ZD326 stalling after cutting for 15 min

[Earl W]

Looking for help with my ZD326 which has approx 1500 hours on it.

After cutting about 15 min or 1/3 acre, it starts loosing power and stalling if you do not stop forward motion, stop the blades and reduce throttle to very low. Then, if your lucking, you can creep back to the barn then.

Seems like a fuel issue. Up to that point, it runs very strong. Give it 3 or 4 hours of rest and it will run again for 20 min.

The issue happens on either fuel tank, switching does not work.

I have tried running it with with fuel caps loose do see if there was a vacuum lock but that did not help.

The battery is new and it will crank, so there is power.

I changed the fuel filters, so it's not that.

It creeps at very lower power at that point, so it does not seem to be the interlocks

To see if it was something in tank, I removed the left one, removed the fuel, and checked for debris in the tank and straw going in, no issues there, and then I filled it with fresh diesel. Same issue afterwards.

It's not overheating the temperature is at the midpoint, the cooling system has been flushed and new antifreeze.

Any suggestions to try before sending it into the shop?

thanks earl

 

[whitetiger]

Pull the fuel hose running from the rear filter to the injection pump off of the injection pump, put it in a catch can, and turn the key to ON. You should have a good flow of fuel from the hose with light pulses from the pump.

If the flow is a weak trickle, turn the key OFF, pull the hose to the inlet of the front filter off, shoot a blast of air into the hose. (LOOSEN THE CAPS ALL THE WAY BEFORE SHOOTING IN THE AIR). Switch the valve to the other tank and do the same. Put the hose back onto the front filter, turn the key back on. Let the electric pump refill the hoses, takes 5 - 10 seconds, and see if your flow has improved. Switch the valve to the other tank and check it also.

If the flow has improved, you had debris in the hoses or switch valve. Now you will need to remove and clean both tanks. When you have the tanks off, pull the hose from the front filter again and blast it with air again to make sure they are clear.

I do about a dozen a year.

 

[lugbolt]

yeah sounds like junk in the switch valve or filter.

The filters aren't any fun to get to. Remove the pump/filter as an assembly, behind the battery, change the filters while the assembly is on the bench.

 

[rjcorazza]

All good information. Also the electric lift pump could be bad. Disconnect the fuel line after the pump and confirm a good flow. I have had one go bad and one got the wiring ripped off over the years. My current setup is a large Cat 2 micron filter in place of the first oem filter, with the second oem filter remaining in place.


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[Earl W]

Sorry it took a while to get back.

After confirming I was set to the left tank, I disconnected the fuel line where it goes into the injectors and confirmed there was very little flow. After confirming that, I re-attached it.

Then I took the black covers off the left tank and pulled out the fuel line (black straw which goes to the bottom of the tank, one nearest the front of the tractor, I think the one in the back is recirc). Took a clear plastic container and drilled a hole into it the same size as the black straw and inserted the straw so I could see what came out. Removed the hose from the fuel filter before the fuel pump and blasted it with some compressed air. Got some black crud to come out, not much, think of a something the size of a small pea.

Reattached the fuel filter, inserted the fuel line, removed the fuel line from the injectors again and checked the flow. Much better flow.

Put everything back together and tried the ZD, it's got it's power back.

Thanks for everybody's help!