently, this problem will continue to haunt you. My solution has been to use fuel conditioner and fit an additional filter and trap in an easily accessible location that I can see whilst operating. Takes seconds to open the drain and drop out any crap that's found it's way into the system.
There used to be readily available heavy truck fuel separators we used for water control years and years ago from RACOR, do not know if even still available where they had a large sediment bowl and drain system,, that may be a good choice to locate for these conditions.
Hello crew! My name is Gabe from Lake Havasu City, AZ. I own a 1988 CAT D4C LGP. I've had it for about a year and a half-ish. Always starts right up and runs pretty good. I use it 5-6 times per month. Last week I went to start it up and got a crank with no start. I had just fueled it so I know it had go juice. I pulled the fuel lines to see if it was pumping but just got a few dribble drops. I checked the fuel filter to find it was only about 3/4 full with no water or debris. I found a small pre-filter about 3 foot off the tank under the left "foot pad" (for lack of a better word) that was kinda hidden. That filter was dang near clogged solid with a redish black, muddy looking fine dirt or something. Any ways the dozer ran fine after changing that little pre-filter for a couple of days then acted like it was missing after running for about 1.5 hrs, with 75% loss of power for about a minute, then just quit, like it ran out of gas. It was dark, so I couldn't do much with what I had with me. Would that filter clog up again that fast?? I'm going to check it tomorrow and let you all know what I find, but that seems odd to me that it would clog that quickly.
Check the small screen in the long hex fitting going into the lift pump. It comes out with an allen key.
OLD THREAD WARNING: "little pre filter" sure could plug up that fast, especially if you bought one from wally world that was made for gas lawnmowers. It doesn't sound like CAT put that prefilter there, and it would be a fine metal mesh if it's for diesel, not paper.
It's likely that "filter" you changed isn't a filter at all, but a washable metallic screen......... If you replaced it with a filter then it is possible that the diesel has got at it and collapsed it - or that the tank is so full of material that it has plugged again. Post a Serial Number and let's look at the parts for your particular machine. Somewhere on your fuel tank should be a valve or drain plug for removing accumulated water & sediment from the tank. try the left rear corner of the machine and look up underneath the fender. You might be well served to find that first and see what you get out of it. Again a S/N would help to identify the arrangement of your fuel system.
The filter was clogged again (NAPA filter). I drained what was left in the tank (some ugly particles came out). rinsed with a little clean fuel, new filter, primed and fired up! Running good again. Thanks for the input, much appreciated!
Would you like to post a photo of the filter and where on the tractor it is located.? If you ask me you should be draining a little from the tank on a regular basis. Park the tractor inclined slightly towards the side with the drain in it (LH side IIRC) and do it in the morning after the tractor has been parked overnight. Whatever cr@p you get from that drain is not going to get sucked up into the filters.
I'll keep that in mind, thanks. I will work on getting that picture posted this week with S/N.
Can I resurrect this thread? Does anyone have a diagram for where the small fuel inlet screen at the pump is located? Have rust in the tank I believe the filter screen is partially plugged. Same symptoms as OP. Thx, Greg D4H Series III 9GJ00398
Well if i can be of any help, that is not a dificult matter to attend. In the bottom of the tank should be a tap, from there a hard line goes to the strainer/water separator installed on the right side of the machine, bolted to engine as low as the oil sump. (if your arrangement has one). Fuel goes from that strainer to the lift pump at injection pump, hard line, from lift pump to main fuel filter assembly , all hard lines. From Main filter assembly goes to IP main gallery, if original all steel piping. U got to start cleaning from tank on, but usually if contamination either rust or other is not too severe, washing the strainer a couple of times and swaping the main filter might get u there. Wile at it, remember that fuel should flow very well through piping, with very small restrictions... i´ve found debris inside hard lines at the corners .... good luck.
I'm not positive but I think a D4H is similar to my 931B. The inlet to the lift pump has a long hex fitting the fuel line connects to. Inside that hex fitting is a small screen that will plug with debris. You would never think there's a screen inside the hex fitting by looking at it. If you remove the hex fitting the screen inside can be removed with an allan key/hex wrench. Drove me crazy until I finally realized where the screen was.
I have a D4H LGP Series III 9GJ model and I've had every fitting between my tank and injection pump apart for cleaning and looking for a screen. On my dozer there is no screen inside of any fitting. Not sure if it was removed on my dozer or if our models do not have one. I don't think the diagrams show one. I've had problems with fuel starvation caused by junk in the fuel tank (sticks, dirt and parts of a plastic fuel can spout) clogging up the outlet fitting on the bottom of the tank. That stuff didn't get in there from me, that's for sure. I went as far as to pump out all of the fuel, remove all of the tank fittings, pressure wash the inside of the tank then dry it out and start out with a fresh clean tank as well as cleaned out lines. I ran into another fuel issue recently where the fuel supply hardline coming out of the fuel filter base/housing going to the lift pump got a hairline crack in it. The crack was inside of the area where it was covered by the nut where the flare was located. This caused a loss of priming to the pump and fuel starvation. I thought my pump was bad, but fortunately I located the cracked line and leak before I rebuilt the pump or worse yet bought a new one as they are not cheap. The cracked hardline made the dozer act much like the clogged fuel line, and the only thing I noticed originally was a little dampness on the hard line which I thought initially was just a loose fitting or some spilled fuel from a filter change. Just a couple of things to look for. T Good luck. T
Someone with a D4H on another forum is who explained where the screen was. You would never expect there is a screen in the hex fitting. It's possible the screen was removed on TCats machine but that doesn't mean it's removed on gduston's machine.
The parts diagrams do not show one for a 9GJ-prefix machine, therefore it is safe to assume there was never one there in the first place. As mentioned above you have to start from the tank and work in the direction of the engine opening up and cleaning everything including the steel fuel lines, because poor past maintenance practices could have resulted in debris accumulating in almost every nook & cranny. For a start when was the last time water/sediment was drained from the fuel tank.?
Thing is , in a D4H the fuel tank is above the IP intake line(i mean Buttock Line)... as in most TRI machines , so opening IP intake in a good fuel system u´ll should have a nice stream of fuel coming out. (sometimes mickey mouse valves at lift pump don´t allow it) in esssence that´s how it should be. If in dought pass a welding wire with a cloth trough it , in the hard lines. the rubber hoses are what they are...replace at will , metal lines tend to crack , but usually is obvious, any hydraulic hose shop can make new ones , CAT´s are easy as they use JIG fittings if i´m not mistaken. Old machinery is always same problem with fuel tanks is better to start by a through cleaning before u go search other gooses. There are also MICRO strainers in some inlets, IP certainly has one.... but those are the last shot... good luck
@Welder Dave : Do you know what other forum the D4H owner mentioned the pump screen? I have Googled it to death and have not found anything on the D4H screen. Would love to find it. @TCat @Nige : Agreed, the diagrams for the 9GJ do not show it either. But then the diagrams have not always been 100% accurate with everything on this thing. So that said, although I have a new fuel filter on it (<16 hours) I will start by draining the tank and cleaning. Any pointers/suggestions for solvents or methods? Maintenance was not top priority with the previous owner so I have my work cut out for me getting the tank cleaned out. Right now I get just a dribble out of the drain line at the tank but only after I blew air into the line to free the clog. It will be interesting to remove the drain plug and see what comes out. As suggested by @SimpleFarmer , I just ordered a new 9522 fuel filter that has a sed/water drain so at least I can also purge water at the filter in the future. Thanks for the help guys!
IMHO you started at the wrong end. There are no short cuts here. You have to start at the tank and work in a very logical order from there through the fuel lines to the filter then as far as the injector pump inlet. As most have said above, it's not rocket science but lack of maintenance can have caused debris to settle in all sorts of weird places. Don't assume anything is clean unless you have cleaned it yourself. And make sure that you clean every fitting, elbow, pipe nipple, etc, etc right the way throughout the system. Draining from the tap at the bottom of the fuel tank (provided the drain actually works) serves exactly the same purpose. "By the book" water/sediment should be drained from the tank daily. I would suggest to do it every time you fill it with fuel, but let it sit overnight first. Also keeping the tank full reduces the air space above the fuel and so the tendency to accumulate water from condensation.
There is info on the screen if you look in the archives on this forum. Look under D3B or 931B runs and quits. The hex fitting is about an inch long and is right at the lift pump and the steel fuel line connects to it. I seem to recall others had trouble finding it. The hex fitting uses a 5/8" or larger wrench if I recall.
@Nige Thx for the info and colored diagrams. Those are much easier to read than my eBay parts manual version. The new fuel filter was put on before this trouble started as part of the overall refresh of filters and fluids I did to get the machine running. The starving for fuel is a brand new symptom. I don't expect the 9522 filter to fix this but will be another place to drain water/sed on a daily basis in the future. Any suggestions for methods of cleaning the tank?
I don't know if I did it correctly or not, but what I did was remove all the fittings from the bottom of the tank (the fuel outlet, the drain plug which is a 3/4" Allen if I recall correctly, the drain valve, and the return coming back from the injectors. I then used my pressure washer to pressure wash the inside of the tank and break up as much gunk and dirt as possible. I sprayed a little degreaser in there and then rinsed the tank using just hose pressure from a garden hose, that way I wasn't blowing any dirt back up on the top of the tank from the high pressure. After that I ran a leaf blower on full throttle through the fill spout for about a half hour or so on a hot day to help to blow out as much residual water as possible. With all the bottom tank fittings still out. The last thing I did was add a water additive to my first tank of fuel when I filled the tank back up to disperse any little bits of water left behind. Again not saying my method was the only way, but it seemed to work well. There is a baffle in the tank that you have to try to work around with the sprayer, FYI. When your supply line is clean it will flow a surprising amount of fuel just from gravity, coming out of the tank.
@TCat ...thanks! Good suggestions. Tracking down the large allen wrench today.
I bought this set from Amazon pretty decent for a $39 dollar set and depending on your location one day delivery. I didn’t have anything over 1/2” before.