So I have a d350 that I recently purchased and I can't get it to start after cracking the fuel lines to run diesel purge through them. The truck had been sitting for awhile and after alittle bit of work I had it running though it seemed to be alittle bit sluggish and would barley do 60mph. That's why I figured it was having some fueling issues. I have tried bleeding it the best I know how but it still won't start it feels like it will fire when your first crank it but it just won't catch.

I have bleed it through the the port next to the fuel filter till it's just drops of fuel coming out, then I cracked the fuel injector lines and as I crank you can see the fuel shoot straight up about a foot. After that it still wouldn't fire so I checked the fuel solenoid and it's getting power and when jumped to the battery I can hear it clicking so I assume it's good.

I replaced the fuel filter because the original was really dirty about half way through the process and I re-bleed it. The only other thing I have messed with since it ran last was the fuel pin putting it to the steeper side. Not sure where to got from here so any help would be greatly appreciated.

Fuel filter

 

Wow that is one gross fuel filter.
It looks like you pulled it out of the ocean!

It looks like toy have some water in your fuel system, hopefully the inside of your injection pump doesn't look similar.

What do you mean by running "diesel purge" through them?

 

You have a suction side air leak, probably. Try putting a few pounds of air pressure into the fuel tank and watch for drips...Mark

 

Yeah it's probably the worst fuel filter I have ever seen. Supposedly it's a new injection pump so I hope it doesn't look that bad inside.

So I had taken the rubber fuel lines off the metal fuel lines by the frame and put both the suction and return lines in a bottle filled with diesel purge.

 

If your filter looks like that you probably have a mess in your fuel tank, and it is probably clogging up the fuel sending unit. Try running a line off the lift pump into a can of clean diesel and see what happens.

 

Gave it a go, put the line coming off the lift pump straight into a juice bottle with diesel purge and made sure it was below the level of fluid so there should be no chance it can suck in air. Re-bleed the system and spun it over, it feels like it will almost start then nothing. If I crank if for a few seconds I can smell diesel exhaust so it must be getting alittle bit of fuel I think. Maybe a bad lift pump?

 

You keep mentioning "diesel purge" and I'm not familiar with the term...What does it mean?......Ben

 

It's a fuel system cleaner that's supposed to clean the injectors and combustion chamber. I have used it before with pretty good success on Mercedes diesels.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/idparts...ge-how-to/amp/

 

So you were trying to start it with just this diesel purge product? Is it a combustible product or does it need to be diluted in regular diesel to work properly?

 

Looking at that filter, I'd bet your injectors are all plugged up, and maybe even the distributor pump section of the IP. Injector ports are only a few thousants of an inch in diameter. It doesn't take much water or sludge to really mess things up.

 

It should be combustible, the directions say to just put the suction and return hoses right in the can and run the engine for extra cleaning.

 

It's a possibility, only thing I'm hung up on is I was just driving it a few days ago and all I did was crack the fuel lines open and change the filter and now it won't start with everything I have tried.

 

Did you check for an air leak?Based on what you said, it was running, you loosened some connections, now won't run, sounds like a good possibility that something isn't sealing up, just sayin' ...Mark

 

When you changed the filter did you fill it with fuel and then bleed off the air with the bleed screw above the filter? You have to open that screw and work the lever on the fuel pump to get the air out of the system or else you'll fill the IP with air and when you get air in the lines to the injectors it will not start until you bleed out that air. The injectors have a poppet valve in them that will not open because air in the lines prevents enough pressure to pop them.

Edwin

 

I'll assume you changed and bled the filter correctly, and then cracked the injector lines till they sprayed fuel and then tightened them. With crud and gel like that on and in the filter, and I'd have to assume on the filter holder, odds are some got into the lines, or was already there and got dislodged when you relieved fuel pressure by cracking the lines increasing the flow temporarily.

If, when you crack the injector lines they squirt fuel, and it ran before indicating timing is OK, you'd have to assume injectors are clogged. I'd pull them and have them checked out at a diesel shop. If they prove to be plugged and they have to clean or re-tip them, pull your injector lines and clean them before reassembly. I'd clean the filer to IP line as well.

In the future, never let your fuel filter get that bad.