Urgent truck issue...hope its not IP

[Classicfordguy]

Hey guys, supposed to be leaving on a trip tomorrow with my camper and friends and the truck started acting up just now.

Was driving along then started to lose power, at idle truck would fluxuate RPM up and down about 200 rpm. Let out the clutch and it would almost kill the truck. Tried to head back home, had the pedal to the floor in first gear and was only going 15mph hit second with it floored and all of a sudden it got fuel and took off. It was back to normal the whole way home.

Any ideas??? Could it be lift pump? It was almost like there was a clog in the fuel line or something. I had the filter head off two days ago to fix a leaking O ring but nothing else.

Any help is appreciated, really don't want to leave without figuring this out.

-Rob

 

[riphip]

Probably an air leak from same area or air infusion from work on o-ring. Check for fresh diesel around o-ring. If fuel can leak out, air can get in at higher demand if you're using the mechanical lift pump.

Rick

 

[icanfixall]

A mechanical lift pump is not expensive. Maybe replacing it is a good idea. How old is the fuel filter.... Were you down below 1/4 tank of fuel... Which tank did this happen on... The low fuel pressure lite should have turned on when this was happening. Does that work.... Can you determine the fuel pressure at the filter....

 

[Devilish]

Doubt it's the pump. Sucking air is likely but since you're going on a trip I'd advise a new filter.

 

[icanfixall]

Actually a new filter and a new lift pump under the seat would be really cheap insurance.... You could drive it till failure then... Or maybe its fine and was a slug of air after the filter head work you did. As posted, do you see any wetness around the filter....

 

[Classicfordguy]

I see no fuel leaks anywhere, been checking since I fixed it two days ago and all is dry. filter is less than 10k miles and less than 2 years old, I do have another to throw on if thats a good idea. I had the filter off for said repair the other day an shook some orange water out of it, dunno if thats bad.

Lift pump and IP have been on the truck the whole 4-5 years i'v owned it. It really didn't act like air in the lines. No lights came on, of course I've never seen any lights come on other than ABS and "wait to start".

The accelerator pedal has had a hard spot in it for a while now that is worse at times and better at times it seemed to be worse while the prob was happening which makes me think it could be something with the IP.

I'll go out and test the fuel pressure now.

-Rob

 

[Classicfordguy]

It was on the rear tank and it was 3/4 full, never had a problem in the past till bellow 1/4 tank. It really didn't act like air intrusion.

 

[towcat]

the fuel foot has fallen off in your rear tank.
my bet on your problem is a bad injection pump.

 

[Classicfordguy]

Just tried to check fuel pressure, took the valve out and hooked the pressure tester up. cranked for about 10 secconds, the pressure only got up to about 3 psi then dropped to 0 as soon as I stopped cranking. The gauge is for fuel injection systems to it goes up to 100 psi and might not be accurate at that low of pressure.

-Rob

 

[icanfixall]

You posted that the fuel filter has around 10,000 miles on it and thats over the last two years..... That means you don't drive it much plus the orange stuff that poured out of the filter...... How old is the fuel in the tanks. The orange stuff sounds like algie to me with not very many miles run in the last two years. I'm drawing all this from what you posted so it may be off base but needs to be addressed too....

 

[Classicfordguy]

I drive it alot just not real far. Have a small lawn business and go to college, all my lawns are within a few miles. Longest trip each year is to Sebring 100 miles away. The have driven it alot recently and it has never sat more than 5 days in a row.

Just picked up a new lift pump just to be safe, I'll throw the new filter on as well.

Towcat, what would go wrong in the IP to make it do what it did? Really hope its not the IP.

thanks,

-Rob

 

[Classicfordguy]

Well I put the new filter on and new lift pump, no problems yet, fingers crossed I leave this afternoon.

thanks for the advice guys.

-Rob