6.9 stalling and dripping

[ISurvivedNMU]

My friend has a 85 or 8 F250 2x4 with the 6.0 and an auto. It starts ok, but it looses power when you give it gas. It sems to be dripping ful from somewhere around the front of the motor... Kind of around the fuel/water separator....

Think its sucking air from the leak?

 

[flatlander]

Yes. The fuel system is pretty simple on older trucks. have him get a return line kit from DIS (less than $30), check the hard lines to/from the fuel pump, filter and IP. Make sure to check for leaks at the T where the fuel returns head back to the tank.

 

[ISurvivedNMU]

I loks to be coming from something that looks like a coffee can? with a nedle like thing sticking out the botom... Neither one of us are keen on these older engine.. the fuel lines look good... Maybe we will cut the coffee can out of the fuel system and replace it with a racor filter? Does that sound like a good idea???

 

[flatlander]

I think the coffee can is vaccuum related. The fuel water separator is mounted to the firewall under the master cylinder. It's notorious for failing. You can remove it from the fuel line and replace the factory filter with a filter/separator. Only problem with that is you still have to replace the filter frequently and the f/s is spendy. Plently of other options, hope someone else chimes in.

 

[aaklingler]

your first problem is they didn't start using the 6.0 until somewhere around 2003 and your second problem is hes hitting the gas, guys or women more often try to run gas and it doesn't work out so well, the 85 and 88 are to different body styles can you narrow it down a little there a little different, i guess the fuel filter is out on the pass. front corner, is it just a filter or is it a filter/ seperator, extra plastic piece on bottom, they are known to leak around the filter assembly, right below that is the manual lift fuel pump which could also leak, you need to try to narrow down the leak, at this point i don't think you need a return line kit unless its wet or dark around the injectors.

 

[ISurvivedNMU]

Its an 88 6.9... It has the flat lights in front.... We have a ton of stuff ripped off it and will be replacing stuff this weekend... all sugestions will help!

 

[Fred Hemer]

The juice can thing is cruise control res I think! Fuel there? Naw.
The fuel filter is mounted just behind the alt leaking there makes sence!the bowl on the bottom could be cracked or the valve on the bottom leaking!

 

[Diezel_Cowboy]

Originally posted by ISurvivedNMU
Its an 88 6.9... It has the flat lights in front.... We have a ton of stuff ripped off it and will be replacing stuff this weekend... all sugestions will help!

A friend of mine with a 6.9 l diesel recently found a small pin hole in the bottom of the fuel filter! It was too small to see on the bottom of the filter, and too small to make a mess of fuel under the truck, however, he could feel fuel on the bottom of the filter and notice that when the truck was running if he put his hand over the bottom of the filter the sucking noise he could hear quit. It was definitely sucking air into the system though that small hole!
My suggestion would be to start simple and replace the fuel filter, especially since the one for the 6.9 diesel is only about $5, might be a cheap fix!
By the way the fuel filter for my 7.3L Turbo is $35!

 

[Agnem]

How many miles are on your friends truck, and out of those miles, how many are on the injection pump? The IP has a weep hole in the input shaft, very close to where it meets the injection pump gear housing. If the front seal in the pump goes, then fuel will flood the valley pan, but this usually results in a fuel leak to the rear of the engine. Same with the return lines. Since you indicate this leak is in the front somewhere, then I would suspect the lift pump, or fuel filter/filter head assembly. Most leaks are easy to find if you start with a clean dry engine. Hopefully the power loss is directly related to the leak. However, fix what you know is broke first, and go from there.

 

[ISurvivedNMU]

The truck has 159,000 and is all original according to the prior owner.... Looks to be that way... I got a call from him, and he seems to think the water drain was leaking.... I have a spare racor that we are going to swap in.... I hope thats it.... If not we will be looking at the IP... How much are those babys?

 

[towcat]

If it is the unit mounted on the firewall, put in a bypass at the frame and get a filter mount that will take a 87-94 filter. the stearship sells them for 100bux. You will achieve two things. First, the leak prone water seperator and hoses is now bypassed. Leaks, stalling, and dry starts are now isolated to one area, the main filter. Second, there is widespread supply for the factory filter so you won't have to hunt for a racor dist when you are in BFE.

 

[Agnem]

A rebuilt IP will run you around $325.

 

[turbo69]

Originally posted by ISurvivedNMU
I loks to be coming from something that looks like a coffee can? with a nedle like thing sticking out the botom... Neither one of us are keen on these older engine.. the fuel lines look good... Maybe we will cut the coffee can out of the fuel system and replace it with a racor filter? Does that sound like a good idea???

I'd bet your looking on the drivers side of the firewall...

That is the fuel/water seperator. Chunk that piece of crap and get the racor setup. It will solve a whole lot of problems at once...Good Luck

 

[ISurvivedNMU]

We did it last night.... Piched the water separator, put in a racor, only because I had an extra aroud.... Seemed to fix everything... Thanks all!!!!

 

[F350camper]

So the water seperator is different on the 6.9 idi's vs the 7.3 idi's? I didn't know that. I really like how all the IDIs are in the same forum over here.