Tractor Repair: Ford 5610, self priming, fuel injection pump

Question
We just changed our fuel filter on our Ford 5610 tractor.  We started the tractor after putting the new fuel filter in and noticed we did not put in the gaskets.  We ran it for about twenty seconds in which it was running properly and then shut it off after seeing the problem.  We then took the filter off again and put the gaskets on.  We then primed the filter again and tried to start the tractor but it would not start.  We tried bleeding the fuel injector lines that lead to the engine.  But no fuel would come out of the injector lines.  It is as if the injector pump is not pumping all of the sudden.  In the owners manual it is said that the fuel injection pump is self priming.  It seems to me and my dad that it is not self priming itself.  Please help we need our tractor for harvest.

Answer
Hello,

  I ran into this problem once before on a Ford, and it was the fuel filter gaskets installed incorrectly that was the cause of the problem.  Somehow it was not letting fuel flow through the filter to the injection pump.  Remove the filter again and check to make sure the gaskets are seated in the grooves correctly.  The top gasket is slightly larger than the bottom one and fits into a groove in the filter base.  While the filter is off, make sure you have a good flow of fuel from the tank.  If not, the shut off valve on the tank is either defective or plugged up.  Once you get the filter bled again, you will need to bleed the injection lines again.  Loosen the injection line fittings at the injectors, not the injection pump.  Crank the engine until fuel squirts out, then tighten them up again.