help, gas man new to diesels

[EvergreenRanch]

wait light staying on for 4 - 5 seconds....sounds like the GP/GP controller to me.....i deffinitly second the "dont bother testing injectors" if they were powerstrokes that cost 2 bills a piece it be a different story. also second the $%^& autozone...i hate them......they dont know crap, they don't stock crap and in general dont give a crap.

 

[kowboi73]

autozone

hey guys,
just got back from our favorite auto parts store (autozone) and now they do have the manuals, one for 7.3 diesel and one for 89 f250 so I bought them.
when I use the ether to start the truck, it's only after I've tried my "method" and that didn't work. I don't like using the ether, cuz it really sounds like it would hurt the engine when I start it. meaning: the engine clatters and such then smoothes out after the ether is burned.

anyone know what the tallest thinnest tire on a 16 inch rim is. I'm hoping they make a 245x85r16, but don't know. I can't fit much bigger tires without a lift, which I don't want.

 

[Mr_Roboto]

anyone know what the tallest thinnest tire on a 16 inch rim is. I'm hoping they make a 245x85r16, but don't know. I can't fit much bigger tires without a lift, which I don't want.

The highest aspect ratio is 85 (Sidewall is 85% of tire width). I'm not sure what size (and wheel width) came stock on your truck. Probably either 215/85R16 on 16 x 6 rims, or 235/85R16 on 16 x 7 rim.

Once you get bigger than 235/85R16, the tires tend to be mudder type. Denman tire makes a lot of specialty tires, including some larger 85 series tires: http://www.d-90.com/tire/denman.html You won't find these at your local tire shop, it will be mail order or special order at a truck / tractor tire store.

A 265/85R16 will fit on stock 16 x 7 rims. To compare, a 215/85R16 is 30.4 tall, a 235/85R16 is 31.7" tall, and a 268/85R16 is 33.7" tall.

This calculator http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html will give approximate dimensions for any tire size.

 

[dsblack]

Get a cheap test light, and hook it to the positive battery cable, disconnect the GP and touch it. IF the light comes on it is good. Move to the next. IF they are not Motorcraft or IH glow plugs change them even if they are good. On my truck 4-5 seconds is 2-3 GP's out and it struggles to fire.
Also with top speed it to drive like grandma... no heavy accel.

If the truck runs strong and give no extra smoke, then I would not change the fuel system yet. Hit it with a big does of cleaner (filt the fuel filter with it when you change it) and see if that helps.

Get her running like a top and see where the milage is at then go for improving that. Is there a lot of black smoke on hard accel? does it have a turbo? (throw all of this in your sig)

 

[geonc]

Auto Zone does cater to the Fast and Furious crowd....

HOWEVER....Where else can you buy Beru/Motorcraft ZD9 glow plugs for less than $10?

shift at lower RPMs and get in the highest gear ASAP and consider skip shifting when you don't need every gear. When I had 4.10 gears I did'nt need to use 1st and 3rd very often.

True ...to a point!
Stuffing gears and the resulting lug and chatter....and I'm quoting directly from Peter Pyfer- tech guru at South Bend clutch....

"As a general rule, do not lug the transmission. That is one of the hardest things you can do to a clutch. Shift. Engine speed is a clutches best friend when climbing a grade with a heavy load.
At stops, slipping the clutch a little is fine, but sometimes it's better to use a lower gear to get the truck moving"

When I had my South Bend failure, Peter asked me a slew of questions including weather I lugged , as lugging results in less centrifigual force which in turn can reduce the clamping force, not to mention the chatter is not all that good on a worn dual mass unit.

Misfiring injectors/cyls can also induce off frequency pulse spikes that will hammer the highest quality clutch assys.


kowboi 73,
You may want to try some "Seafoam" avail at NAPA and most parts houses.
Buy 2 cans -about $10- and a new fuel filter....fill the new filter full of Seafoam and split the rest between the tanks.

In effect you are giving the entire fuel system an ennema
Unless you have a severly worn pump and nozzles, this should help cleanse the system
Follow this with some fuel additive...Power Service, Diesel Kleen, Howes, Stanadyne etc.... to add "lubricity" to the inj pump as the original lubricating property in diesel- sulfur- has been removed courtsey of the clean air act

The inj pump operates under extremely tight tolerances and the resulting heat not only from the eng but the actual compressing and delivery to the nozzles where it is atomized before being injected into the cyl can wreak havok on the alloy pump hsg thereby changing the fuel timing and delivery, not to mention destroying the pump!

All the replys regarding your short "wait to start" light time are spot on
A properly operating GP system usually lasts about 10/12 sec on a stone cold eng.

Just my couple pennies and hope this is of some help
GEO

BTW....Welcome to Oilburners

 

[kowboi73]

?

ok guys

some more info.
the brake ligth that comes on, actually says "rear antilock" if that helps with diagnosis.?

the rpms at 60mph are about 2200 +-.

don't know what I was smoking, maybe diesel fuel!

there is absolutely NO black smoke from this truck ever!
only white smoke, just after it catches and starts up! then nothing else

it runs good and strong, lots of power, it feels like my old 86 suburban with the 350 bored out .30 and the q-jet, headmen hedders and straight pipes.

p.s. spent today washing, sanding, and painting the wheels. bed-liner black!
looks good!

I saw some websites that had 255,265,275 etc x85r16's no name brands and no way of ordering them either, just said they had them. ?

I think 265x85r16 would look good, perform well at hwy speed, and fit without a lift. about 34x10.5 tires.

 

[Mr_Roboto]

There is a 4x4 store in West Virginia that carries the big 85 series tires. I can't find their website right now. They are kind of hard to find.

 

[tonkadoctor]

there is absolutely NO black smoke from this truck ever!
only white smoke, just after it catches and starts up! then nothing else

it runs good and strong, lots of power,

That's a good sign. I think if you concentrate on the glow plugs, relay and check the fuel hoses and do some preventative maintenance you will be fine.

Something else I just thought of...Does your truck have BOTH batteries like it should or has a previous owner cheaped out trying to get by with one battery. Mine only had one battery when I bought it and it made a big difference in how well it started when I put 2 new batteries in it.

As far as tire sizes go, you should be able to run about a 33" tire and possibly a little more on that truck without problems with a stock suspension. I used to run 32x11.50-15s on my '82 F150 4x4 with no lift and no tire clearance problems and my '90 F350 has 235/85R-16 which are about 31.5" with lots of room left.

 

[towcat]

Short rant. Ether does not harm these engines.
Using ether "improperly" with a "hot" glow plug may cause severe damage.
Most 7.3s produced were used in medium duty trucks that used ether cold start systems not GPs.
Without a hot glowplug it is nearly impossible to cause damage with ether. Over application will most likely "flood" or partially lock up the engine.

careful
the majority here will burn you at the stake for suggesting that ether is OK. When my GP's take a dump, the can of ether comes out. started a truck for over three years on the stuff and never had a lick of trouble. Just let the GP's finish cycling before you give it a "sniff" of ether. the stories of motors becomming addicted to the stuff is nothing more than a old wives tale. But heck....either you believe the stuff is OK or not.

 

[The Warden]

careful
the majority here will burn you at the stake for suggesting that ether is OK. When my GP's take a dump, the can of ether comes out. started a truck for over three years on the stuff and never had a lick of trouble. Just let the GP's finish cycling before you give it a "sniff" of ether. the stories of motors becomming addicted to the stuff is nothing more than a old wives tale. But heck....either you believe the stuff is OK or not.

+1 to that statement. I used ether to start my 6.9l (with a non-functioning glow plug system) for over a year before getting the 7.3l glow plug system in. Now, the truck starts just fine without the drugs...although there are a few bugs to work out in the GP system still, the truck is 100% mechanically...

 

[dsblack]

First thing to change for the ABS is the rear diff sensor, that was what fixed mine, and it was less than $50.

 

[kowboi73]

things i've done

ok guys, i've changed the oil, changed fuel filter and added 2 cans of sea foam into the filter and gas tanks. replace rear passenger side brake drum, both rear shoes and wheel cylinders and checked the front brakes, fixed one vaccuum leak, took the lock actuators out of the doors so now I can lock them ( and unlock them) new air filter.

I borrowed a test ligth from my brother in law and tomorrow will check the glow plugs.

While we were fixing the brakes we broke the left rear hard brake line. No one seems to have the replacement. went to napa and bought a straight line will bend and fix it tomorrow too.

antilock brake light still comes on.
still hard to start (will check glow plugs tomorrow)