Completed Conversion Now Can't Start?!!?

[ne_plus_ultra_1]

Please help.

1994 IDI turbo into 1997 PSD F350. Both wiring harnesses swapped out. Everything hooked up.

I had this engine running when the wiring was not hooked up. I took my boat gas tank with the squeezie-bulb and pressurized the fuel system and put the return line into the tank.

Got the injector pump wired up, jumpered the glowplugs and touched the relay. she cranked and started and ran pretty good. Had it running for a while.

NOW, I have the wiring completed, manual glowplug controller switch, I hear the relay turning on in the injector pump, little bit if smoke coming out of the tailpipe when I crank it, no start.

I had no flow from the front or rear tank. I put the squeezie-bulb inline to try to suck some fuel from the tank through the system and there is simply no flow. It pushed the fuel that was in the temporary clear filter through and into the system. It drew a vacuum on the truck tank side. Could the fuel tank selector switch be in some mode where neither tank is open?

Regardless of that, I hooked up the boat tank again and pumped the squeezie-bulb again to pressurize the system. STILL no start. Cranked for a while and saw a little smoke at tailpipe, fuel being sucked through the clear filter.

I'm pretty sure everything has power that needs it, fuel appears to be present...

I wonder if the feed and return lines are hooked up correctly...? I hooked the top line to the return and the bottom line I thought was feed based on the fuel system I saw on the PSD that was in there.

Please help.

All suggestions considered.

 

[GenLightening]

Usually the large line is the feed and the smaller is the return. Have you bled the injector lines of air? Electric pump or stock? The stock will take a while to bleed the air from the system. Were the trucks tanks working good before thr swap? The selector valve should be one tank or the other, no OFF position unless if failed somehow.

 

[typ4]

you just dont have it bled enough yet.

 

[tractorman86]

not sure, just pitching it out there, dont all powerstrokes have a fuel pump in the tank. if so it not having power could cause it to create seeming a closed valve situation.

 

[Mike]

not sure, just pitching it out there, dont all powerstrokes have a fuel pump in the tank. if so it not having power could cause it to create seeming a closed valve situation.

Nope, OBS was mechanical fuel pump in the valley only.

 

[Russ]

Nope, OBS was mechanical fuel pump in the valley only.

Bingo

 

[tractorman86]

ok tanks for setting me strait guys

 

[6 Nebraska IDIs]

OMG! TANKS!!! Thats frickin hilarious man, whether you meant to write it or not.

 

[tractorman86]

oh... that was a mistake but kinda funny. easily amused today are we sean...

 

[6 Nebraska IDIs]

Haha, yes, very. lol

 

[ne_plus_ultra_1]

Hah! "Tanks for setting me straight"

Both lines are 5/16" - delivery and return.

It was only drawing vacuum, no flow. Like it was stopped up or something. Strangely this problem has evaporated. After switching the tanks back and forth a bit it works fine...

I can pull fuel through with the "squeezie" primer ball and lightly pressurize the fuel system but as soon as I crank it I lose the pressure previously built up.

I think towcat is right when he told me that the fuel pumps crap out after being exposed to air. The really strange thing is that it worked great a few weeks ago when first fired up with jumpers and boat tank. Now it builds zero pressure at the schrader valve...

I picked up a new one tonight and will put it on in the morning.

I think the strangest thing was the fact that it would not prime at all and only pull a considerable vacuum. Maybe that's what blew out the fuel pump, it fighting with no available flow...?

 

[ne_plus_ultra_1]

Against all advice and logic and out of desperation I finally used starting fluid, just a shot.

It fired up instantly, ran great, continued to work and started up every time after that as well.

The starter seems to have crapped out unfortunately but I will disassemble it in the morning and see what gives.

 

[Dsl_Dog_Treat]

Sounds like ya had some air left in the system and the cheater juice helped get it out.

Downfall tho, sounds like the excessive cranking may have toasted the starter if ya didn't give it time to cool in between cycles.

We need to see some pics of this project.

 

[ne_plus_ultra_1]

I got some pix taken. I'll dig them out.

Actually I gave it relatively short crank cycles with breaks although many of them. I got it running and then over several hours I started it a few more times and it fired up instantly. I went to fire it again and click-burning wire smell. Very strange as it hadn't been started in over an hour. I was just about to show it off to my wife too.

Had my 5-year-old son in Tampa for hernia surgery this morning and I am spending the rest of my day relaxing with a few beers. Tomorrow or late today I will find the pix.

I really don't think it was air in the system. I had the lines cracked and ******* good. My guess as to what happened is that the cylinder walls were washed down and had little compression thusly. The starting fluid just popped a lot easier and got the oil flow up and then ran good on squeezed oil spray.

Just my guess.

Best
-ultra

 

[ne_plus_ultra_1]

Testing

Testing to see if my sig is on.