Isuzu 35 Fuel Problem

[CaptainIan]

Last week my Isuzu 35 ran out of fuel. Now the engine wont start. I've cleaned and checked the fuel lines and they are fine, but I have no fuel coming out of the High pressure pumps to the Injectors. It is an Isuzu 35 can you offer me any help or put me in touch with someone. Thanks Ian 

Edited April 29, 2019 by CaptainIan

[Alan de Enfield]

23 minutes ago, CaptainIan said:

Last week my Isuzu 35 ran out of fuel. Now the engine wont start. I've cleaned and checked the fuel lines and they are fine, but I have no fuel coming out of the High pressure pumps to the Injectors. It is an Isuzu 35 can you offer me any help or put me in touch with someone. Thanks Ian 

Have you bled the system ?

Have you checked the filter ? (You may have sucked up loads of muck from the bottom of the tank when you ran out)

How far 'down the line' is fuel getting ? (start at the fuel tank end and disconnect every connection along the line until the fuel stops).

Edited April 29, 2019 by Alan de Enfield

[CaptainIan]

Hi Alan, thanks but I've done all that, the only place fuel isn't coming out is the injector pumps. Ian

[Alan de Enfield]

16 minutes ago, CaptainIan said:

Hi Alan, thanks but I've done all that, the only place fuel isn't coming out is the injector pumps. Ian

Air bubble / Air lock in the pump.

 

Have you loosed the nuts on the injector pump outlet side (or on the injectors) and bled the HP line ?

Edited April 29, 2019 by Alan de Enfield

[Boater Sam]

Is this an electric lift pump with the small filter under the bayonet cap?

[Bee]

Difficult to say without seeing the engine and filters etc. My engine (Beta 43) is not easy due to the layout but essentially I have to fill the first filter with fuel from a bottle and a small funnel. Once that is full I can use the manual lever on the lift pump to pump fuel through to the filter on the engine. Once that is full the engine will usually start. If not then l loosen a union to an injector and turn it over on the starter, when fuel pulses out of that I reconnect it and it should fire on a cylinder or two then run. Basically if the filters are full and the fuel is turned on and the fuel is getting to the injectors then it ought to run.

[bizzard]

I take you have put fuel in the tank.  These are often self bleeding if you have the electric pump and providing nothing is clogged up with muck.  Try. Turn on the start switch but don't start the engine. You should hear the pump whining, leave it like that for a couple of minutes and then try to start it. Set the throttle lever to about 3/4.  Don't do the starter in short jabs, hang on to it for about 10-15 second bursts,  but not for too long or the starter motor will overheat.

Edited April 29, 2019 by bizzard

[Boater Sam]

12 hours ago, Boater Sam said:

Is this an electric lift pump with the small filter under the bayonet cap?

So is it the electric pump? Have you found the stupid filter in the end? Have you changed it?

[LadyG]

wrong thread,, sorry.

Edited April 30, 2019 by LadyG

[Tony Brooks]

1 hour ago, Boater Sam said:

So is it the electric pump? Have you found the stupid filter in the end? Have you changed it?

Sam, are you sure Beta fitted that stupid electric pump? I thought they were all mechanical. The thing you are on about seems to be a Vetus fitent, even the electric Isuzus with an electric pump uses a different type.

[bizzard]

Most Beta Kubota engines I've known have a mechanical lift pump. The earlier Thornycroft Mitsubishi had the electric pump with the wee filter. Not sure about the Vetus Mitsubishi though.  The OP's engine is an Isuzu 35, I've seen these with and without the wee filter in the electric pump, without probably replacement.

[Tony Brooks]

45 minutes ago, bizzard said:

Most Beta Kubota engines I've known have a mechanical lift pump. The earlier Thornycroft Mitsubishi had the electric pump with the wee filter. Not sure about the Vetus Mitsubishi though.  The OP's engine is an Isuzu 35, I've seen these with and without the wee filter in the electric pump, without probably replacement.

Must be blind, I went to the top of the topic are read - - - - Beta 35

[Brian422]

Would it be possible to construct a small fuel tank, above the injector, and use gravity to feed diesel directly into high pressure injector?

If engine starts then the problem is before injector pump ... at least will divide system.

[blackrose]

My Isuzu 55 is self priming. It doesn't need bleeding to get air out of the system after fuel filter changes, etc. I would have thought the Isuzu 35 was the same?

[Just Heaven]

54 minutes ago, blackrose said:

My Isuzu 55 is self priming. It doesn't need bleeding to get air out of the system after fuel filter changes, etc. I would have thought the Isuzu 35 was the same?

Our Isuzu 38 is self priming. I ran out of fuel soon after buying the boat. All I did was put a jerry can full in the tank, turn ignition on, listen to the pump - the note changes when it's full. Turned the key and it started straight away.

 

Steve

 

[CaptainIan]

Thank you for those that have replied. I have done all the things suggested above but I don't have any fuel coming out of the high pressure pumps to the injectors. Is there any way to bleed or test these? I've included a picture of a similar engine for reference.

[Alan de Enfield]

39 minutes ago, CaptainIan said:

Thank you for those that have replied. I have done all the things suggested above but I don't have any fuel coming out of the high pressure pumps to the injectors. Is there any way to bleed or test these? I've included a picture of a similar engine for reference.

 

Have you disconnected the fuel lines at the top of the injectors ? Fuel flowing ?

Is there fuel getting as far as the inlet on the pump ? Fuel flowing ?

 

If yes, its getting to the pump, and no its not getting to the injectors the pump is broken or has an air-lock.

 

To bleed, disconnect the pipes going into the injectors, turn the engine over (on the starter motor), it may take several 'goes', once fuel is flowing out of the 1st pipe, tighten it up. Turn the engine over again, when fuel comes out of the next pipe, tighten it up, repeat for each cylinder.

 

If after a 'fair time' turning over on the starter if there is no fuel coming out, I would suggest its time to take the pump off and have a trip to you nearest diesel pump re-furbisher / tester.

Edited May 1, 2019 by Alan de Enfield

[CaptainIan]

Thank you Alan do you class the first pipe as the extreme left or right?

[ditchcrawler]

Not being conversant with this engen I wonder what the engine stop system is, and is it possible that it is stuck in the stop position on the injector pump, is it power to run or power to stop or even a cable, is it possible its been disturbed in the bleeding process, you wouldn't be the first to try to start an engine with the stop cable pulled.

[Alan de Enfield]

8 minutes ago, CaptainIan said:

Thank you Alan do you class the first pipe as the extreme left or right?

The 1st one that fuel comes out of (any 1 of the 4)

4 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

Not being conversant with this engen I wonder what the engine stop system is, and is it possible that it is stuck in the stop position on the injector pump, is it power to run or power to stop or even a cable, is it possible its been disturbed in the bleeding process, you wouldn't be the first to try to start an engine with the stop cable pulled.

Very good point - stop solenoid ????

[Mawby]

Hi there I have an Isuzu 38 and no fuel from fuel pump. Fuel filter has been replaced any advice please

[LadyG]

1 hour ago, Mawby said:

Hi there I have an Isuzu 38 and no fuel from fuel pump. Fuel filter has been replaced any advice please

A bit late for anyone knowledgeable, but if you read through this thread, and start with, 

Fuel in tank?

Someone will answer in the morning.

A bit more info, was it working perfectly before you changed the filter for example, or what was the sequence.

 

[john.k]

The usual problem with tiny engines is the fuel delivery is miniscule,and a single air bubble will force the fuel back into the piping ,so it wont self bleed.

[Tony Brooks]

What do you mean by the fuel pump, the lift pump or the injector pump(s).

 

Fuel level in the tank has been raised, but take 6" as empty because the dip tube will stop short of the bottom and we don't know how far short that will be.

 

Some Isuzus use an electric fuel pump, so you won't get any fuel unless the ignition is switched on. I don't know if this applies to yours.

 

Following the same theme, do the warning lamps and gauges, if any, spring into life as you turn the ignition on?

There is usually a big multi-plug in the wiring harness between engine and instrument panel. make sure this is clean and tight.

 

If it is not an electric fuel pump.

 

Is the main fuel tap by the tank tuned on.

Did you use the priming lever, if it has one.

A good boat should have a primary fuel/water tap between the tank and engine. Has this been cleaned and if so what was in it.

Ditto the main engine fuel filter.

 

A bit of history is always useful. How long have you had the boat? Any odd things running/starting wise recently been occurring? When was the bottom of the fuel tank last drained, and what came out? Any recent work been done in the engine area. And so on.

 

 

PS, at this stage, ignore JohnK's post. I have never had the problem he describes in over 50 years of dealing with "small" diesels.

Edited July 2, 2023 by Tony Brooks

[blackrose]

9 hours ago, Mawby said:

Hi there I have an Isuzu 38 and no fuel from fuel pump. Fuel filter has been replaced any advice please

 

This might sound too obvious but you did turn the main fuel isolator from the tank back on after changing the filter didn't you? 

 

Was any water/sediment trap element in the fuel system (before the fuel filter) also changed, assuming you have one? If so I'm just wondering if air could be trapped in that. On my Isuzu 55 nothing needs to be purged of air after a fuel filter change as it's self priming but I don't know about the smaller engines.

 

Check for fuel leaks around the filter. Air may also be getting in.

Edited July 2, 2023 by blackrose