New guy. need some help. 7.3 idi turbo vid inside. thanks

IDI_Turbo

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I recently traded my camaro for this truck. It is a 1988 f-350 4x4. crew cab long bed. It has a 1993 7.3l idi factory turbo engine and 5 speed.

The truck takes forever to start in the morning, and im in so-cal. unless i plug the block heater in. then it starts right up. when its warm it starts fine.

when the truck idles it is sometimes smooth and sometimes it seems to have a miss and it shakes.. it can usually be cleared up by reving it. when I do sometimes i will hear a loud clanking and it will put out a huge greyish whiteish plume of smoke, but then it clears and runs like a champ. sounds like maybe valve clanking?? im not sure.

When i got the truck the guy told me it just needed a injector and hardline. He said it has a new IP on it and it looks brand new to me.

i replaced the hardline (which was cracked and stripped at the injector) and i replaced the injector. It definitely runs better, but still does the clanking/plume thing sometime. and at freeway speeds theres (80% of the time) a blue haze when im just cruisin at 65. it turns black when i get on it.

I know air intrusion is a pain in the ass in these trucks so ive been tryin to also find that. I notice when my truck is idleing and i press my finger on the shrader valve(i think thats what its called) on the fuel filter, The fuel kinda pulses out... that not good i assume?

the truck sputters now and again but I can always power through it and when i do this truck moves.

Also my torque screw in the back of my IP was all the way turned in. so I backed it out to about 1/8" above the bolt. should I go more??

This truck seems to run much better after I have been on the freeway for a little bit.

also I switch to the rear tank and it seemed to help alittle.

Here is a little Vid i made today showing the smoke. Ive been told you can tell allot by the smoke so hear it is.

The biggest knock and smoke plume is at 6 min.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=avlrg1o-Zyc
 

lindstromjd

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Things I would fix, in this order:

1. Fuel return lines, o-rings and "olives"
2. Glow plugs (Motorcraft ONLY, ZD-9 part number)
3. Injection pump timing
4. Fuel supply
5. All 8 new injectors (optional if your problem persists)

Your issue with the knock sounds (to me) like the engine is trying to catch back up to itself for the amount of throttle you're giving it. Like an old carb engine with a sticky fuel plunger, or with really retarded timing waiting for the timing advance to kick in before it comes back to life.
 
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IDIoit

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delete the stock water seperator. they are garbage and will cause air intrusion.
lindstromjd is correct. if it were my truck, with a new IP, i would go ahead and change all the injectors out also.
i mean, while you have the lines off to replace the return lines and all of the rubber seals,
timing is another major thing.

when i depress my schreader valve, my fuel shoots out. it does not pulse.
makes me think air is getting in.
replace all rubber fuel lines too.
thats a pretty badass truck.
way better than some camaro.
 

lindstromjd

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By '88 they should have already phased out that POS water separator up on the driver's side of the firewall. It should be integrated into the filter.
 

snicklas

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With the stock mechanical fuel pump, it will pulse. An electric pump may give a more steady stream. The last truck that I know 100% had a mechanical pump, it would pulse from the schrader valve.

The stock mechanical pump is a diaphragm pump, that runs off a lobe on the cam. With the cam turning at half the speed of the crank, and there is only 1 "bump" on the cam lobe. So at 700 RPM at idle, the pump would pulse 350 times.
 

bbjordan

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Uhh...nope. The cam turns at 1/2 the speed of the crank.
Crank gear little. Cam gear big.

I would pop test the injectors.
Check the turbo up-pipe for leaks. Check video at 1:50
It looks like it is over fuelled. Do you have a boost gauge? What boost is it making?
 
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IDI_Turbo

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Things I would fix, in this order:

1. Fuel return lines, o-rings and "olives"
2. Glow plugs (Motorcraft ONLY, ZD-9 part number)
3. Injection pump timing
4. Fuel supply
5. All 8 new injectors (optional if your problem persists)

Your issue with the knock sounds (to me) like the engine is trying to catch back up to itself for the amount of throttle you're giving it. Like an old carb engine with a sticky fuel plunger, or with really retarded timing waiting for the timing advance to kick in before it comes back to life.

Thanks for the imput guys!

I will do the return lines in the next few days, and you talking about the return platic T o-rings?

tomorrow i will clear hose test some spots to see if i can narrow down some air intrusion.
The guy I got it from also told me it had new injectors at the same time as the pump. But who knows... I replaced the #4 injector cause the hardline was stripped

As for as glowplugs.. Are they known to let air in? or is that just to help with the morning starts? My truck also does that glowplug relay switch ticking for like 30 sec when the key is turrned on. that mean the switch or controller is bad? it set up to a push button that i have to hold. the truck originally had a 460 in it.

I guess timing would be next. Ive watched a couple vids on how to do it seems easy but you say it needs to be advanced a little possibly? would that be rotated to the drivers side?

also with the Blue smoke Ive read it can be, like you said a lack of fuel supply? meaning the pump could be goin bad? or should i turn the pump internal fuel screw up a little? I dont have a pyro, but with the torque screw all the way in like it was.. makes me think this IP could have been for an NA motor?? and the guy didnt set it up for a turbo? hmmmm
 

IDI_Turbo

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By '88 they should have already phased out that POS water separator up on the driver's side of the firewall. It should be integrated into the filter.

yea my truck has a 93' motor in it. the water separator is on the fuel filter. when i loosen the wheel on the bottom seems only fuel comes out.. am i draining it wrong? is my filter or separator bad?
 

79jasper

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Also throw on a new fuel filter.
Glowplugs are for starting only. Have nothing to do with the engine once it's running.
Make sure the button is working right. Search here for manual glowplug control, or pushbutton glowplugs.

And from the video, you may need some new ball joints and/or bushings.

Sent from my SM-T537R4 using Tapatalk
 

IDI_Turbo

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Uhh...nope. The cam turns at 1/2 the speed of the crank.
Crank gear little. Cam gear big.

I would pop test the injectors.
Check the turbo up-pipe for leaks. Check video at 1:50
It looks like it is over fuelled. Do you have a boost gauge? What boost is it making?

I forgot to mention i put a new down pipe i custom made.. and its got a small leak issue..lol.
and I think i have an old boost gauge in my garage ill try to find tomorrow.
 

IDI_Turbo

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Also throw on a new fuel filter.
Glowplugs are for starting only. Have nothing to do with the engine once it's running.
Make sure the button is working right. Search here for manual glowplug control, or pushbutton glowplugs.

And from the video, you may need some new ball joints and/or bushings.

Sent from my SM-T537R4 using Tapatalk

Yea Im going to do a filter this weekend too.
and as far as the ball joints and stuff, cause im swayin all over the road? lol. I made a ghetto go-pro mount so i spent allot of time watching my side mirror to make sure my gopro was still on there.. haha
 

direwulf23

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There is a thread on here with a list of people who know how to time the IP. I'd definitely check that out.

1994 Ford F250, 2wd, 7.3L IDI, NA, E4OD

2006 Ford Expedition Eddie Bauer, 2wd, 5.4L, automatic
 

IDIoit

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By '88 they should have already phased out that POS water separator up on the driver's side of the firewall. It should be integrated into the filter.

then im baffeled, because my 87 has one, and my 90 had one.

yea my truck has a 93' motor in it. the water separator is on the fuel filter. when i loosen the wheel on the bottom seems only fuel comes out.. am i draining it wrong? is my filter or separator bad?

look on your firewall, inbetween the brake booster and the cruise control unit.
take a picture! please. im really curious now.

With the stock mechanical fuel pump, it will pulse. An electric pump may give a more steady stream. The last truck that I know 100% had a mechanical pump, it would pulse from the schrader valve.
mine is a bran new mechanical, it does not pulse, but this all depends on how good the pump is pumping?
 
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lindstromjd

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I will do the return lines in the next few days, and you talking about the return platic T o-rings?

tomorrow i will clear hose test some spots to see if i can narrow down some air intrusion.
The guy I got it from also told me it had new injectors at the same time as the pump. But who knows... I replaced the #4 injector cause the hardline was stripped

As for as glowplugs.. Are they known to let air in? or is that just to help with the morning starts? My truck also does that glowplug relay switch ticking for like 30 sec when the key is turrned on. that mean the switch or controller is bad? it set up to a push button that i have to hold. the truck originally had a 460 in it.

I guess timing would be next. Ive watched a couple vids on how to do it seems easy but you say it needs to be advanced a little possibly? would that be rotated to the drivers side?

If the guy you got it from replaced all the injectors and injection pump and it runs like that, I'm going to say he got them all as cheap "rebuilds" that aren't worth the money they'd bring in scrap metal. It's been known to happen with a few guys on here with personal experience, that their "new" rebuilds made their engine run even worse than the OEM stuff after about 1000 miles or so. Still, I would time it before you replaced any of the injectors or the injection pump.

The return line kit, yes. Those little black o-rings on top of the injector that the "T" seals with. Make sure you clean out the plastic burrs and have a nice clean mating surface before you install those T's. The black "olive" o-rings are on the bottom of the hard line at the back of the injection pump and the top of that line at the filter head, and the very rear of the engine where the return line goes back to metal.
 

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