1990 LE250 12v engine problems
 

Alright guys I've had my truck for about a year now, with no major problems other than the ones I knew It had when purchasing it(electrical problems). Yesterday night when leaving work it seemed the idle was incredibley low. Almost to the point of stalling but mostly just some shaking. And when you would step on the accelerator it would shake/bog down at first then act normal until you come to a stop or low enough rpm then it would continue. It's also been throwing ALOT of white smoke out of the exhaust. And it also smells different I have noticed. Now when I went to start it this morning it would not start at all to the point of my battery getting pretty low from trying. This has happened Monday and Tuesday of this week aswell but the truck eventually started. When I got home from school I tried again but to no avail, so I cracked my injectors and cranked it to see if maybe there was air in my system but again it still wouldn't run(although i may not have done it correctly). Could it be a bad pump? Bad injectors? I'm unsure as this is my first diesel vehicle. Any help would be greatly appreciated, thank you.

Most likely (and cheapest/easiest) is a clogged fuel filter.

Here was my experience: https://www.dieseltruckresource.com/...-smoke-310994/

would that cause it not to start at all?

If clogged enough, I would think so. [redface] It's absolutely the cheapest and easiest thing to test. Just replace it. [guitar] When was the last time it was done?

not really sure to be honest. I bought it off the original owner and he kept meticulous records so I'll have to look through them and see.

[QUOTE=Ryan0190;3335023]...I'll have to look through them and see./QUOTE]

You can change the fuel filter in less time. [coffee]

[QUOTE=MAC702;3335031]I've got a napa 10 minutes from my house, what filter do I need?

They'll look it up. I don't have the number handy. I prefer Fleetguard, but it's not that big a deal. Get whatever they have.

Here's a thread with lots of info on things to watch for while doing it: https://www.dieseltruckresource.com/...filter-100852/

for the napa gold filter they said it was $26, is that the going rate or are they just doing the normal naps overcharge? Also on the current filter there was like a drain kinda thing that when you push straight up on it, it emptied a sort of blue liquid is this diesel with a bunch of water in it? And also I seems like the filter is in a spot that is going to be a ***** and a half to get out, and very difficult to put the new one in with diesel in it. And looking at the thread you linked I don't see any wires/plugs at the bottom but i do see one on the piece that the filter screws into

Remove the water sensor/drain on the bottom of your old one and install in on the new one. My truck had long ago had those wires cut off but I still used it as a plug. Just put as much diesel in it as you can before installing. I didn't have to do mine often enough to remember all the issues, but it twice cured my symptoms of no power with white smoke, and is still way cheaper and easier than any other possibility. It's something that should get changed anyway if you don't know how long ago it's been.

i just still can't believe it's gotten clogged so much that it won't even let me start the truck. The last filter change he documented was in 2005, he had given the truck to his grandson so I would imagine he changed it but just didn't write it in the ledger.

I wouldn't.

It might not be the problem, but for $26, it's the easiest thing to rule out.

And even with a filter you changed just yesterday, and some dirty diesel today, still a clogged filter...

Change it and report the result.

will do, I ended up calling auto zone and getting a filter through them, half the price and a bunch of people told me they've been stranded because of the napa filters.

The filter was in all reality likely last changed in '05.
Change it as that was almost 13 years ago.