Yaay, a problem that doesn't cost a buttload of money.

[MarkW]

I was using my 350C on some hillsides dragging some trees and it died, it started a few minutes later and then died again. It repeated this but at least I was able to get it back to the designated parking spot. At this point I had about 3 hours on the injection pump that I had replaced the elastomeric ring on (And also messed up the governor weight cage on reassembly) so I was trying to figure out what it could possibly be. It was a gradual (like it took 30-60 seconds) power loss, so I did not think it was necessarily the injector pump as also it needed to crank for 20 seconds or so to restart after sitting, so I was convincing myself it sure acted like a clogged intake in the fuel tank. Well I started it up today and pushed a couple logs around for about 10 minutes and it died again, so I hopped off and started undoing fuel lines. I was quite happy when the feed line from the tank to the pump was dry, woohoo, so now all I have to do is clean the tank instead of replace a head gasket or other god-knows-what sort of issue.

What I suspect is that the crawler has been operated on level ground for the last 10 years or so, and when I was operating it where it was pitching 30 degrees both nose high and nose low some stuff must have been dislodged in the tank. My preferred method to clean this issue is to use a section of clear 5/8" plastic line and siphon most of the fuel out into a white plastic bucket. That way you not only can see the crud flowing through the line but you can also see it in the bottom of the bucket. I gave it a small shot of compressed air today which cleared out the clog but of course until it is out of there it is just waiting until the dozer is in a precarious position and then it will re-clog. The funny thing is that I drained the sump less that 10 operating hours ago and it was pretty clean.

And the icing on the cake was that my 11 year old daughter used it by herself to push some logs around, and then parked it by herself too, including figuring how to position the machine prior to approaching the parking space. So all in all it was a pretty satisfactory day!

[KenP]

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[LeonardL]

Ken is right on this and I would like to add that if you haven't done so already and while you are cleaning things... Make sure the fuel tank vent tube is clear of any obstruction. I've had these machines do exactly what you are describing and it was the vent tube being stopped up. A vacuum will form in the tank causing the fuel line to be dry.
As for your daughter... You go girl!!! Wear that seat belt!!!!

[jdemaris]

The funny thing is that I drained the sump less that 10 operating hours ago and it was pretty clean.

!

It was a common problem with all the 350s. The fuel shut-off valve has a tiny opening that plugs easy. What you need is a fuel screen in there that strains all the fuel before it passes through that valve. The older 350s did not have them and we added our own. The 350Cs did have them when new - but often when they plugged somebody would break the screen to get the fuel flowing. You need to make sure that screen is still in one piece and clean.