Hey guys having a problem with my 2004 bandit 1590 with cat/ Perkins 3054. Had fuel leaking out of weep hole on injector pump so I had that rebuilt. Started up fine, idles fine, wot is fine but any time I put in a considerable amount of wood in the chipper it loses power and seems to be running out of fuel. If I back the wood out and give it a minute it will usually regain power but will sometimes just eventually stall out. I then will have to manually pump the small lift pump to regain fuel in lines, give it a couple of long starts and it will fire back up, sputter a little, then start idling fine. I have blown out fuel hose to the tank and replaced all rubber fuel hoses along with the manual lift pump since it was leaking a small amount of fuel from its gasket. Chipper runs fine most of the time unless I put a hard load on it. Do these machines have a fuel pick up screen that might be clogged? If so I don't see any way possible to service it. Not sure if it sucking air from somewhere but I have no fuel leaking anywhere. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated
2004 bandit 1590 running out of fuel under hard load
- Thread starter Jstihl
- Start date
Reach
Been here much more than a while
- Location
- Atglen, PA
Your chipper should have a fuel filter, and I believe it also has an electric lift pump - if that is not working properly, it will overwork the injection pump and cause something like what you’re seeing.
There could be a clog on the pickup tube; I don’t believe there is likely a screen, but a wood chip in the tank could still plug the tube. Maybe drain the fuel tank(there’s a pipe plug on the bottom, remove it and the fuel comes out), when you do watch the fuel that comes out first, to make sure it’s clean. If it’s not, that could be the problem too.
There could be a clog on the pickup tube; I don’t believe there is likely a screen, but a wood chip in the tank could still plug the tube. Maybe drain the fuel tank(there’s a pipe plug on the bottom, remove it and the fuel comes out), when you do watch the fuel that comes out first, to make sure it’s clean. If it’s not, that could be the problem too.
Thank you for your reply! I have followed all the fuel lines and I don't see an electrical fuel pump. It seems that the small lift pump that bolts up to the block has a metal arm that reaches inside of the engine and I'm guessing it rides on some kind of mechanical Loeb to make the fuel pump. I recently replaced the fuel filters about 2 months ago so I'm thinking those should be okay. I will try draining the fuel tank and see what comes out. Just don't understand why the machine will run fine at wide open throttle, do these types of engines demand more fuel when under load? That's the only time I am seeing a problem
flushcut
Been here much more than a while
- Location
- Delavan, WI
Fuel filter or possibly an air leak are my first two thoughts.
Reach
Been here much more than a while
- Location
- Atglen, PA
Yes, as load increases, fuel flow will also increase.
It does sound like you have a mechanical lift pump, not an electric lift pump, but the principal is the same - if it’s not pushing fuel to the injection pump properly, it could be the problem.
Don’t discount the fuel filter just because you changed it two months ago, or even just yesterday - one bad tank of diesel can ruin a filter in minutes.
Air is also a possibility, especially if you recently changed all your fuel lines. An improperly tightened hose clamp (too tight is as bad as too loose) can allow air to get in, which will starve the fuel pump, and will allow the system to lose prime, thus causing your need to manually pump fuel back in.
Sounds good I will drain the tank and change the filters again. I changed the fuel lines in hopes to solve the problem but the problem still persists. I will double check the clamps also. I think air is getting in somehow because it does seem to lose prime sometimes. I will keep looking,, Thanks for all the great info, I appreciate it
MA Arborist
Branched out member
- Location
- Cape Cod
Did you unbolt and check the mechanical lift pump?
It may be worn where it makes contact with the internal part of the engine. This can cause fuel delivery problems because the pump is not fully activated while the engine is running.
I believe it’s just two bolts holding it on. Definitely worth a check
It may be worn where it makes contact with the internal part of the engine. This can cause fuel delivery problems because the pump is not fully activated while the engine is running.
I believe it’s just two bolts holding it on. Definitely worth a check
Merle Nelson
Been here much more than a while
- Location
- SF Bay Area, CA
When your all done and have solved this issue you could teach coachability classes here on the Buzz. 
You wouldn't believe how many people ask for help and then spend more time pushing back at peoples ideas than trying to fix their problem.
You wouldn't believe how many people ask for help and then spend more time pushing back at peoples ideas than trying to fix their problem.
evo
Been here much more than a while
- Location
- My Island, WA
My first thought was air too..
I went ahead and changed the mechanical lift pump since the old pump was leaking a little fuel from the gasket
Haha, yes I know those kind of people well. I help out on a truck forum and it drives me crazy when you try to offer advice and all they do is try to make excuses why the shouldn't go through steps to diagnose a problem.When your all done and have solved this issue you could teach coachability classes here on the Buzz.
You wouldn't believe how many people ask for help and then spend more time pushing back at peoples ideas than trying to fix their problem.
Am I correct in saying the only lines that would be sucking air would be the line going from the tank to the lift pump? What I am thinking is after the mechanical lift pump the the line is more pressurized so it would be pushing fuel out if there is a leak after that point instead of sucking air in. The lines coming out of the lift pump are all hard lines. The only other rubber hoses are return lines and not sure if those would be the culprit. Just trying to do process of elimination here. Going to try and get off work early too change out filters and drain the tank
Reach
Been here much more than a while
- Location
- Atglen, PA
You are correct, the only place air SHOULD be able to get in the lines is before the lift pump. However, if the lift pump fails, all the lines up to the injection pump will become suction lines. Of course, if that’s the case, you’ve got bigger problems than just an air leak.
Start with the line(s) from the tank to the lift pump, and don’t forget any threaded fittings, they can leak too if they’re not properly sealed.
Thanks for clarifying reach. I took of all the " suction" lines , cut about a half inch off the ends to work with some non clamped ends, put on a little fuel resistant adhesive sealant from Loctite on the fittings to ensure nothing gets into the fuel lines, put the clamps on snug but not too tight. Changed both fuel filters. I pulled the pipe plug on the bottom of the fuel tank and NOTHING came out!?? Put my finger in the hole and sure enough , the hole was clogged with rust particles and junk! Drained about 12 gallons of fuel, then put in another gallon to try and rinse the tank. I'm sure all the junk in the tank had clogged up the fuel filter even though it was only 2 months old. Started it up and it seems to be running much better. The true test will be Friday when I chip up some decent wood but I'm pretty sure this will have fixed my problem. We'll report back once I have run the chipper hard to verify this was the problem for future readers. Thanks for all the help and suggestions guys !!!
Serf Life
Been here much more than a while
- Location
- Maine Island
Hell yeah, hope it stays that way! I was fighting a phantom air leak in my older JD 80hp, also with mechanical lift pump, and man it can get frustrating. It was losing prime after sitting a couple days (paid to have it “fixed” twice) and ended up just putting a check valve and a backup shutoff on the return line. $10 in parts solved what $300 in labor and parts at the diesel shop didn’t... Keep us posted!
Reach
Been here much more than a while
- Location
- Atglen, PA
You’re welcome! Glad you got some things figured out, especially that gunked up tank! Don’t be surprised if it takes a couple fuel filters to get everything cleaned out, with that much junk in the bottom of the tank it just might.
I would suggest checking the fuel filter very frequently the next few days/weeks, even if it does not run poorly. The engine may run well even if the filter is rather clogged, but it will damage the fuel pumps and you may never know it until the injection pump fails. If that happens, you will have to replace the entire fuel system, and that’s expensive! (I know from experience! A Ford 6.4 of ours lost a lift pump years ago and we didn’t know until the injection pump failed and took out the fuel rail and injectors. $10k later, it was back on the road...)
Well we ran the chipper hard today and it ran great! Reach, I'm not sure how much I can see inside the filters but went ahead and bought 3 more sets of filters and will probably change them out after a week or so. Once the fuel gets low again I will try draining the tank again in hopes to get more of that junk out. Oregon fuel injection mentioned that I should change the injectors out since I just had the injection pump rebuilt, something about the timing could be of a little off? The engine idles pretty good but could be better. It has about 4500 - 5000 hours on it if I had to guess. The auto feed did not work when I bought it so had to unplug it along with the tach otherwise the feed wheels just turn very slow even at WOT. The auto feed is tough to figure out, did some research on it a few years ago but never got anywhere with it. I recently put on a separte digital hour meter to keep track now that we are using the chipper full time. Are injectors a tough job? Someone told me you have to use a slide hammer to install them? If I can swap injectors on a 7.3 diesel, these injectors shouldn't be to bad I guess. Any insight on the injectors or auto feed would be great, thanks again for all the help guys.
Reach
Been here much more than a while
- Location
- Atglen, PA
Glad to hear it’s running so well for you now, cheap fixes are always nice!
The age of the injectors will determine whether they need replaced or not, a good diesel shop can pop test them for you and will be able to see if they’re working correctly. If they’re original though, it’s probably about time to think about changing them if they’re in the 5000 hour range.
Changing the injectors on that engine should be fairly easy, but you will need a slide hammer, if I remember correctly. (It may be possible to pull them with a prybar, but it definitely won’t be nearly as easy!) We have an 07 1590 with the same engine, so I presume the change is similar. Our diesel shop can change them in about two hours, so it’s worth the labor to us to have them done professionally.
I can’t speak to the AutoFeed, I don’t know much about those, unfortunately.
Merle Nelson
Been here much more than a while
- Location
- SF Bay Area, CA
Autofeedplus.com for the autofeed controller -a well built one. Kurt there can be a tad abrasive at times so have your mind set on a machine that functions incredibly and not necessarily being treated all warm and fuzzy. ($300 or $400) He sells them on ebay under the same name.
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