I have a Lull with a JD turbo 4 cylinder 1990-92 # 4239 family I think. The machine died while moving forward within a 100 foot stretch. Decreasing power then off Check fuel filter not bad but not great, Pull pick up in tank some crap on screen so I clean it. Then swap the glass fuel filter after filling with fuel. Try machine no luck. Then try to bleed filter by loosening the side fitting. Pump transfer pump by hand no air or fuel comes out. Now I figure it is the lift pump so I get another one and install it tonight. Crack bleed on filter again and now I get tons of fuel out of filter bleed. Then I crack injector line to bleed it if there is any air. Usually I get fuel from it and the engine runs rough and I close it and then it runs fine. This time I tried cranking for a while and no dice on starting. Blow line from filter to injectors? ointhead Any further advice would be appreciated. Thanks John
Send a pic of your injection pump, it's been a while since I've worked on a 239 Deere. Dang good engines, though, I'll say that. You could also have a problem with your shut down solenoid on the injection pump.
will do thanks. Since the lift pump was not working (I think) I was hoping it was that. I guess check to see if power is going to injection pump? Crack line on injection pump?
Well, I'm not sure because I can't remember. What you described was you just kinda' "ran out of fuel" when the engine stopped. Some injection pumps would kill the engine as soon as flow from the lift pump stopped, as in a failed lift pump. Put a new lift pump on, and it would fire right up. Other injection pumps would continue to pump fuel through the injection lines until it literally ran out of fuel. And it takes a few minutes of cranking to "re-fill" the injection pump. The Lucas/CAV pumps would do this. If I remember the 239 Deere, they used the Stanadyne pump and I'm thinking it would do the same thing. Sometimes they had a bleed port on the side of them similar to the bleed screw on your square glass fuel filter base. One thing you could try is get a trigger pump spray bottle of windex glass cleaner, pour out the windex, and put diesel fuel in bottle. Remove the rubber elbow for the air intake at the intake manifold, and start cranking engine while spraying fuel from windex bottle. It should make the engine "start to run" enough so the starter isn't laboring to turn engine over until the injection pump fills with fuel and engine takes off running. It's worked for me before and it's worth a try.
I suggest cracking the line from the filter to the injection pump and bleed all the air from that point. Then loosen the injection lines at the injectors and crank it until you get fuel at the injectors. Tighten the lines and fire it up. If you crank for a while and no fuel arrives at the injectors, the first thing to check is the power to the fuel solenoid. I don't remember what the ohms spec should be but you should hear a definite click when powering up the solenoid. An easy way to check this would be to remove the OEM feed wire to the solenoid and use a jumper wire to feed the solenoid directly. There should be a small spark and you should hear a click. BE CAREFUL about fuel. If the solenoid checks out, remove the small window on the side of the pump. This will drain fuel out of the pump so be prepared. Inside this window you will see two shiny metal pieces. The one toward the rear of the engine will have a mark on it. Have someone turn the engine over while you look at the front piece in the window. If the front one is not turning, the head and rotor siezed up in the pump and the pump must be removed to be fixed. If the front piece turns, then I would suspect the delivery valve. This can be accessed by removing the top of the pump. If memory serves, you take out four screws that hold the cover on as well as the nuts that hold the fuel solenoid power and ground wires. The delivery valve is a little plunger that goes down inside the pump and shuts off the fuel. Move the linkage with your finger and the plunger should move freely. If the valve is stuck and you get it freed up, install new fuel filters filled with BG fuel conditioner* or John Deere fuel conditioner. The engine will run on straight conditioner and this is VERY good for your pump and injectors. Double the normal conditioner/fuel mixture for a couple tanks of fuel and you should be good to go. *I'll post the number for the BG fuel conditioner--I think it is 244 but I will check.
thanks all I will try that today.:drinkup
Victory was mine! Went back today to do battle. Started checking everything as recommended above. Many thanks for the info above all !:drinkup Check the pump head and plunger and all looked good. I did mega cranking to get fuel to the injector lines I cracked open. I have done a couple of pump swaps before and never had such a hard time bleeding the system. I almost gave up on this repair. Dumb me had a hose in a 5 gallon tank and removed it as it seemed to be siphoning out the injection pump when I pulled the timing plate off. Injectors just started to spit fuel then stopped. Luckily I remembered I had pulled the hose off. So after saving money and getting some satisfaction by doing it myself I went to Sears and bought 200 bucks in sockets and stuff to stimulate the economy. Many thanks for the help! Tomorrow is engine oil change, check the diffs and change planetaries lube.