I seem to have narrowed down my problem with my diesel dozer to running the dang thing out of fuel when working on a hillside. It really doesn't run out of fuel as the tank typically still has 10 - 20 gallons in it when this happens, it is just that if I am pushing dirt up hill and working a hillside, after about 30 minutes with the tank down and the nose up, it starts sputtering and dies. Then I have to swing it around with the kubota and then bleed the injectors and then all is well again for another 20 - 30 minutes of hillside work. (BTW . . . my five year old found one of my 5/8" injector wrenches yesterday on the road I was building
) I have figured out now that if I just turn it around and run it down the hill nose first a few times (before it sputters), I can extend the run time between coughs and pukes but I still manage to run it dry every once in awhile which turns into a major pain depending on where it decides to die (think . . . inches from a cliff with rain pouring down and mud everywhere).
SO . . . the question is, will a fuel pump that runs between 2 and 4 psi hurt the injector pump? I can't see how it could, but knowing how much one of these cost to rebuilt, I really don't want to screw anything up. Also, since the diesel doesn't have a key or ignition system . . . any good ideas on how I should power the fuel pump up (other than using a switch which I am sure will get left on at some point and run the battery dead). I have noticed that the alternator will not begin charging till the oil pressure comes up . . . is there typically an oil pressure switch tied in with the charging system? Think it could be used to turn the fuel pump on? I know this isn't a stovebolt question, but this is in the interest of creating yet more space for stovebolts to live.
