B1700 Fuel Issues?

[SKaquaholic]

I'm slowly losing my mind trying to find the solution and I'm hoping someone here can help me out...
To make a long story short, A couple weeks ago someone decided to top up my fuel tank with GAS in my B1700. I came home to find it dead in the middle of the lawn and was told that when that same person heard the sputtering of the engine they shut it down. Then realized the mix up....
What I've done thus far is the following:
-Drained all the fuel from the tank and loosened all the lines that had fuel in them. Added clean diesel with about 1/2 can of SeaFoam in it.
-Went through the bleeding process and got it running again. It ran for 10 mins then stopped. I could not start it again.
-Traced fuel flow from tank to sediment bowl (good), then up to mechanical fuel pump - nothing coming out when cranking the engine. Scrambled to get a new pump here and this morning before replacing that I decided to try and bypass the pump to see if it could have been an injector pump issue. As I remove the clamp on the exit side of that pump, fuel starts coming out (which wasn't happening the day before) so I remove the hose and start cranking and it looks like there plenty of fuel coming out now.
-I start the bleeding process again, from the sediment bowl, then bleeder screw below injector pump, then at the top injector lines. After a bit it fires back up and sound strong. Use throttle lever to try a range of rpms and it seems to be fine.
Let it run for 5 mins, then move it a couple hundred feet to the garage and let it run there for another 6-7 mins before I think it'd be a good idea to try and run at higher rpms and heat it up to try and burn everything out of the system. Put in gear and back up 10ft, then it starts to sputter, I throttle down and it sputters then picks back up again (1000rpm). Try increasing rpms again and it revs up just fine. Decide to try driving it again, then it sputters an dies.
-Try cranking again with bleeder screw open just past the mechanical fuel pump, lots of fuel flowing....go through the bleeding process, it starts up and runs for a few mins. I decide to drive it again, this time engaging the mower. I mow for about 10 minutes then get a puff of blue smoke and some sputtering. Throttle down again, it catches up and maintains 1000rpms. Throttle up and its ok for a few seconds then sputters again. Throttle down and it runs super rough and almost stalls. It catches again and gets back to 1500rpm then sputters and almost dies again. It does this a couple times then actually dies.
-Go through the bleeding process again, get it running nice and strong then leave it at 1200rpm and walk away. It ran for over 35 mins then it died again. Tried starting, it takes off right away but then does the sputtering thing all over again.

I really don't know what to do now. Is the fuel system somehow drawing air into it? Plugged injectors? mechanical pump not working all the time? Injector pump failing after it warms up?
I don't even know where to start....can anyone provide any insight into this one? It would be hugely appreciated.

 

[SKaquaholic]

Do any of the gurus have any ideas of what I could do to try and fix this issue? I'm at a loss and not sure how to proceed...any ideas? Please....

 

[mrmr56]

I think I would change out the fuel filters as a starting point.

 

[mudog88]

I would check the fuel tank and make sure it's clean inside. As random as the issue sounds, there could be something in the tank blocking the fuel pick-up. Drain tank, clean really well, let dry, then install, fill with fuel and report back. I've never cleaned a tank before, but my fuel has always been double filtered before it actually hits the tank. I'm not sure what all can be used to clean it out either, but a quick search of the forum should turn up some results. Best of luck and let us know what happens!

 

[Stubbyie]

Check carefully the inside of the tank for floating (or sinking) debris of any sort that might suck down against the fuel outlet. May need to drain / flush tank.

Try a diesel bacteriacide.

Change fuel filter(s). Is there a second fuel filter perhaps hidden (consult parts schematic).

Fill tank to brim and screw filler cap down tight and see what happens then loosen cap and try again. Cap air vent may be plugged.

Please post back your continuing experiences so we may all learn.

 

[SKaquaholic]

Thanks for the input fellas, I'll give that a shot this weekend and report back. If anyone else has any ideas that'd be great.
Stubbyie - no 2nd filter on this one...

 

[SKaquaholic]

So I tried the suggestions given and can't get her going again. Drained and flushed fuel tank, replaced filter and went to bleed fuel system. Lots of fuel getting to the mechanical pump but it doesn't seem like there's much getting to the injectors. How much fuel should be coming out when bleeding the injectors? When I unseat and lift off the fuel lines it looks like it's just dripping not actually flowing, is this normal?

 

[mrmr56]

Don't completely remove the line from the injector. Crack each line approximately 1/2 to 3/4 turn and slightly pull on each line. Spin the engine over and you should see some bubbles and fuel. As soon as you get what looks like mostly fuel, tighten that nut. Continue until each injector does the same but it will probably start when you get one or two to that stage. There is not much flow but the pressure has to build from the pump. See if this procedure gets you back up and going.

 

[SKaquaholic]

Don't completely remove the line from the injector. Crack each line approximately 1/2 to 3/4 turn and slightly pull on each line. Spin the engine over and you should see some bubbles and fuel. As soon as you get what looks like mostly fuel, tighten that nut. Continue until each injector does the same but it will probably start when you get one or two to that stage. There is not much flow but the pressure has to build from the pump. See if this procedure gets you back up and going.

Thanks Mrmr56, I definitely had the injector lines unscrewed too much and once I did this she puffed some smoke and started running. I've only ever seen black smoke on startup but this time it was white/blue and quite a bit of it. It does this on initial startup then when it starts up after its warm there is just the typical black puff. Does anyone have any insight on this?