hard starting, lots of smoke

[centennial60]

I recently bought an 85 F250 with the 6.9 diesel. The truck is hard to start and when it does it smokes heavy whitish/gray all the time. But runs smooth. I have replaced all the return lines and o-rings which made no difference. I then installed clear hose and added an electric lift pump. I had a lot of air in the lines. I tracked that down to the fuel/water separator so i bypassed that temporarely. The truck starts a little better but still smokes heavy. I replaced all the injectors with new delphis. I have checked the compression and it is ok. I am suspecting that the ip is bad. I have noticed that when the engine is running if i push the timing lever in on the side of the pump it makes no difference in the way it runs. Shouldn't it retard the timing and make the engine run rough? Any input would be greatly appreciated! TIA.

 

[centennial60]

Anyone got any ideas?

 

[dyoung14]

glow plugs glow plug controller

 

[Dirtleg]

I am going to agree with your bad IP diagnosis on 1 condition. Does it start easily when cold but is difficult to start when hot? If the other way around I would say glow plugs or controller as dyoung mentioned.

 

[Exekiel69]

As for the air, You might have to change the fuel lines all the way to the tank (both of them), I had the same problem and even with a electric fuel pump it was hard to start. Replaced ALL the fuel lines and the problem was solved.