What can make a particular engine hard to get running again after it sucks air? Dad used to tell that's just how these little 3 cylinders were, but we now have 4 of them, and my family has run 3 of them out if fuel in one way or another and only the first on throws fits. I bleed the fuel filter and the injectors and it will fire off and idle well for 10-30 seconds then fall in it's face and run like it's sucking air. If I put it to full throttle and walk away for 20 minutes it will modulate between trying to shake itself to pieces and running normally. Normally after 20 minutes it will have sorted itself out. Sister ran the diesel gator out of fuel a couple year ago and all I did was bleed the fuel filter and it fired right off. As I write this, sitting in the mower getting my money's worth out of this massage. Apparently I should have waited 30 minutes. Hard to type on a phone.
Is the cantankerous one high hours? Sometimes fuel tank location can influence it to a degree. No leaks on the suction side of things? I know of one a friend had issues with, turned out to be the rubber sealing washer for the filter was missing. You know, the one that never gets changed or is missing cause it fell out of the shrinkwrap on the filter . Best I could tell it had gotten hard and just fell off during a service. That's the only change I made and I was skeptical but it fixed that one. I have had issues with certain brands of filters too or am incorrectly crossed part number. Who knows sometimes!
Yup, hi hours, sucking air or inj. pump just plain worn out.. The shaking tells me its air.. or a supply problem.. just put a 4-7 psi electric fuel pump on it & fogetaboutit.. I wish I knew how to post a link.. ebay> 12v low pressure gas/diesel universal electric pump.. $8.88 w/ free shipping..
I feel like something else must be wrong here. I almost never crack injectors to bleed. I just make sure the injection pump is getting fuel and then it will usually start right up in a reasonable time. If it is the type of fuel filter that must be filled, I don't even fill it all the way. Just about 2/3 and let it cough its way through. Saves mess installing and when you go to change it next time a lot of times it will still not be all the way full and not make a mess. I did have one with an A-pump that would run for many hours and then shut down without warning. I eventually ended up putting an electric fuel pump ahead of the mechanical pump and that solved it. But I use the Isuzu electric pump ($$$) because all others I have tried seem to fail over the long term.
I had the fuel pickup in one tank come apart on friday and the other one let go yesterday, so those are new. Also how it wound up sucking air. I know i put all new lines from the tank to the fuel pump at some point, probably less than 5 years ago. Electric fuel pump was replaced at the same time. Flow through through the bleeder seems strong. I normally don't crack the injectors either, but it's become SOP for getting this pile running again. Engine has 2100 hours on it.