Never seen this one listed, but I found a major leak in one of the bleeder caps on the very to of my separator. This was an add-on separator, mounted forward of the fuel filter, not on the firewall. It had a marine-type element screwed on, with a visible section at the bottom and a screw-in valve. Everything was plastic, plastic, plastic.
I've been chasing air intrusion for months. Replaced all the lines from the selector valve forward. Fuel feed to separator, separator to lift pump, skipped hard line from pump to filter and filter to IP. Replaced all return lines with Pensacola Diesel kit, replaced them again with good fuel line when they promptly failed. Finally replaced return line from #8 cyl to selector valve.
I was still getting airy starts, but with no fuel weeping anywhere. Had to crank three or four times, and when it finally started would get a nice cloud of white smoke, and that higher pitched rattle under the normal diesel rattle that I've come to recognize as air in the fuel. Worked the starter to the limit doing it this way.
When the mech lift pump failed, the starter went too. Installed new gear-reduction starter, new battery cables, new starter signal wire (doubled-up 16 gauge w/heat shrink) and installed an electric pump down by the selector valve, wired to ignition. Fired it up, and heard the spatter of leaking fuel. At the top of the separator housing fuel was bubbling out of both caps (bleeder valves?) and pouring down the sides of the separator element. Installed a brass barb where the separator had been (to eliminate it), then primed with the elec. pump, purging air from schrader valve.
WHOOM! Started first crank, ice cold, with one 9-second gp cycle. Just a whiff of gray smoke, and no air rattle at all. Took a test drive, and if I'm not imagining things, ran better than ever.
MORAL OF THE STORY:
1. If you have any air intrusion at all, replace all the rubber lines. It costs about $40 for ten feet each of 3/8 and 5/16 fuel line, and you'll end up with a few feet left over for this or that. The job takes about an hour and is stupid easy, just have some vice grips handy to clamp off lines and rags to catch fuel. Do the supply lines and returns. Seriously, it's easy, cheap and worth it.
2. Use quality fuel line for the injector-to-injector return lines. I don't know what Pensacola is peddling, but all mine cracked within a month.
3. Spend $60 on a cheap electric pump, and stick it in the circuit. I bought the cheap green one from Mr. Gasket. Your mech pump can pull through it, and it takes a half hour to install. Whether you wire it to a switch or ignition power, it's cheap insurance if you ever run low on fuel and don't want to spend an hour using the starter to prime the fuel system. You can also run it as your only lift pump. It might also help you find a leak you didn't expect, which leads me to:
4. Suspect the unexpected when searching for air/fuel leaks! Fuel may not leak out, but air can leak in. Check everything, including hard lines, and especially your fuel/water separator if it has plugs and bleeder valves. I never thought to look there, and it was probably the source of air coming in all along.
Do your lines, and put in an electric pump. I wish I hadn't waited.
I've been chasing air intrusion for months. Replaced all the lines from the selector valve forward. Fuel feed to separator, separator to lift pump, skipped hard line from pump to filter and filter to IP. Replaced all return lines with Pensacola Diesel kit, replaced them again with good fuel line when they promptly failed. Finally replaced return line from #8 cyl to selector valve.
I was still getting airy starts, but with no fuel weeping anywhere. Had to crank three or four times, and when it finally started would get a nice cloud of white smoke, and that higher pitched rattle under the normal diesel rattle that I've come to recognize as air in the fuel. Worked the starter to the limit doing it this way.
When the mech lift pump failed, the starter went too. Installed new gear-reduction starter, new battery cables, new starter signal wire (doubled-up 16 gauge w/heat shrink) and installed an electric pump down by the selector valve, wired to ignition. Fired it up, and heard the spatter of leaking fuel. At the top of the separator housing fuel was bubbling out of both caps (bleeder valves?) and pouring down the sides of the separator element. Installed a brass barb where the separator had been (to eliminate it), then primed with the elec. pump, purging air from schrader valve.
WHOOM! Started first crank, ice cold, with one 9-second gp cycle. Just a whiff of gray smoke, and no air rattle at all. Took a test drive, and if I'm not imagining things, ran better than ever.
MORAL OF THE STORY:
1. If you have any air intrusion at all, replace all the rubber lines. It costs about $40 for ten feet each of 3/8 and 5/16 fuel line, and you'll end up with a few feet left over for this or that. The job takes about an hour and is stupid easy, just have some vice grips handy to clamp off lines and rags to catch fuel. Do the supply lines and returns. Seriously, it's easy, cheap and worth it.
2. Use quality fuel line for the injector-to-injector return lines. I don't know what Pensacola is peddling, but all mine cracked within a month.
3. Spend $60 on a cheap electric pump, and stick it in the circuit. I bought the cheap green one from Mr. Gasket. Your mech pump can pull through it, and it takes a half hour to install. Whether you wire it to a switch or ignition power, it's cheap insurance if you ever run low on fuel and don't want to spend an hour using the starter to prime the fuel system. You can also run it as your only lift pump. It might also help you find a leak you didn't expect, which leads me to:
4. Suspect the unexpected when searching for air/fuel leaks! Fuel may not leak out, but air can leak in. Check everything, including hard lines, and especially your fuel/water separator if it has plugs and bleeder valves. I never thought to look there, and it was probably the source of air coming in all along.
Do your lines, and put in an electric pump. I wish I hadn't waited.
And olives from Typ4! 
