3B won't start, or even fire

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Diesel Wannabe

Diesel Wannabe

10 Year 15 Year 20 Year
Joined
Jan 10, 2005
Threads
58
Messages
208
Location
Belmont, NC
It's been a rough year with my 3b (in a 79 BJ40 frame but from an '85 Canadian BJ70). More details/diagnostics:
  • Turbocharged - @keith42 kit
  • Had been running pretty well through 5/2025, died from lack of fuel (air leak) on a few trips prior to GSMTR so I missed it again this year
  • Been fighting the air/fuel leak - think it's solved. I rebuilt the lift pump and put in a Toyota, all metal hand primer.
    • Clear fuel feed/return lines show no air
    • Cranked it without the glow plugs and see diesel blowing out
  • Checked compression - cylinders 1-4 are 395, 390, 380, 400
  • Confirmed glow plugs work
  • I removed the connection from the turbo to the intake/throttle plate just to ensure air
  • So I figure 1 - compression, 2 - fuel, and 3 - air == running diesel but nothing
  • Tried cranking it while squirting a bit of diesel into the intake with the throttle plate open, again nothing
Any ideas for other things for me to check or try?

Thanks
 
Squirting diesel into the intake will do nothing as diesel has very low volatility. Try Easy Start or WD40.

As above, crack your injector line nuts at each injector one by one until they leak, then tighten the nuts.

You say the glow plugs work, have you tested the electrics to check that they are getting power? The BJ70 would have a SuperGlow system. Has this been transferred to the BJ40?
 
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You can bleed the pump, and you can Crack injectors as well.
If using Ether or Brakecleen(volatile kind) DO NOT GLOW.
Just spent the last couple of days working on Kubota tractors which sat a few years in the Nevada sun. Ran bio-fuel so a little bit of an issue. Fuel rack was stuck cutting off fuel to injectors. Once I got this moving with brakclean into the fuel line, and a wee bit of Ether this tractor with 77 hours on the clock is purring like a kitten.
You need to verify fuel at the injectors!
You may have to back track the fuel.
Disconnect the EDIC arm.
Have a standby battery or boost.
If it coughs with Ether, then it's a fuel issue.
Make certain that a rat hasn't invaded the intake choking off the air supply.
 
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with the starting fluid be careful, make sure the engine is spinning first and then spray it. or a rag soaked in gasoline and placed over the intake also works as long as your holding onto the rag good and it can't get sucked in. how long have you cranked it? if you loosen the injector lines does fuel squirt out while cranking?
 
I have completely bleed the fuel system, confirmed fuel at the injectors, and as mentioned in my initial post, I see diesel shooting out of the glow plug holes when I crank it without the glow plugs.

I'll try a bit of ether. Thanks all.
 
How exactly have you confirmed the glow system is working, with diesel coming out of the glow plug holes as long as you have compression and glow it will start.

Before trying ether, try a jumper lead from Battery+ to the glow rail for 5 secs and then immediately cranking it. Your plugs may have tested fine but your glow system may still be faulty.
 
duncanrm said:
How exactly have you confirmed the glow system is working, with diesel coming out of the glow plug holes as long as you have compression and glow it will start.

Before trying ether, try a jumper lead from Battery+ to the glow rail for 5 secs and then immediately cranking it. Your plugs may have tested fine but your glow system may still be faulty.
Click to expand...
I wired a test light to the glow plug rail to ensure it was getting voltage.
 
Diesel Wannabe said:
I wired a test light to the glow plug rail to ensure it was getting voltage.
Click to expand...

I would do more.. I'd particularly be looking for a significant voltage drop during the glow operation.. For example 12.6V at rest and down to 11.6V when the glow operation commences. This would give a strong indication the plugs are actually glowing.
 
If you're confident that fuel and air are going in correctly, and that the glow plugs and system work, and compression is good, that only really leaves timing. Did you remove the injection pump when fitting a new lift pump?

If it fires up on WD-40 or ether then it might be a timing issue. But there's no way the engine could jump timing on its own.
 
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Eurasiaoverland said:
If you're confident that fuel and air are going in correctly, and that the glow plugs and system work, and compression is good, that only really leaves timing. Did you remove the injection pump when fitting a new lift pump?

If it fires up on WD-40 or ether then it might be a timing issue. But there's no way the engine could jump timing on its own.
Click to expand...
I had the IP out a couple of years ago, but have driven it lots of times since then. I did not remove the IP to rebuild the lift pump.
 
Ok, well you say
- fuel delivery is fine
- timing is good
- glow plugs work
- glow plugs get 12V (or 24V, are they the correct voltage?)
- compression is good.

I assume you have a good battery...

These things will burn pretty much any diesel-like oil so I don't believe in bad fuel.

You can't have all of these conditions and still not have a running engine. My guess is that fuel delivery is not correct. When were the injectors last tested/serviced?

Probably not what you want to hear, but I would say it's time to start afresh with the diagnosis, because one (or more) of the conditions which you believe to be correct, is clearly not. Either that, or take it to a diesel mechanic.
 
I have heard of people having issues if they added a fuel stabilizer and it sits for a long time.
 
equals340 said:
I have heard of people having issues if they added a fuel stabilizer and it sits for a long time.
Click to expand...
With diesel? Diesel is a pretty inert oil and will last for years if properly sealed from contamination. It's common to get microbial growth in humid climates, this presents a risk of clogging filters etc, but I don't believe it degrades the fuel. Given that the vehicle was running until a few months ago, I think we can rule out bad fuel, assuming the tank has not been contaminated.
 
pretty easy to visually check if the glows are working just watch your battery gauge go from static at-rest voltage to a heavy draw state, mine seems to use at least 5v on the gauge (24v) it is very noticeable when they are working
 
Eurasiaoverland said:
With diesel? Diesel is a pretty inert oil and will last for years if properly sealed from contamination. It's common to get microbial growth in humid climates, this presents a risk of clogging filters etc, but I don't believe it degrades the fuel. Given that the vehicle was running until a few months ago, I think we can rule out bad fuel, assuming the tank has not been contaminated.
Click to expand...
Hey @Eurasiaoverland I'm just curious, do they have Biodiesel where you live?
 
Have you tried taking out an injector and see if it sprays fuel? Send it out to get pop tested, if possible, also crack all the lines loose and crank it and see if all lines are spitting fuel.
 
I've been in California for a week. Get back to NC Friday evening. Saturday looks like a nice day so I will be doing more testing. Thanks for all of the suggestions. I've done many/most of them but will keep at it.
 
You need to make smoke oneway or another.
Without smoke/fuel nothing works.
I just finished another kubota tractor that had a stuck fuel rack. Stuck in the fuel off position.
Took s*** off of the pump in order to manually feel, visual, and with some gentle tapping she is running like a kitten.
This is the second of 2 tractors that have sat in the Nevada sun for a years with biodiesel, but now live in Northern Ontario.
Just keep trying to get fuel to the injectors.
Full tank of fuel
Fuel at filter
Fuel past filter
Fuel into pump
Fuel into injector hard lines
Fuel to injectors
Fuel smell...smoke...success.
Have you physially disconnected the EDIC and verified the position of the lever. Positions are overfuel, running and fuel off to shut down.
 
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