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Hello, my name is ...and I'm an idiot.

You are far from alone . . .

Last weekend I installed the garden tractor's mowing deck. Engaged the PTO and the blades did not spin.

Remembered that I did not put the belt around the PTO pulley. Shut off tractor, threaded belt around the PTO pulley, started tractor, engaged PTO, and the blades still did not spin.

Then remembered that I did not thread the belt around the deck's pulley. Shut off the tractor, noticed that not only was the deck belt not on the deck pulley but also incorrectly routed around the rigging, dropped the deck to remove rigging and correctly route belt, reinstalled rigging and deck, threaded belt around the deck's pulley, started tractor, engaged PTO, and this time the blades spun.

Mowed for a bit and the tractor spit-out the belt. Remembered that I did not latch the lever which pulled the spring to apply tension on the deck pulley . . .
 
A couple days ago, I was in a panic because the 400 John Deere sounded like it was only running on one cylinder.

The wife even mentioned it when I came in the house. I drove it a total of about 120' from the shed to the fuel tank and kept going another 50' because I thought I'd better get it someplace where I could check it out.

Miracle of miracles, I pushed in the choke and it ran great.
 
Yippee! It ran today!
Emphasis on "ran".
Past tense.
To it around the block, about 5 miles or so. Kaput.
Actually made up the hill to almost the driveway, and coasted in.
One tank may be empty, or plugged, the sight glass with the screen in it was dry.
Switched tanks, bled it, nadda. Got fuel though. Old, like 9 month old fuel. Fuel that made the motor crappy and underpowered.
Btw, cheap Mr Gasket pumps are flow through. The tank was siphoning through the one when I bypassed it.
I've got fuel pressure, about 5 psi at the injection pump. Using the OEM electric pump up in the engine bay right now. The pressure dropped 1 or 2 psi when I bypassed the Mr Gasket pumps.
Maybe if I put some fresh fuel in the empty tank it'll run better.
 
...........Got fuel though. Old, like 9 month old fuel. Fuel that made the motor crappy and underpowered.........
diesel doesn't go 'old' like gas. i'm burning 20 year old fuel and it runs as good as fresh. this has the 500 ppm sulfur because of it's age. it's been stored in a 5000 gallon train tank the whole time, and it's ORD.
 
Aaarrgghh... WTH then?
One tank ran good, made 10 psi on the boost.
The other slowed the engine down, stumbled, and only made 5 psi on the boost.
I've got 3-5 minimum psi at the injection pump, more when it's running and voltage is higher, so it's not a lack of fuel.
I've tried new filters, different filters, new different filters of higher flow. I've tried with the booster pumps and with just the oem pump. Injection pump is rebuilt, injectors are rebuilt, both are proven. Batteries are cranking it over fast and it has oil pressure. Air filter is clean. It won't start on the fuel that's in it.
 
When deejaaa said it does not go bad, I think he was thinking of the way gas will be bad if it sits around for a long time...diesel will be fine with age as long as it does not get water in it and start growing bugs (algae)... If that other tank had any bugs in it the slime in the tank would quickly clog up your pump, filters, screens....etc and explain you poor power and stalling.
 
Um, not the new ulsd. As high as 10% methonal in there. When it off gasses gou loose a boatload of power, harder starts, smokes, etc.

Diesel has never been as bad as gasoline, and never will be just by the specific gravity difference.

All fuels are now blended unless you find a supplier that doesn't blend at all. You would know by the fuel price being $1.50 more per gallon. The process is not a secret like it used to be, and technology to mix any fuel cheaper is everywhere now.
 
Aaarrgghh... WTH then?
One tank ran good, made 10 psi on the boost.
The other slowed the engine down, stumbled, and only made 5 psi on the boost.
I've got 3-5 minimum psi at the injection pump, more when it's running and voltage is higher, so it's not a lack of fuel.
I've tried new filters, different filters, new different filters of higher flow. I've tried with the booster pumps and with just the oem pump. Injection pump is rebuilt, injectors are rebuilt, both are proven. Batteries are cranking it over fast and it has oil pressure. Air filter is clean. It won't start on the fuel that's in it.

Well if you don't have at least white smoke then you don't have fuel. Dont miss the obvious here. Check the little wire to the top of the IP. The fuel solenoid has to open for fuel to get to the IP. I was out of state and driving down the road once when my connector broke off. Usually it just stops quick but if the wires were separating and then arcing a little who knows. Your new IP pump might have been put together wrong as well. In the end if you don't have smoke, you dont have fuel. If you have fuel to the back of the pump then it isn't getting through the pump. Could be air as well. My diesels always ran better with a little air ;) but not a lot of air. Leaky fuel lines on the suction side of the primary lift pump can introduce air. Air in small bits at a time and the engine can still run but if it sits then those small bubbles coalesce into large pockets of air that can wreck havoc with getting the engine to run. Usually it will start and then suddenly have no power or stall half a mile down the road.
 
Wires are connected, I did check that. It has fuel at the driver's front injector. At my daughter's wedding this weekend.

Ahh but do you have white smoke out the exhaust? You can crack an injector and get fuel and still not have white smoke. Without white smoke you got no potential for fire. If that is the case then for some reason the injection pump pressure is not overcoming the cracking pressure of the injectors.
Theoretically the injectors could be wore out and passing the fuel through to the return line. That being said usually those buggers are seized when they get old. Never actually seen them wear out enough to just bypass fuel.
 
I could see 1 or maybe 2 injectors being worn and sticking shut, but not all of them at the same time.

If you are questioning fuel quality, I always say trust your instincts- drain it and replace it. You can save ot in jerry cans and add back in 50/50 once truck is running if you want. Or hook up a jerry can feeding the lift pump. Just remeber you have to cycle the engine enough to replace the old fuel with new when trying to start.

Where would I start?
Pull the glow plugs real quick (ok 2 arent quick so skip them 2) and crank it over. You should have a fuel mist from the 6 you do pull.

Then a quick bench test on the glowplugs that are already out.

5 minutes to do that and you know that you have proper fueling and working glows. Want to spend another 20 minutes and really know where the engine life stands, pull the all 8 glowplugs before "mist test" and then do a compression test.
 
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