Last weekend, I was heading out of town in the truck. She was running fine the first 10 miles, but as I started heading up the hill out of town she lost power and I had to pull off the highway. She would crank and crank, but never fire.

I finally got a chance today to look at her. Initially, crank but no start so I thought I'd check the fuel filters (I have 3 in series, the stock 10 micro, a 5 micro and a 2 micro) between the piston lift pump and the VE injection pump. I ended up taking the 5 and 2 micro filters off and dumping the contents into a couple clear plastic jars to see if there was water in them, which there wasn't. I didn't have any diesel laying around in a can, so I put them on dry and cranked the motor with the vent open until all the filters were charged. I closed the vent and tried to start, but no luck.

I then took a 17mm wrench and loosened the fittings on the front three injectors to see if I was getting fuel from the IP. I was within a few cranks, so I closed them up. I then cranked her again and she began to catch. Another 30 seconds of cranking and she finally caught, ran rough for about 15 seconds and then smoothed out. Shut her off and started her again a few times and everything seems to be okay now.

Any ideas or suggestions of things I should check to make sure this doesn't happen again?

 

When I went to start it this morning, I had to crank it for about 10 seconds before it fired. This is new, as she usually fired on the first crank.

Gotta be an air leak somewhere.

 

Try to pump low pressure air into the fill neck with a shop rag wrapped around it to pressurize the system. Like 7-10psi. Have a buddy look for drips. I find that is the quickest way to track down a ******g air leak.
Sounds like you are on the right track, good luck on tracking it down.

 

I had same symptoms, turned out to be a weak lift pump, the IP will pull fuel to run but not enough for load, try a fuel pressure gauge before replacing as my opinion may not be worth .02

 

I had something similar happen on my truck once. It would lose prime under load, but only with less than half a tank of fuel. The filter inside the tank was plugged up. With more than half a tank the fuel module would fill from above, less than half a tank all the fuel had to come through the plugged filter.
It only took me two years to find that problem.

 

Well, I finally got around to fixing her, at least I hope I did.

Over the 4 day weekend (yes!), I drained and dropped the tank, cleaned the pickup sock and guage sender, replaced the straw ($28 for 1 foot of submersible 5/16" hose?), and replaced the rubber line and clamps at the tank and at the lift pump. There was minimal gunk in the tank (I burn some WMO, usually). Just to be safe I ran all the old fuel through a water separating funnel when I put it bank in the tank. Gauge seems more responsive now, except for 25 gallons took it above full, so I'll have to watch that.

I guess I'll just drive her around town for a while until I'm sure the problem is gone.

 

I read three filters AFTER the piston-lift-pump.

I do not read of any pre-filter AHEAD of the screen that is in the piston-lift-pump inlet.

Although your symptoms point to an air leak, or the stopped up filter inside the tank, they also read like there could be a big wad of gook that sucks up into the screen, thus shutting down the engine.

If you do not have a pre-filter AHEAD of that screen, if it is not the problem now, it will be sooner or later, and at the most inopportune time and place.

 

Does the filter sock in the tank count?

How small does the screen in the pump filter?

 

The pump screen is about half the mesh of common window-screen.


I have seen gook lodge in the screen WITH the sock in the tank.


Often, the gook is dead "algae" globs.

 

Stumbled once as I was heading up to a light. Stopped for the light and she died. How embarrassing, blocking 1 of 2 left turn lanes at one of the busiest intersections in town on a Friday afternoon. CHP showed up and pushed me off the road into a parking lot until AAA could show up and tow me home.

With the vent open, I see fuel pumping when I crank it, which tells me the IP didn't suck the filters dry and the filters aren't plugged. No visible fuel leaks between filters and IP. Gonna crack the lines and see if she primes and starts, then I'll replace the 2 micron filter, just in case it's loaded with junk.

This is getting old.

 

Cracked all injector lines. Cranked it about 5 seconds. Tightened injector lines. Cranked about 1 second and she fired up.

Noticed the "after filter" fuel pressure down around 12PSI. It's normally around 15. I guess I have a plugged filter.

Need to start carrying a long 17MM wrench in the truck so I can fix this if it happens on the side of the road.

 

When your dead truck is sitting in traffic, diligent use of ether is your friend.

The first modification I make to any engine/vehicle I buy is the addition of a means to spray ether DIRECTLY into the intake; it has saved my hide numerous times over the years.

 

Don't like the ether.. It makes me sleepy. But thanks for the suggestion.

 

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