- Joined
- Feb 7, 2013
- Messages
- 2,498
The Isuzu engine in my Bobcat skidsteer became hard to start over several weeks. Just for fun I shot just a
little gasoline into the intake and it fired right up and ran fine. That told me that the low pressure side of the
Zexel pump might be failing or is not getting fuel. There is a low pressure control device at the intake of
the pump but of course it has to be something the average person can't wrench on. It is basically two flats
10 millimeters wide machined on a 12 millimeter wide diameter. I have noticed this with diesel pumps that
one needs specialty tools to work on them so of course I had to make one. I used a socket head screw
as a starting point and milled out a 10 millimeter wide area long enough to clear the 12mm diameter.
As luck would have it I had saved a 1/4 inch extension that was twisted off at the end so used the acetylene
gas torch to join the pieces.
Here you can see the specialty tool completed and the type of bolt I used to make it.
Here you can see the milled out 10mm wide trench I made in the end of a socket head screw and also another socket head screw on the
right for clarity.
After unscrewing the pressure controlling screw on the Zexel pump(previously called Diesel Kiki), I found the spring controlled valve
to be in fine condition and not gummed up or stuck. One thing I did hear though was that when I removed the valve was the fuel
was draining back to the fuel tank. That tells me the ball valve on the end of the fuel tube is not working. It's really a Mickey-Mouse
setup as it is a cheap plastic line with a ball and screen on the end. I will add a one way ball valve in the fuel line and hopefully
it will solve the problem. I certainly don't want to remove the fuel pickup as that is a major difficulty as many Bobcat owners are
very much aware.
I used gasoline because the manual says not to start the Isuzu using starting fluid...
edit: typo
little gasoline into the intake and it fired right up and ran fine. That told me that the low pressure side of the
Zexel pump might be failing or is not getting fuel. There is a low pressure control device at the intake of
the pump but of course it has to be something the average person can't wrench on. It is basically two flats
10 millimeters wide machined on a 12 millimeter wide diameter. I have noticed this with diesel pumps that
one needs specialty tools to work on them so of course I had to make one. I used a socket head screw
as a starting point and milled out a 10 millimeter wide area long enough to clear the 12mm diameter.
As luck would have it I had saved a 1/4 inch extension that was twisted off at the end so used the acetylene
gas torch to join the pieces.
Here you can see the specialty tool completed and the type of bolt I used to make it.
Here you can see the milled out 10mm wide trench I made in the end of a socket head screw and also another socket head screw on the
right for clarity.
After unscrewing the pressure controlling screw on the Zexel pump(previously called Diesel Kiki), I found the spring controlled valve
to be in fine condition and not gummed up or stuck. One thing I did hear though was that when I removed the valve was the fuel
was draining back to the fuel tank. That tells me the ball valve on the end of the fuel tube is not working. It's really a Mickey-Mouse
setup as it is a cheap plastic line with a ball and screen on the end. I will add a one way ball valve in the fuel line and hopefully
it will solve the problem. I certainly don't want to remove the fuel pickup as that is a major difficulty as many Bobcat owners are
very much aware.
I used gasoline because the manual says not to start the Isuzu using starting fluid...
edit: typo
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