Hey guys, just wanted to keep you updated on the progress for the John Deere 1010 dozer. A few days ago I had a friend come over (Thank you Brian!) and help me diagnose the electrical problem as a faulty wire to the starter. That sucker was iced in there bad, and with the loader arms on we had a heck of a time getting it out. 4 hours of time, to be exact.
Today I was able to replace the wire and reinstall everything. It was a little warmer out today, so that helped things go a little quicker – plus I knew what I was doing. After replacing everything, the engine turns over wonderfully – much faster than it had previously. That makes sense, when you think about it. Less resistance because of a better connection equals more electricity to the starter motor.
Unfortunately, I still was unable to get it to fire. I had tried turning it over with the fuel injectors cracked; after replacing the fuel filters I’m supposed to bleed the air out of the system by cracking the injectors. With them open, cranking the engine draws fuel up and purges the air in the system. Unfortunately, this little dozer is still having fuel system problems.
I cracked open the bleeder on the fuel pump and found that it’s nicely full of fuel. However, with the fuel line (that goes to the injectors) off the pump, I tried to crank the engine. If the pump is working as it should, fuel should spray everywhere due to the pressure. It did not. So therein lies my problem with the fuel system. For one reason or another, the fuel pump is not delivering enough pressure for the engine to fire.
I suspect that there is ice in the pump from moisture in the old fuel. There has been ice in just about every component that I have disassembled so far, so I have no reason not to think that. That, and I’m really hoping that it’s just ice. Parts for this old dozer are hard to come by, and a new fuel pump is upwards of $900. Next time I get a chance to work on the dozer I will be attempting to thaw out the fuel pump, and hopefully I’ll rectify this problem.
