excess noise and loss of power

grumpy1

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this is a 86 f250 and if the previous owner is to be believed has 160,000 miles
i have had it for about 10 years and the engine has been perfect
normally when i first crank it it idles up and rattles like crazy for a few minutes
a couple of days ago i was about 5 miles from home and at about 40 mph it started rattling like crazy
sounded just like it does when i cold crank it but not idled up
also it had no power and excess smoke
i left it till the next day
i cold cranked it and all was normal
i drove a bit and it idled down and got quiet
then about 30 seconds later it started rattling again
this morning i disconnected the wire to what tsb 94-5-11 calls the housing pressure cold advance - hpca
when i cranked it it was still rattling
i waited for it to warm enough for the idle solenoid to de-energize
i drove it a bit and it never stopped rattling
also no power and lots of smoke
i used a jumper wire to check the hpca and i could hear it clicking
suggestion are greatly appreciated
 

gandalf

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Okay, I'll hit our starting point. You've had this '86 truck for 10 years, and it has reportedly 160,000 miles. Other than that what you've given us are symptoms of a problem.

Could you give more history of your truck? What maintenance has been done? What has been replaced, and when?

It seems to start easily enough, so the glow plugs must be okay. If/when you replace glow plugs use ONLY Beru/Motorcraft. Don't mess around with other brands. The injection pump (IP) and the injectors generally start needing to be replaced at 100,000 miles. Sometimes they'll last much longer, but 100k is the average.

Go to the top of this forum and you'll find a section called "Tech Articles". There are some articles there which are 'must read'.

Others will follow with more specific information and suggestions. Welcome to the best and the most friendly Ford IDI forum on the internet.
 

grumpy1

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i drive this truck very little, maybe 1000 miles per year
i change the oil, oil filter, air filter, and fuel filter once a year in june
i replaced the vacuum pump in 2016, the glow plugs in 2019, and an injector top end kit in 2014 and 2020
it has a c6 transmission and was rebuilt in 2017
i replaced the mechanical lift pump with an electric one in 2012
it has always been easy to start has almost no smoke
 

SuperDave

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I had an idi act similar to what you are describing once and beat my head against the wall for a long time trying to figure it out. The problem I finally found was the return fitting on the injection pump was clogged up and had to be cleaned. You have to remove it to clean it because there is a spring loaded check ball inside that you have to press with a pick or paperclip or something while spraying carb cleaner thru it. Do it on top of a white paper and you will be amazed at the amount of crud that comes out of that little chamber where the check ball is.
 

Farmer Rock

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Make sure the pre-filter on your E pump is not clogged. Also, rattling and shaking while driving, usually points toward at least on bad injector, and they have 160k on them, I wouldn't be surprised. To test the injectors, (with engine running) crack open each injector line one at a time just as if you were bleeding the lines, and if the injector is good, the engine will bog down, and if it's bad, it will sound the same. It is just like testing spark plugs. Obviously this doesn't tell you if they are in perfect shape or not, but it is an easy way to know if any are bad.



Rock
 

grumpy1

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thanks guys
the weather has turned ugly for the next day or so
i'll try these when i can get outside
 

miles1400

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@grumpy1 does you injection pump have any red markings on the bolts? That would mean it has been replaced at somepoint. The IP and injectors have a lifespan on about 125k and sometimes they last longer
 

grumpy1

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my bad, an injector installation kit
it has the return line fitting, o-rings, hose, and clamps
mine would start leaking about every 5 years
 

Cubey

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my bad, an injector installation kit
it has the return line fitting, o-rings, hose, and clamps
mine would start leaking about every 5 years
Autozone has it way cheaper than the other retail stores.
 

Isaac Ristow

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Injection pump advance piston is sticking up. Pull your fuel filter and get a new one and fill it with atf and pop it on and start it for 10 seconds then shut it off and let it sit over night and add a quart or two of atf to your fuel tank if this doesn't fix it then it's time for a injection pump. My plow truck just did the same thing to me and eventually stuck in full advance and sounded like hell so I swapped the pump
 

grumpy1

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I had an idi act similar to what you are describing once and beat my head against the wall for a long time trying to figure it out. The problem I finally found was the return fitting on the injection pump was clogged up and had to be cleaned. You have to remove it to clean it because there is a spring loaded check ball inside that you have to press with a pick or paperclip or something while spraying carb cleaner thru it. Do it on top of a white paper and you will be amazed at the amount of crud that comes out of that little chamber where the check ball is.

we are in between showers
i pulled the return line and fitting off the injection pump
i can see through the fitting so it's not stopped up
i put a hose on the return line and tried to blow through it, no go
i took the filler caps off and tried again, no go
i didn't try compressed air
 

grumpy1

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@grumpy1 does you injection pump have any red markings on the bolts? That would mean it has been replaced at somepoint. The IP and injectors have a lifespan on about 125k and sometimes they last longer

i can't see any markings of any kind on the bolts
 

SuperDave

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we are in between showers
i pulled the return line and fitting off the injection pump
i can see through the fitting so it's not stopped up
i put a hose on the return line and tried to blow through it, no go
i took the filler caps off and tried again, no go
i didn't try compressed air



There should be a check ball in the fitting directly in top of the pump so you shouldn't be able to see thru it. The adapter that screws into that fitting is straight thru just fyi. If your return line is clogged somewhere between the tank and the engine it will make the engine do some strange things so you have probably found your trouble.
 

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