Rats nest in the intake

lawsonj5 · Post by **lawsonj5** » Tue Mar 04, 2014 11:17 am

Tried to fire up my 350 diesel today and no luck. Cracked the fuel lines to make sure it was getting fuel which it was. Everything on the air filter looked good so I decided to pull off the intake hose and found it full of needles and such like there was a rat or squirrel in there. I vacuumed every thing out and still cant get it to fire. I'm thinking i may have sucked something into the engine but not sure where to start. Pull valve cover? Any suggestions?

jthornton · Post by **jthornton** » Tue Mar 04, 2014 4:33 pm

Did you pull the intake manifold off of the head? How did the vermin get in to start with? Did they chew a hole in the rubber connector to the dust collector?

JT

lawsonj5 · Post by **lawsonj5** » Tue Mar 04, 2014 9:31 pm

The intake manifold is part of the head and cannot be removed by itself. I pulled the valve cover off and it appears that all the valves are opening and closing like they should. I thought maybe one might not be closing all the way and not allowing compression. After pulling the rubber hose off I put my hand over the intake hole and cranked the engine over. There was lots of suction on my hand so I'm assuming its getting air and I cracked the fuel lines to make sure its getting fuel. Is there a way to check compression on these engines?

Scottyb · Post by **Scottyb** » Wed Mar 05, 2014 1:12 am

I had a similar experience. Mice and canola seed. I had no choice but to pull the head and clean up the mess. It is not that big of a job really. Then you know you will not cause damage to the engine as well.

go from this.....

clean it up nice...
to this....

then give it another try.

lawsonj5 · Post by **lawsonj5** » Wed Mar 05, 2014 8:05 pm

Guess I'll be pulling the head as soon as it stops raining. I get tired of working on this thing outside every time. How long did it take you Scottyb?

Scottyb · Post by **Scottyb** » Wed Mar 05, 2014 9:11 pm

about an hour to disconnect the injector lines, muffler, temp sender, drain anti freeze half way, valve cover, and that stuff. And, then another hour (at most) to remove the head(cordless impact). Leave the exhaust manifold on the head.
The injectors stick out slightly on the inside of the head so be careful not to set it on a hard surface without cardboard or something soft.
I usually find a way to keep the bolts and valve push rods organized so they go back into the same holes. A cardboard box with cuts representing the bolt pattern on the top works. Keep the push rods in the same holes as it might prevent having to do a valve adjustment as they often wear unevenly. be VERY careful turning the engine over with the head off as, the cylinder liners can pop up unexpectedly if their is debris on the rings.
Cleaning about an hour, I usually wire wheel the bolts, new head gasket is nice but many guys will re use a good looking one.
Assembly, about the same 2 hours. Making sure to torque in order is essential and takes a bit of time. But it is easy. I do not use the impact on re assembly as, any obstruction when tightening down can break something. A little engine oil (1 tsp+-) in each cylinder before putting the head on will help with start up compression. Bleed the lines once back together and let her rip!
Total time 4 to 5 hours. Less if you have done one recently or, have a helper.

Things to have ready, Head gasket, new injector line washers, I think 6, and valve cover gasket if it looks like it leaks before hand. Good time to change the top rad hose if it is bad, as well as the temp sender if it does not work.
You could get by with no parts however, I suggest having the injector line washers (at the pump end) as they are cheap and, they often leak if re used a few times.
Scott

Scottyb · Post by **Scottyb** » Wed Mar 05, 2014 9:22 pm

I should suggest that you check the valve seats for crud. I took my valves out and wire wheeled them carefully. some had a fair bit of stuff that needed cleaning off including some normal residue from years of running. Add another hour +.
Scott

I regularly use my mouse detector to check the equipment before starting....

Frankdozer · Post by **Frankdozer** » Thu Mar 06, 2014 11:16 am

I also have had situations with mice. Last summer I sat in the dozer to start it and I heard a mouse squeaking, I looked took off the dash and it had built a house. I removed the mouse house and used the dozer. That night I set 4 traps on the deck and caught one. Since last summer to date I have trapped 12. Frank

lawsonj5 · Post by **lawsonj5** » Sat Jun 28, 2014 5:39 pm

Finally got around to this project. Pulled the head off and didnt find nearly as much crud inside as I expected. This is good I guess but I dont see anything holding a valve open like I had suspected. I'm going to pull the valves out and clean them up since I am this far. Never pulled valves before so i figure this is a good time to learn. Injectors dont look great so I think I'll just buy some new ones along with the new gaskets. We'll see how it goes. Thanks for the tips.

DrLoch · Post by **DrLoch** » Sun Jun 29, 2014 7:15 am

While you did have trash in the engine, you said you cracked the fuel lines, which ones? The ones leading to the injector pump or one of the injector lines?

Frankdozer · Post by **Frankdozer** » Sun Jun 29, 2014 8:30 am

How did the mice get in there.............Unless they chew a hole...there is no other way to get in there...........

lawsonj5 · Post by **lawsonj5** » Tue Jul 22, 2014 8:30 pm

I had the air cleaner out for a while getting the new one and they must have got in then. I called my local deere parts (Pape) and tried to source an upper gasket set (PN AT21626) and 3 new injectors (PN AT25502). They gave me a new number for the gasket set (RE38848) but said I would need to buy the head gasket separate. $500 total seems awfully steep to me. Does anyone know of a better source for these parts?

jsal · Post by **jsal** » Tue Jul 22, 2014 9:10 pm

a local diesel pump repair shop for injectors, the gasket I would check a local auto part store Auto Value or a Napa auto parts

Good Luck
JIM

Post by **Lavoy** » Wed Jul 23, 2014 8:42 am

It would take a little more research, but first price I came up with is a little over $100 for a full set gasket set.
I can also get injectors, just need part number.
Lavoy

lawsonj5 · Post by **lawsonj5** » Wed Jul 30, 2014 5:44 am

Thanks Lavoy. I sent you a PM with the part numbers.

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Rats nest in the intake

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