# Ford 550 TLB...now it won't start



## 8990TRAC (Jun 16, 2013)

Sorry this is a bit of a vague "something's gone wrong, fancy guessing what it is?", but things were going lovely until this evening.

I coaxed my old digger back into life last week and then parked it up for a few days. When I started it last week, I had to jump it off my truck, as the battery was dead - when I did that, the positive battery terminal fell off the cable due to corrosion, so tonight, I replaced the battery positive cable (between the battery and the starter solenoid) and fitted a new battery.

Now it turns over lovely, but just won't fire - smoke and all that's drifting out of the exhaust, but there's no sign of it starting. Is it possible that I've dislodged a wire around the back of the solenoid which would stop it firing? There's no fuel shut-off solenoid or anything as clever/modern as that on a 550 (as far as I know) - I've tried opening the bleed screw on the fuel filter and fuel's coming through fine...it's a bit of a mystery, really.

Can anybody suggest the most obvious things to check, please?

Thanks for your help


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## 8990TRAC (Jun 16, 2013)

...this is it, by the way:










...it could really do with a wash and a bit of paint...and about a fortnight of continuous welding


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## pogobill (Jan 31, 2012)

Looks like a great unit for getting a bit of work done, for sure. Is it turning over fairly quickly? You may want to boost it again and see if it'll fire up.


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## Ultradog (Feb 27, 2005)

8990TRAC said:


> Sorry this is a bit of a vague "something's gone wrong, fancy guessing what it is?", but things were going lovely until this evening.
> 
> I coaxed my old digger back into life last week and then parked it up for a few days. When I started it last week, I had to jump it off my truck, as the battery was dead - when I did that, the positive battery terminal fell off the cable due to corrosion, so tonight, I replaced the battery positive cable (between the battery and the starter solenoid) and fitted a new battery.
> 
> ...



I would go through the bleed process. Start with the filter/s again. Then open the bleeder screw on the side of the injector pump and turn the engine over.
You should get a pretty good squirt there, like it will shoot out a couple of feet.
Then close the bleeder and crack all of the lines at the injectors.
They won't squirt but should dribble some fuel while you turn the engine over.
Then tighten them all up and see if it will start.


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## thepumpguysc (Jan 25, 2015)

Most of the Fords I've worked on have a "thermo-start" screwed into the intake pipe.
Its right behind the battery box, if yours b. box is infront of the intake pipe.??
Its connected w/ a very thin wire..
U might wanna check to see if it has one or if the wire got knocked off..
Do u know what a thermo-start is.. & how to use it.??


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## 8990TRAC (Jun 16, 2013)

Thanks very much for your help- I bled the fuel system as above and fuel came out of all the expected places...still no starting.

...then, I noticed that the throttle linkage had come off the throttle arm - clipped back on, the digger started first time - I must had knocked it off when I pulled the new starter cable through - still, easy to fix, which was nice 

Anyway, rather unexpectedly, a low-pressure return line from the injectors came loose while I was filling in a hole and diesel started pouring everywhere - another easy fix, but I wondered if anybody would indulge me in a game of "name that thing":

This was what the low-pressure line had come loose from - it screws into the inlet manifold, has a heating coil inside it and takes a 12V feed - is it some sort of fuel vaporiser? The amount of fuel that got dropped when the pipe popped off, it must just flood the inlet manifold with diesel, surely?


What's this weird round thing? It has a wire or a pipe going to it which feeds back to the cab somewhere.


This thing's on the front of the fuel-tank - some sort of overflow or a vent?


This is the injector-pump and it bolts to some sort of round assembly towards the front of the engine - what's the handle/knob for?


This thing looks like a horn, but it's bolted to the pipe between the air-filter housing and the inlet manifold - it has two wires going to it, but what is it?


Thanks to anybody who has a go


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## Ultradog (Feb 27, 2005)

The thing that screws into the intake manifold is the Thermostart plug. It is a cold weather starting aid.
The Horn looking thing is a dirty air filter sensor.
If hooked up it turns on a red light in the dash if air filter is plugged or dirty.
The knob in front of the injector pump is where you add engine oil. Unscrew it a bit and pull out.
That is all I know.


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## 8990TRAC (Jun 16, 2013)

Top marks, that man!

...I feel a bit stupid not spotting the oil-filler, though!


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## thepumpguysc (Jan 25, 2015)

How are u shutting the engine off??
The shut off lever is completely wrong.. & has no cable going to it..
Do u need 1.?? I have a few..
& the line coming from the side of the inj. pump, it looks like its going into the wrong hole{arrow}.. its a fuel return or a canister fill for the thermo-start..


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## Ultradog (Feb 27, 2005)

thepumpguysc said:


> How are u shutting the engine off??
> The shut off lever is completely wrong.. & has no cable going to it..
> Do u need 1.?? I have a few..
> & the line coming from the side of the inj. pump, it looks like its going into the wrong hole{arrow}.. its a fuel return or a canister fill for the thermo-start..


What kind of shutoff cables do you have?
I need one for my 3000.
Has to look like the originals.
New or good used is fine.


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## 8990TRAC (Jun 16, 2013)

Oh yes...shutting the engine off... I hook my foot under the throttle pedal and pull it up until the clattering noise stops  If you look carefully at the fuel shut-off lever arm, you can just make out some blue baler-twine tied around it...evidently, some previous owner came up with a pragmatic solution to the missing shut-off cable.

Replacing it's on my list of things to do...thanks for the offer of a spare, but I think postage from South Carolina to Scotland, UK would make it a very expensive cable 

I'm not sure about the injector piping - it looks fairly similar to the pictures in the manual (now I have one!) - there's another pipe you can't see here which goes from the injector pump to the filter return port (a lubrication/cooling circuit according to the manual) - maybe that's the one you're thinking of?

Any further thoughts on what the unidentified, mystery parts are would be welcome 

Thanks for your help


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## thepumpguysc (Jan 25, 2015)

To bad we're so far away.. I was talking about sending u a "shut off lever"..
I don't carry shut off CABLES.. only pump parts.
So it sounds as if the LOW IDLE is set so low, you can pull it back & make it shut off w/o using the shut off cable..
I guess that's better than putting it in hi gear & popping the clutch.. & stalling it.
Have fun w/ your project.. TPG


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