Help!! Can't get my cat to run!

Hey OldParker,

I suspect it's a fuel bleed or supply problem. I would check the injection pumps and rack to make sure everything is moving freely and the individual pumps are free and not stuck. Next go to the back side of the injection pump. There are bleed screws for each pump. Bleed each one. The last one I did that sat for as long as you stated, gave me trouble too. I thought I bleed them good, but one was just a little lacking on squirting out as the rest of them. I had to take the bleeder screw all the way out and get a small piece of wire and clean the whole out. It finally gave a big flush pushing junk out. It woke up the old girl and ran fine.-glen

Has the fuel gone bad?Have you added some new fuel to what was in the tank?I know the old fuel was good stuff and didn't go bad as easy as this new stuff does.But there was some questionable fuel in the old days as well,and who knows what the last guy tried running.
Ray

Have you tried loosening the fittings at the injectors themselves to make sure you're getting fuel to 'em? That's the last step I go through after bleeding the filter tower and injector pumps. If you get little to no fuel at that point, try jerking the throttle to full, and check for fuel again. If the rack is free, the linkage might be sticking.

If it gives out with a roar when you squirt a bit of goose juice into it, it doesn't sound like either a timing problem or valves, just a fuel problem.

There's white smoke and then there's WHITE SMOKE as in clouds of thick stuff that means you're injecting a healthy dose of fuel. Lots of times you will get some mild smoke out of one with the throttle all the way closed to the shutoff position, so like Old Grump said, make sure you're pulling on the throttle hard enough to move the linkage down on the injector pump and actually moving the rack itself. Might be going the wrong way with it.............wouldn't be the first time..............don't ask..................😆

Some of the intake and exhaust valves my be stuck sitting that long. remove the tappet cover and see if everything is moving free. If not you may have some bent pushrods also.

white/light gray smoke indicates unburned diesel fuel, so end of compression stroke temperature is too low to let fuel burn,

so several things to try if possible:
-longer running main engine and thus preheating on compression but without fuel for (5 or even 10 minutes more then now)
-higher rev's from pony motor will increase the compression end temp. and better starting.

after trying this and it's still not starting , i would give it some more ether till engine fires up and clutch is kicked out automaticly

Thanks for all the suggestions. Unfortunately, pony motor clutch siezed up this morning as I was trying to get the cat started started, so I had to pull the pony! Now I have to wait for a new base gasket to come from Washington state, so, I'll be on hold till the latter part of next week. Then with all the suggestions I'll get her running I hope. Fortunately I have another pinion assembly to put in place of the siezed one. We'll see what happens. Thanks for all the help, John

In the meantime, got any photo's and a serial number?