I'm trying to troubleshoot why my 11 hp universal won't START. It has fuel in the tank, oil, decent battery, etc. I turn the key and it cranks, but doesn't fire (i.e. start). What are a couple of things I can do to troubleshoot this? I live in Houston so its kind of hot here. I'm not sure I have to use the glow plugs in the summer. I held the glow plug switch up for several seconds and it still doesn't fire. Any ideas? Thanks,
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air lock?
Not familiar with that engine, but maybe there is a problem with the power to the fuel pump, or maybe you have an air lock. loosen a fuel line to an injector and crank it over until the air comes out and it leaks fuel with out lots of air bubbles, should fire. MG
Not familiar with that engine, but maybe there is a problem with the power to the fuel pump, or maybe you have an air lock. loosen a fuel line to an injector and crank it over until the air comes out and it leaks fuel with out lots of air bubbles, should fire. MG
Bleed the engine
If a diesel cranks but won't start, it almost certainly a fuel problem, and the most common fuel problem is some air in the lines or a clogged filter. Bleed the fuel lines; if that doesn't work, change the filter.
If a diesel cranks but won't start, it almost certainly a fuel problem, and the most common fuel problem is some air in the lines or a clogged filter. Bleed the fuel lines; if that doesn't work, change the filter.
A few seconds????
Since you most likely do not have a solenoid for your glow plugs, you NEED to hold the glow plug button in for at least 30 seconds! Then, release the glow plug button BEFORE you press the start button (or key). There is no need to hold the glow plugs on when you hit the start button. Try this before you go messing around with bleeding the engine, unless you've just changed fuel filters.
Since you most likely do not have a solenoid for your glow plugs, you NEED to hold the glow plug button in for at least 30 seconds! Then, release the glow plug button BEFORE you press the start button (or key). There is no need to hold the glow plugs on when you hit the start button. Try this before you go messing around with bleeding the engine, unless you've just changed fuel filters.
It could be a lot of things
It could be a lot of things. You mentioned the glow plugs, do you have a voltage meter on your control pannel? When you engage the glow plugs you should see the voltage drop a couple of volts. If it doesn't it would be the glow plug soleniod. Are you getting (pumping) fuel to the injectors? On some motors you can remove the injectors and have someone crank. BE CAREFUL! Check your manual. Its a good way to verify your filters, fuel pump and injectors are working. This one may get me flamed, have you tried starting fluid (ether). It's not recommend but in a pinch it will start the engine. Again BE CAREFUL! You spray A VERY LITTLE in the air intake, IMPORTANT...DO NOT PRESS GLOW PLUGS. Press start frist-then glow plugs. If your engine doesn't start even with the starter fluid then you are not getting fuel and it probably is the injector(s) or fuel pump. Depending on your level of experience don't try any of the above unless your confident.
It could be a lot of things. You mentioned the glow plugs, do you have a voltage meter on your control pannel? When you engage the glow plugs you should see the voltage drop a couple of volts. If it doesn't it would be the glow plug soleniod. Are you getting (pumping) fuel to the injectors? On some motors you can remove the injectors and have someone crank. BE CAREFUL! Check your manual. Its a good way to verify your filters, fuel pump and injectors are working. This one may get me flamed, have you tried starting fluid (ether). It's not recommend but in a pinch it will start the engine. Again BE CAREFUL! You spray A VERY LITTLE in the air intake, IMPORTANT...DO NOT PRESS GLOW PLUGS. Press start frist-then glow plugs. If your engine doesn't start even with the starter fluid then you are not getting fuel and it probably is the injector(s) or fuel pump. Depending on your level of experience don't try any of the above unless your confident.
Follow fuel flow
MG is right on. You didn,t say if you had done any recent repairs or service. If you did I would suspect system is full of air that you have to bleed out. If no fuel coming at injectors, then you have to figure out why not. Follow the fuel flow from the tank. Is it getting to the first filter? If not you may have a blockage at the tank, in the line or the line is sucking air. (Fuel tanks can grow bacteria and this gels then plugs things up. It you can look into the tank, you should have no algae blooming. If you do, call a mechanic & get it cleaned.) Otherwise follow these steps. If you have fuel flowing from the tank, is there a hand primer pump on the engine. If yes then loosen off the line out, make sure you get fuel coming out on the outlet side and up to the injection pump. If it goes to the injection pump then the injection pump will pump it up to injectors. There must be no air in the system. Make sure all lines and filters are tight. Most older pumps have a manual shut down lever operated by a pull cable at the control panel. This is the cable pull that is used to stop the engine. Just make sure the lever on the pump is going all the way to the run position. While you are there, check your throttle for full operation from lo to high idle. Newer pumps have an electric solenoid to turn the fuel on and off at the injection pump. With the key on, use a volt meter or 12 V trouble light to make sure you have battery power there at the solenoid. Let me know how it works out. Getting to know this stuff makes us better sailors. Good luck & Fair winds. Ken
MG is right on. You didn,t say if you had done any recent repairs or service. If you did I would suspect system is full of air that you have to bleed out. If no fuel coming at injectors, then you have to figure out why not. Follow the fuel flow from the tank. Is it getting to the first filter? If not you may have a blockage at the tank, in the line or the line is sucking air. (Fuel tanks can grow bacteria and this gels then plugs things up. It you can look into the tank, you should have no algae blooming. If you do, call a mechanic & get it cleaned.) Otherwise follow these steps. If you have fuel flowing from the tank, is there a hand primer pump on the engine. If yes then loosen off the line out, make sure you get fuel coming out on the outlet side and up to the injection pump. If it goes to the injection pump then the injection pump will pump it up to injectors. There must be no air in the system. Make sure all lines and filters are tight. Most older pumps have a manual shut down lever operated by a pull cable at the control panel. This is the cable pull that is used to stop the engine. Just make sure the lever on the pump is going all the way to the run position. While you are there, check your throttle for full operation from lo to high idle. Newer pumps have an electric solenoid to turn the fuel on and off at the injection pump. With the key on, use a volt meter or 12 V trouble light to make sure you have battery power there at the solenoid. Let me know how it works out. Getting to know this stuff makes us better sailors. Good luck & Fair winds. Ken
glow plugs for cold weather
glow plugs just warm the air going into the engine. I doubt that warming is required in Houston in the summer!!! Even up in Norhern Alabama it is supposed to be 98 degrees today. Compression if cyclinder is dry squirt in a little oil to increase compression air check filter if there isn't enough air flow cylinder pressure won't be high enough to burn the fuel fuel chase the fuel from the tank to the cylinder. There should be a written procedure in your manual for bleeding the system. My bet would be a fuel problem. If you have these things it should fire up assuming enough RPMs. My engine wouldn't start once because the fuel cutoff used to stop the engine was stuck and once freed the engine started right up. As the others have said check the simple easy things first.
glow plugs just warm the air going into the engine. I doubt that warming is required in Houston in the summer!!! Even up in Norhern Alabama it is supposed to be 98 degrees today. Compression if cyclinder is dry squirt in a little oil to increase compression air check filter if there isn't enough air flow cylinder pressure won't be high enough to burn the fuel fuel chase the fuel from the tank to the cylinder. There should be a written procedure in your manual for bleeding the system. My bet would be a fuel problem. If you have these things it should fire up assuming enough RPMs. My engine wouldn't start once because the fuel cutoff used to stop the engine was stuck and once freed the engine started right up. As the others have said check the simple easy things first.
Trivial pursuit
Maybe some physicist out there will enlighten us on ambient temperature and compression for a diesel. I guess there is a minimal temperature for spontaneous combustion of normal diesel fuel. There is a formula something like PV=nRT so that assuming perfectly ideal theoretical conditions and a known compression ratio you should be able to calculate an air temperature above which a glow plug isn't needed. In the real world of restricted air flow and leaky valves and rings the temperature probably needs to be above "ideal" My volvo MD11C doesn't have a glow plug it just squirts in some extra fuel and generally starts in cold weather. But if it has been below freezing during the night it starts much better when a stream of warm air is directed to the air intake using a blow dryer or small electric heater.
Maybe some physicist out there will enlighten us on ambient temperature and compression for a diesel. I guess there is a minimal temperature for spontaneous combustion of normal diesel fuel. There is a formula something like PV=nRT so that assuming perfectly ideal theoretical conditions and a known compression ratio you should be able to calculate an air temperature above which a glow plug isn't needed. In the real world of restricted air flow and leaky valves and rings the temperature probably needs to be above "ideal" My volvo MD11C doesn't have a glow plug it just squirts in some extra fuel and generally starts in cold weather. But if it has been below freezing during the night it starts much better when a stream of warm air is directed to the air intake using a blow dryer or small electric heater.
Glow Plugs
Had that very same engine on Oday 28, even on the hottest july day I needed to hold glow plug lever "on" for 30 -45 seconds before starting cold engine.
Had that very same engine on Oday 28, even on the hottest july day I needed to hold glow plug lever "on" for 30 -45 seconds before starting cold engine.
Air in fuel line
As mentioned, if you replaced the fuel filter or drained one you most likely have air in the fuel line. I changed the filter and did not bleed the line and had the same simptoms. There may be two bleed valves. Start with the one nearest the tank and then the one nearest the injectors.
As mentioned, if you replaced the fuel filter or drained one you most likely have air in the fuel line. I changed the filter and did not bleed the line and had the same simptoms. There may be two bleed valves. Start with the one nearest the tank and then the one nearest the injectors.
Problem fixed! - Universal 5411 not starting
I didn't find a reply to all link on this website but wanted to let everyone know that my diesel engine started. I'm not too mechanically inclined. There is a black bulb that is tied in with the fuel system in my engine compartment. It was very hard to squeeze the bulb but I tried. It also looked like the bulb and the line might be a bit kinked, but not sure if that was the problem. Went back and tried to start it again and BAM - it started like a charm. I killed it several times after that and retried without fail. Thank you for all of your replies. My biggest takeaway is that I wish I knew the abc's of just the fuel system so I could troublshoot some of this w/o seeming stupid. Thanks!
I didn't find a reply to all link on this website but wanted to let everyone know that my diesel engine started. I'm not too mechanically inclined. There is a black bulb that is tied in with the fuel system in my engine compartment. It was very hard to squeeze the bulb but I tried. It also looked like the bulb and the line might be a bit kinked, but not sure if that was the problem. Went back and tried to start it again and BAM - it started like a charm. I killed it several times after that and retried without fail. Thank you for all of your replies. My biggest takeaway is that I wish I knew the abc's of just the fuel system so I could troublshoot some of this w/o seeming stupid. Thanks!
Hmmmm
Is there a squeeze bulb in your diesel fuel line? I don't think this is a good idea. Squeeze bulbs are for outboards and do not belong below decks. I'd look into this if I were you. Just my two cents. Dan
Is there a squeeze bulb in your diesel fuel line? I don't think this is a good idea. Squeeze bulbs are for outboards and do not belong below decks. I'd look into this if I were you. Just my two cents. Dan
re: Trivial pursuit
Tom, No need for the PHd when you have Wikipedia Examples of fuel flashpoints Petrol (gasoline) is designed for use in an engine which is driven by a spark. The fuel should be premixed with air within its flammable limits and heated above its flash point, then ignited by the spark plug. The fuel should not preignite in the hot engine. Therefore, gasoline is required to have a low flash point and a high autoignition temperature. Diesel is designed for use in a high-compression engine. Air is compressed until it has been heated above the autoignition temperature of diesel; then the fuel is injected as a high-pressure spray, keeping the fuel-air mix within the flammable limits of diesel. There is no ignition source. Therefore, diesel is required to have a high flash point and a low autoignition temperature. Petrol: Flash point: >-45 ¡ãC Autoignition temperature: 246 ¡ãC Diesel: Flash point: >62 ¡ãC Autoignition temperature: 210 ¡ãC Jet Fuel: Flash Point: >50 ¡ãC Autoignition Temperature: 210 ¡ãC
Tom, No need for the PHd when you have Wikipedia Examples of fuel flashpoints Petrol (gasoline) is designed for use in an engine which is driven by a spark. The fuel should be premixed with air within its flammable limits and heated above its flash point, then ignited by the spark plug. The fuel should not preignite in the hot engine. Therefore, gasoline is required to have a low flash point and a high autoignition temperature. Diesel is designed for use in a high-compression engine. Air is compressed until it has been heated above the autoignition temperature of diesel; then the fuel is injected as a high-pressure spray, keeping the fuel-air mix within the flammable limits of diesel. There is no ignition source. Therefore, diesel is required to have a high flash point and a low autoignition temperature. Petrol: Flash point: >-45 ¡ãC Autoignition temperature: 246 ¡ãC Diesel: Flash point: >62 ¡ãC Autoignition temperature: 210 ¡ãC Jet Fuel: Flash Point: >50 ¡ãC Autoignition Temperature: 210 ¡ãC
fuel bulbs are great
They make bleeding the system REAL easy. In a pinch you can turn them into a manual fuel pump to get you back to port too.
They make bleeding the system REAL easy. In a pinch you can turn them into a manual fuel pump to get you back to port too.
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