No, I am not going to the dark side!

Our Soccer club has a Kubota zero turn with a 72" deck. As I was mowing our fields today the mower was acting up. It seemed as if the fuel delivery was the problem. I ran to the Kubota dealer and got two fuel filters. Fortunately, I had mowed the fields they were using for a tournament tomorrow before it acted up. I got the filters on and fired up the mower and of course I had to mow to check it out. Thank goodness for the full moon called the Harvest Moon tonight as I quit mowing at 7:15.

Anyhow, you guys are my most trusted advisors. So here is my question, It seemed to run faster than it did before like it did when it was new. Could it be because of the new filters? because it is getting more fuel to the injectors?

Just curious...

 

I would say so. About all these fuel problems / filters are caused by contaminated
fuel containers. So always look in your fuel cans...

 

Yes it can definitely make a difference. I'm a diesel mechanic at a Kubota dealership. I work on the tractor side of the shop. I regularly see big 100 horse tractors choked down because of trash that gets stuck in a 90 degree fitting right at the fuel filter bowl. It can choke one down where it'll barely run.

 

A couple of things can cause poor performance. 1) Low fuel pressure caused by plugged filters and lines causes the lift pump to aerate the fuel in the fuel injection pumps fuel cavity where the barrel and plungers get the fuel that goes to the injectors. There won't be any noticeable difference in the exhaust color, but the governor may hunt a little trying to compensate. 2) Dirty air filter. Noticeable dark exhaust (smoke), may come in puffs. All kinds of bad things happen with dirty air filters. 3) Diesel bugs. Keep the fuel fresh and clean, and I mean clean. I have seen these critters bring a 10,000 HP diesel to it's knees. Oh, and the bugs are highly corrosive to fuel injection components too and make them un-repairable.

 

Thanks all of you. I am going to buy a funnel with a strainer to pour the fuel into the twin tanks.

What are diesel bugs?

 

Glad you got it fixed. Do you ever run them in winter? Not for mowing but maybe snow removal??
Reason i ask is ive got a bobcat b250 with the kubota 3 cylinder diesel and its the most cold blooded beast ive ever messed with. Guess i need a block heater for it.
I changed the fuel filter and glow plugs this last winter and still no start. Since it warmed up to about 55 plus it would start fine. Guess it doesnt want to move snow. Haha

 

No, it is just for mowing. I use it about 4 hours a week. So it has low hours.

 

They are a microbial growth. Most often detected after the fact, and often too late. They show up as a dark brown or black sludge (the black ones are dead bugs). In a small sediment bowl there could be billions of them clogging the upper screen. They will also fill up and choke a fuel filter down to a trickle. There are many articles on them from around the world. The best treatment is a thorough tank cleaning and subsequent doses of a biocide. But first you need to find out if you even have an infestation. If you don't, then good.

Hum Bug Kit Fuel Additives - Products

 

The '84 Mercedes 300TD, that I took the engine out of for my '49 F4, had the bacterial or fungus growth in the fuel tank when my Dad and Mom bought the car used. It was definitely doggy. After I got the car from them, we found out about the fungus and I put a biocide in the tank and killed it. I had to pull the strainer screen in the tank and clean the stringy black sludge out of it and changed filters a couple of times before it cleared up. Thankfully I didn't have any injector pump or injector damage from it. Clogged filters will limit the rpms and power of a diesel. If the engine is misfiring there is air getting into the system.
Mark