HD-5 problem

I'm having a problem with my 1947 AC HD-5 dozer fluttering, missing and losing power.  I've only ran this machine a handful of times since I bought it but it starts and runs good for about 30 to 60 minutes and then it starts to flutter, miss and lose power.  This goes on intermittently but progressively gets worse as you continue to use it.  I thought and was told it was heating up but it doesn't seem to boil over or lose coolant.  I removed the radiator to check it out and found only about 4 small dings in it with the largest one being about the size of a silver dollar.  I cleaned it good inside and out.  I took it to two different old radiator repair men to look it over and they both said the radiator looked to be in really good shape and the dings would have no impact on it cooling.  I then removed the water pump to check to see what the impeller looked like and it was in good shape and functioned as it should, I did find there was no thermostat.  I removed the oil cooler, soaked it overnight and then blew it out with air as well.  I replaced everything including a thermostat and filled it with fresh water and antifreeze.  It did the same thing when I ran it for about 30 to 60 minutes last night.  I have also chenaged the oil and filter along ewith the first stage fuel filter.  I found no water in the oil and no oil in the coolant when drained.  The dozer will start right up if it should die when it is acting up and it will fire right up and run for about the same 30 to 60 minutes after it has sat for awhile after it starts the fluttering and missing.  I'm now thinking the advice on it being a coolant problem isn't it at all and I leading towards a fuel problem.  I'm no mechanic although I have tinkered around with gas engines I have absolutley no experiance with diesel engines.  I'm of the opinion there's a fuel problem so I guess i'll start with checking to assure there's a good flow of fuel through the system.  There's no fuel guage on the machine so I have no idea of what the pressure may be.  Any help would be appreciated.

I think you have a fuel problem. I bought a Cat loader once that acted the same way your machine does, it would work great but eventually lose power and start missing. If I shut it off and left it set for a while I could use it again until it would  start acting up again. My problem was algae in the tank ,but dirt or water can do the same thing. I'm not familiar with an HD-5, but change your fuel filters and check to see if fuel flows directly from the tank.

If you have the original filters yet on machine there is a cartridge filter (pleated paper) on one side by oil filter, and on other side a cotton wound filter by fuel pump. Change both.

Edited by Coke-in-MN - 09 Oct 2010 at 5:18pm

This may be a little off topic but it reminds me of a county school bus ( 7.3 international ) that came to the shop I used to work for. The driver reported that at any time the engine would stumble and loose power and sometimes die. after sitting for a few minutes it would start right up. A school bus on the side of the road with kids on board is never a good thing. 3 times it came in in about 2 or 3 weeks,  it came in 3 times under it's own power and the forth time on a wrecker. The County transportation director was pissed. After replacing the fuel lines from the tank to the lift pump & filters, the whole filter assemblies, lift pump, the injector pump, I put a known to be good used one on. Even a new wire from the ignition switch to the fuel shutoff solenoid.  After each of these listed repairs I drove the bus about 6 miles and never a problem. The only thing left was the fuel tank. I drained the fuel, dropped the tank, put the co2 hose from the wire feed welder in it leaving the tank fill with co2. I cut a 12 inch hole in the tank with the torch. there in the bottom of the tank was the 1 inch diameter foil seal from a power service jug that was finding it's way to the dip tube. 

Folks, I finally got this thing straightened out.  I thought I had changed BOTH fuel filters but after some thinking i took the top off of the 1st stage fuel filter and the top of the filter looked identical to the secondary filter I knew I had installed.  Thinking it was a new filter by the pull tab at the top, just as the other one I replaced the canister top and started checking else where in the fuel system.  I started the dozer and cracked the pipe plug in the top of the canister head and fuel gushed out and I figured it was in good shape up to that point.  After some more thought I figured I had better pull that primary filter all the way out and look it over and when I tried to pull it out I had to really pull to get it loose from the canister.  When I finally got it out the bottom of the metal filter housing was rusted about a half inch up the filter.  I then opened the drain cock and nothing would come out so I stuck my hand into the canister and could feel about a half inch of sediment in the bottom. I had to stick a screw driver into the bottom to stir this mess up so it would drain out the drain and even at that all of it would not drain out and I had to blow it out with my air compressor.  Needless to say I had this junk all over me but I got it good and clean.  Put a NEW fuel filter in and I have ran this dozer for about 6 hours a day for two days this week and she is running good.  What a lesson that was and the next time I will make sure I pull both filters all the way out of the canisters and no0t merely look at the tops and the clear fuel inside.  By the way the filter I got from NAPA was smaller in diameter and a totally different part number thabn the filter I removed.  The guy at NAPA checked the number and he said that filter appeared to be for a case, so I'm wondering if the canister has been changed by someone.  Makes no difference as I put the filter in that the NAPA book called for which was the same for both filters only this one I had to put a washer on top of it so the spring would catch it as I tightened the top up.  This new filter had a larger hole in the middle of it and the spring would poull down into the filter.  I hope I've got it fixed as she has got some work done this week.