JD350C Air in the Fuel Filter

[dan nix]

I have recently inherited a 1976 JD350C from my father.
The dozer is sitting on 20 acres my dad had so I don't have acces to the bevy of garage ameneties sch as an air compressor.

It had been sitting for a few years. When I tried to start it, it ran idled for a few minutes and then died and would not start. This pattern would repeat itself a few weekends in a row. I pulled the fuel filter and it did not have clean diesel in it, it looked like there was some muddy sludge in it. I replaced the filter with a new one and installed it after filling it with diesel.
Now the dozer starts, but after about 5 mintes of idling, bubbles start appearing in the top of the fuel filter and then it starts to sound like it is starving for fuel. Once the bubbles appear and it starts to rough, it will die and will not start.

So here is what I have done so far. I pulled the fitting from the petcock on the fuel tank and found the fuel would just barely drip out. I then removed the petcock completely hoping the fuel wold just poor out, but it did not. I then pulled the fitting off of the bottom petcock, which I assume is just a drain and could not get diesel to flow at all. I removed that petcock too and could not even get a drip of diesel to come out.

So my suspiscion is that the fuel tank is pretty gunked up and I need to completely clean it. It flows a little diesel, but not enough to allow the dozer to run.

Is the ineffiecent fuel flow the cause of my air bubble?
Am I on the right track?

[jtrichard]

you need to get fuel flow and then you should not have air ... for the short term take a wire and with the petcock removed poke it in the hole in the tank and work it around some and you should get fuel flow ..... and then clean the tank ASAP

[cantbeatadeere]

One more thing to add, is the tank venting???...loosen the cap and see if fuel runs. If not, as said use a wire up through the vent until you see it pop through by the cap. I hate to ask this....but it does have fuel in it...right

[Stan Disbrow]

Hi,

Get the junk out of the tank. Do not rely on the fuel filters. The junk can tear the element. If it does, it will seize the injector pump and snap the pump driveshaft.

Don't ask me how I know about that one (besides, I'm sure y'all can guess correctly, anyhow).....

Stan

[dan nix]

It's funny you ask if there is fuel in the tank. When we started it the first time, I asked my brother if there was fuel in the tank, he said yes, he had just put 5 gallons in the tank. So I assumed there was indeed fuel in the tank. Well at some point between starting it the first time and a weekend or two later, someone had stolen the fuel.
My plan now is to completely clean the fuel tank and anything connected to it.
Here's the next question, clean the tank in place, or remove it. Clean in place seems like less di-assembly and re-assembly work, but much more difficult to guarantee that the tank is spic & span clean. With the tank removed it is much easier to verify that every bit of gunk is removed. Is removing the tank fairly simple other that it is heavy?