Combines Getting crud out of fuel tank

[kip]

I've got the same problem. Take the screen off the tank under the cab, when tank is empty. Tip machine to the left(let air out of tires). Spray fuel into tank with pressure. Hope it works.

 

[R_O_M]

Don't try what the mob in my flying club did. Crud was in a petrol [gas ] tank so some bright spark [ pun ! ] got the idea of using the vacuum cleaner to suck out the crud after the tank was emptied. Everybody stood around to do the usual supervision and one guy even held the vacuum cleaner up with his arms wrapped around it. After a couple of minutes gouging around in the bottom of the tank sucking out the crud and the odd bit of gas, it dawned on one of our bright sparks that, hey! thats fumes from the gas going around that electric motor and that was a recipe for an Al Qaeda type blast! Operations ceased forthwith while all and sundry retired to mop collective brows, change undies and have a beer or three to settle the nerves!

 

[PETE]

I still have this problem periodically on my N6 even though I have drained the tank with the combine leaning to the left and also flushing the tank with fuel while draining to a barrel. I got most of it out but not all of it so I still have problems from time to time. What I ended up doing was to install a tee between the shutoff valve and line going to the filters. I installed a valve between the tee and the fuel line so I could isolate the fuel line while blowing air into the tank. Off the other part of the tee I ran a line to the outside of the combine and mounted a valve with an air fitting. This allows me to blow air either way depending on my valve line up. I try to do this at the end of the day with the combine leaning to the right so the crud will not settle back into the fuel tank sump over night. Make sure you take the fill cap off before you do this and the tank level is low. Not that I have had any experience doing this the wrong way.............. Pete

 

[T__langan]

Thanks everyone. Kip - where is this screen locatedIJ I quickly tried to trace the fuel line to the tank, but was in a hurry and never did find the source. It doesn't help that we have a mud shield behind the left drive tire and lose track of the line behind it. Is this screen under the cab, above the feederhouseIJ What sort of crud are you guys findingIJ Is it just gunk that falls in when you remove the fuel fill capIJ We've never had a problem like this before or with any of our other equipment. Thinking this is something that we inherited from previous owner.

 

[kip]

Screen is right above the feederhouse drive belt on the right hand side. Mine seemed like crud that falls into the tank fill neck. Deere had a screen over the fill tube on my 9600. I'm going to see if it will fit the R75.

 

[Fishdog]

On my R40 I had to take the fuel tank off the combine and have if cleaned. Not a fun Job. Before I did this I had to blow air back into the tank at least once a day. The inside of the tank was full of some sort of slime. Had it flushed and I am adding some additive that is suppose to keep the slime away.

 

[oldstruck]

Word is, there will be trouble with Soybiodiesel settling if stored more than 2 months. I am not knocking biodiesel! But it will take different management than the old n2 that we are all used to having. Some problem with this starts with your supplier, they may have bactria in their tanks and trucks also, so it just spreads. It does not help that our combines set 9 months out of 12. Make sure at the end of the harvest season to run low on biodiesel and get some pure off-road (dyed) diesel for the last tankful and add either PowerService with the cleaner for biofuels or the gold stuff that has the cleaner in it. Then run that through and refill full to store the machine. It will reduce the risk of having settling issues and bactria growing (slime). Note, J8 jet fuel (kerosene) is a really good diesel fuel! If you can afford it! We have gotten a couple items from the Feds (a grader and a semi) that had full fuel tanks with this stuff and they were setting for a couple years and had nothing other than fuel in the tanks. NO CRUD!! When you get some out it, looks almost clear. Anyway, I do everything I can not to get this problem. I do not store any diesel in storage over the winter unless we know we will be used it fairly quickly. When we get a new batch that goes in our storage tank it gets a shot of the antibacterial additive. Just something to consider. Hope everyone is having a good harvest.

 

[T__langan]

How do you get the fuel tank outIJ

 

[Fishdog]

Had to take the sheet metal apart in the grain bin over the fuel tank by drilling out the rivets, then reinstalling with new rivets.