Tractor repair...

Well it has been a frustrating week, but I now know how to clear a fuel line, and bleed the air out of a diesel tractor's fuel line, as well as clear any water out of the water separator. I've also learned that, just because they pay you to answer the phone at the manufacturer's, don't expect them to know their *ss from a hole in the ground.

Last Wednesday, I was brush hogging the field behind the house, when the tractor started sputtering, and then stalled. The fuel gauge said that there was still 1/8 of a tank, but when I tried to restart it, it kept stalling. I retrieved the 2 fuel cans and poured about 7 gallons of diesel into the tank. I could start it, but it would quickly stall out. I figured I had gotten air in the fuel line, and since it was late afternoon, I fed the livestock, and called it a night. I asked my son-in-law to show me how to bleed the air out of the fuel line in the morning. Morning came, and we cleaned out the sediment bowl, then tried to get it to refill with fuel, but no fuel was getting in. We tried to trace the problem, but couldn't see what the trouble might be. This tractor has a 3 part filter system, a water separator, a sediment bowl, and a final filter. The pictures in the owner's manual only showed 2, the sediment bowl, and the final filter. Thus began our saga...
We noticed that there was a hole in the bottom of the water separator. Well, since we couldn't find a picture of the thing in the manual, we thought that a plug, or bolt had vibrated out, and allowed air into the line, thus causing the problem. Off I go to the tractor repair store, with my owner's manual, and a description of the part I think I need. Well, they can't find a picture that looks just like what I'm describing, but they do find a "water separator" with a part that looks like what I think I need, so they order it for me. Of course they don't have it in stock! This is Thursday, and it won't be there till Monday, so no more tractor work...

Monday, I pick up the part, and when I look at it I can see that it isn't going to fit, but I pay for it, telling them it is too big, but I'll try... Back home I show it to son-in-law, who said" that is for the sediment bowl"... He was correct, as was I, it was the wrong part. I called the shop, and they assured me that that was the part for what I was describing. I went on line, to the manufacturer's web site, and looked for the water separator that is on my tractor, but all they show is the sediment bowl, calling it the water separator. I called the service desk, and was told nothing much except she would check with my repair shop tomorrow, and see what they could figure out, meanwhile, was I sure I had the correct manual for my tractor, and why didn't I call this other number, and speak to someone in the manual's department. By this time, I was ready to scream. I called the manuals dept, and the ding bat there informed me that I didn't have a 5610S, but a 5610, so my manual was for the wrong tractor. Now I gave her the serial number of the tractor, but she never asked for the year... I thank her for her time, and call the local shop back. They say that it isn't possible that my tractor is a 5610 because after 1995, they stopped producing them, and mine is a 2002. He also asked me to remove the mystery part and bring it in in the morning, so they could try and figure out what it was...

I went out, and looked it over, and instead of removing it, which was going to be a bitch, I took pictures of it with my phone, brought them in, printed them out, and took them with me when I returned the parts. Lo-and behold!!! My tractor has an optional water separator The hole in the bottom is supposed to be there, there isn't anything missing. I have been telling everyone who would listen that there are 3 parts to this fuel filter system, and they just weren't listening. Not until I showed them a picture of it did it occur to any of these people that I just might know what I was talking about.

So, I return the parts, get my money back, and call my tractor mechanic, and ask him how to figure out what is wrong. He talked me through draining the water out of the water separator, loosening the nut on the top of the sediment bowl to let the air out, and, when that still didn't get fuel flowing, how to remove the fuel line from the bottom of the tank to check for obstructions. Yahoo!!! My tractor runs now, and I'll know what to do next time.

While I'm working on it, the first dingbat from New Holland called me back to see if I had resolved my problems. I told her, yes, no thanks to them, and Oh By the way, tell the person in manuals to check for the year of a tractor before telling someone they have the wrong manual.

Husband Mike will be home late tomorrow, and today, 4/29, was grandson's 6th birthday.