Facet Duralift problem. Need Help.

[Josh_Deal]

I just installed the duralift 40223 pump on my 93 NA idi and am having some major problems. Instead of running smoothly like it did before i installed it it now wants to idle rough and surge. The engine will randomly increase and decrease the idle speed with no consistency and will spit and sputter at the low rpm idle and then clear up for several seconds before repeating the cycle but it never dies. When out on the road, it seems to have more power for the first few seconds but then it just gets downright sluggish and starts to miss and jerk. This pattern repeats itself also. It reminds me a little of what it does when i get down to 1/4 tank and it starts sucking air. I have depressed the schrader valve on the filter housing and i am getting a steady stream of fuel there with the truck running. I cracked one of the injector lines and cranked the engine over to purge the air there also but i am still having the issue. The pump filter housing is only about half full of diesel and with the engine running, it alternates from a loud clicking to almost inaudible. I am also seeing a constant stream of air bubbles inside the filter housing while the truck is running. I have bypassed the mechanical pump altogether and have the pump wired per the instructions given on this site. The truck had an airtex inline electric pump on it from the previous owner and i did reuse the old lines that he had added. They are 1/4" id. Could this be the problem? Before the install i was having no problems with the 1/4 inch lines and the airtex pump. Only time i noticed anything negative with the airtex when i was under heavy load. Has a new screw on fuel filter, 8 new zd9 glow plugs, and new injector caps, seals and return lines. Like i said before, i was having no problems with the truck running before installing the duralift. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[lindstromjd]

Makes me wonder if it's something "unrelated" like a fuel tank pickup, or the fuel switching valve acting up.

As a side note, what do you have it regulated down to? You should only be running about a maximum of 8psi. Anything more will screw with your timing. Doesn't sound like it's the problem since your fuel pump won't fill completely up though, but it will be something to double check for future's sake.

 

[cpdenton]

Shouldn't be sucking air bubbles in the duralift's bowl. There is an issue somewhere before the pump.

Where do you have it mounted? Also, where are the lines you hooked into running?

Might be as easy as an old brittle line...

 

[lindstromjd]

Shouldn't be sucking air bubbles in the duralift's bowl. There is an issue somewhere before the pump.

Where do you have it mounted? Also, where are the lines you hooked into running?

Might be as easy as an old brittle line...

Chris, you might have nailed it on that one. I re-read his post, and with re-using his old lines from a previous pump it could very well be a bad connection or bad line. But definitely a problem pre-pump, which narrows it down to fuel lines, switching valve, or in-tank pickups. And from the sounds of it, he's already admitted that he has broken showerheads since he has problems down near 1/4 tank.

Time and his progress will tell which one of us is right.

 

[Josh_Deal]

Makes me wonder if it's something "unrelated" like a fuel tank pickup, or the fuel switching valve acting up.

As a side note, what do you have it regulated down to? You should only be running about a maximum of 8psi. Anything more will screw with your timing. Doesn't sound like it's the problem since your fuel pump won't fill completely up though, but it will be something to double check for future's sake.

I do not have it regulated. From all i have been reading about these pumps, they are a little overrated. Everything i have read says that the system will lose some pressure as it passes through the filter housing and it should not be a concern. Anything is possible though... I will go out and cycle the tank switch and see what happens. I really don't think it is related to that as I drove it about 40 miles today with no problems whatsoever. It only started acting up when i put the new pump on. Not sure if it should have been done before turning the key but i did NOT fill the pump filter housing with diesel before turning the key like i typically do when changing the oem screw type filter. Once i had everything hooked up, i turned the key and let it do its thing from a dry filter state.

 

[Josh_Deal]

Shouldn't be sucking air bubbles in the duralift's bowl. There is an issue somewhere before the pump.

Where do you have it mounted? Also, where are the lines you hooked into running?

Might be as easy as an old brittle line...

Pump is mounted on a bracket attached to the fuel filter housing. I did replace both the output to the fuel filter housing line and the input from the hard line coming from the fsv with new injector hose. The only thing re-used was the line that was physically attached to the hard line. It had been cut too short and a coupling installed. I ran new line from this coupling to the input on the pump. I can see where there might be a problem with sucking air if the tank was down near 1/4 tank where the shower head has fallen off but right now i am sitting at 3/4 tank on the tank i am using at this time. There should be no reason why it would be sucking air unless there was a pinhole in the line. Again, i was having no issues before i put the new pump on less than 4 hrs ago.

 

[cpdenton]

I didn't prefill my facet either. Doubt that it's the problem. Mine sometimes doesn't even have the bowl full now, and my truck runs great.

I am also going back to the point where you said it cycles from loud clicking to almost nothing.

It should be clicking all the time.

If that line you messed with is brittle, it COULD have developed a crack while being handled.

Go grab a small can of diesel, run you a new line from the e pump input directly into the can. See if it changes your problem.

 

[Josh_Deal]

About the air bubbles in the pump filter housing. With the truck running and the bowl half full i can see diesel streaming down the side of the bowl. I am sure this is contributing to the bubbles being seen. With the throttle opened via the underhood linkage, i can see the diesel being sucked out of the bowl. At idle, the level of diesel in the bowl stays consistent. When i cut the truck off, the bubbles go away and the bowl almost completely fills. I am also wondering if the 1/4 id lines i have installed are too small. I know the instructions call for 3/8 inch.

 

[cpdenton]

Could be a factor. I have 5/16ths on mine. Once in a while under full throttle towing, the fuel filter light will come one, showing a low pressure situation.

 

[Josh_Deal]

I didn't prefill my facet either. Doubt that it's the problem. Mine sometimes doesn't even have the bowl full now, and my truck runs great.

I am also going back to the point where you said it cycles from loud clicking to almost nothing.

It should be clicking all the time.

If that line you messed with is brittle, it COULD have developed a crack while being handled.

Go grab a small can of diesel, run you a new line from the e pump input directly into the can. See if it changes your problem.

That is quite possible. When i went to remove the old pump i found that the original line was almost kinked shut. I did massage it a little to try and open it back up and rerouted it to make sure it wouldnt be a problem again. I could have messed something up there while i was messing with it. I will try what you said and see what happens. Good idea.

as far as the clicking sound of the pump it is always running as long as the ignition is on and i can hear it. its just not consistent. it reminds me of what my bilge pump on my boat sounds like. When the bilge is empty and the pump is dry it is loud, but when water gets sucked into the pump it gets quiet and as long as there is water being pumped through it the sound does not get any louder.

 

[Josh_Deal]

Ok so I removed the 3/8 rubber line that was attached to the fsv hard line, added a long piece of 1/4 rubber line to the coupling that was already there and stuck it in a gas can full of diesel. The majority of the bubbles went away and the pump bowl filled about 3/4 of the way to full. Took a minute for it to crank but once it was running it seemed to be better. I can still see some very tiny bubbles in the bowl while the pump Is on but nowhere near as many and as big as before.

 

[cpdenton]

Think that shows you are sucking air in that line somewhere. Replace the rubber line up from the hard line on the frame rail completely. Take out that splice too. That shortcut of splicing into what was there seems to be giving you trouble.

Good luck! Keep us informed.

 

[OLDBULL8]

The duralift pumps are made for pushing rather than sucking. Most are mounted below the fuel tank so fuel can flood the suction side. The one you have, has a 1/8" NPT which the ID is about 3/8", change your suction hose to 3/8" like it's supposed to be. 1/8" NPT to 3/8" barb.

 

[Josh_Deal]

All is well again. I replaced all of the old line with new 3/8 line and removed the coupler so now it's a straight shot to the pump. Runs much better now, like it ran before installing the duralift. Thanks to all who shared interest in my issue and for the helpful words.

 

[cpdenton]

Good deal! See what I did there....

Welcome aboard BTw! Seems like you have some reading under your belt already. Glad you got it running again!