massey ferguson 390t 1997?

a few months ago i noticed that my massey would turn two revolutions before starting ,it usualy started straight away so i put it down to the cold spell that we were having.then i ran out of diesel and decided ti change the filter which was full of jelly and dirt .took a long time to start it after even by opening pipes as the injectors then i noticed that after reving it up and when coming back down to tickover it would cut out and has been doing it ever since.its slow to start since but if i give the injector pump a tap with a hammer it starts straight away.i checked the small filter in the little fuel lift pump it was totaly blocked it had even decayed away in places but i left it in as i think yo cant get them so i got a new pump but havent fitted it yet as i am going to clean the tank.when th engine is running its pefect no power loss and reves cleanly

jim duggan
February 2009