No fuel getting to water separator

[bagpiperjosh]

Just bought that 83 f250 6.9 and i noticed that when i took off the hoses to the water separator, there was no fuel coming out of the line..what could be causing this? Is there a fuel pump inline or in the tank?

now at first when i got the truck today, it would start and run for about 30 seconds then die. i did that aboout 5 times or so... shouldn't it have run out of fuel eventually?

 

[90ididoorguy]

No fuel or bad lift pump

 

[sassyrel]

and eliminate that worthless water seperator..they are notorious for air leaks...

 

[bagpiperjosh]

No fuel or bad lift pump

stupid question... where is the lift pump?

 

[90ididoorguy]

On the block behind the air pump it Lois like a mechanical fuel pump because that is essentialy what it is

 

[smolkin]

Like sassyrel said, try bypassing the separator and get a Wix fuel filter with a built-in separator, should run you about $30-35 but it's better than running without one. If it's still stalling out after that, replace the lift pump. Occam's Razor is your friend, start simple and cheap and work your way up...

 

[bagpiperjosh]

On the block behind the air pump it Lois like a mechanical fuel pump because that is essentialy what it is

ok, because i was looking on advanced autos website and the mechanical fuel pump and the lift pump pics pretty much looked the same... but they are not the same correct?

 

[smolkin]

ok, because i was looking on advanced autos website and the mechanical fuel pump and the lift pump pics pretty much looked the same... but they are not the same correct?

They are the same. IDI's have a lift pump and an injection pump. Lift pump is mechanical (as is the IP) but keep in mind auto parts sites deal with a lot of different makes and models and are usually set up by mildly retarded chimps.

 

[90ididoorguy]

If your lift pump is bad convert to a electric lift pump

 

[bagpiperjosh]

They are the same. IDI's have a lift pump and an injection pump. Lift pump is mechanical (as is the IP) but keep in mind auto parts sites deal with a lot of different makes and models and are usually set up by mildly retarded chimps.

well they list 2 things a "mechanical fuel pump" which they have in stock at my local store.. or a "feed pump" which they don't have in stock. so i dont know what the difference is.. if any. They look the same from what i can tell.

 

[bagpiperjosh]

If your lift pump is bad convert to a electric lift pump

forgive my ignorance, but why?

 

[RLDSL]

forgive my ignorance, but why?

Electric has the distinct advantage of being able to re=prime your injection pump on the fly without running your batteries dead if you mess up and forget to switch over your fuel tanks before you run out. Very nice to have if you crap out in the middle of an intersection in rush hour with everyone honking at you , just junp out quick and hit the key ( after switching tanks) and push the shrader valve open with something like a spare key to let the air out of teh filter and once it spits fuel, jump back in the cab and it'll fire with your foot on the floor in a few seconds. With a mechanical pump by yourself, you are stuck with one option, switch tanks, hold foot on floor, crank like hell and pray your batts or starter doesnt give out before it fires. The odds aren't good.

A lot of us have switched to the Facet Dura Lift ( also known as Carrier ) pumps I've been running these longer than anyone, do a search on teh site for Gen Lightning, I think he's still selling them, and they can also be found at Carrier Transicold and Thermoking dealers ( but for a bunch more cash , they are factory equipment on those critters) Very trouble free e pumps

 

[bagpiperjosh]

Electric has the distinct advantage of being able to re=prime your injection pump on the fly without running your batteries dead if you mess up and forget to switch over your fuel tanks before you run out. Very nice to have if you crap out in the middle of an intersection in rush hour with everyone honking at you , just junp out quick and hit the key ( after switching tanks) and push the shrader valve open with something like a spare key to let the air out of teh filter and once it spits fuel, jump back in the cab and it'll fire with your foot on the floor in a few seconds. With a mechanical pump by yourself, you are stuck with one option, switch tanks, hold foot on floor, crank like hell and pray your batts or starter doesnt give out before it fires. The odds aren't good.

A lot of us have switched to the Facet Dura Lift ( also known as Carrier ) pumps I've been running these longer than anyone, do a search on teh site for Gen Lightning, I think he's still selling them, and they can also be found at Carrier Transicold and Thermoking dealers ( but for a bunch more cash , they are factory equipment on those critters) Very trouble free e pumps

will the electric pump have any disadvantage to it if i were burning a blend of filtered waste oil?

 

[RLDSL]

will the electric pump have any disadvantage to it if i were burning a blend of filtered waste oil?

Yes. None of the standard electric pumps are designed for handling heavy fuels. You didnt mention that. The only electric pumps that can handle WVO or WMO are those designed to handle Bunker C marine fuel , ( search the site, I have found one of those for the guys who need one, but I dont have the info handy ) In theory waste fuels will work ok, but most folks hot filter and not down fine enough do do enough good, so every incidence where the system isnt switched back to diesel and purged clean before shutdown leaves teh lift pump to deal with unheated heavy fuels that they werent designed for and that includes the mechanical lift pump, they will fail eventually as well, but they will hold up a little longer since they have a giant diesel engine driving them instead of a small electric motor

 

[smolkin]

Given your alternative fuel plans, I say go with another mechanical lift pump. Yes, it will probably have a premature death, but a new one costs less than a tank of diesel at current fuel prices. I managed to go about a year on the pump that came with my '84 (wasn't new by any means) running heated SVO before I killed it. Waste oils are great as fuel, but whether you're doing WMO or WVO or whatever, based on personal experience you will have higher maintenance costs. Not trying to discourage you at all, just saying you should plan on having to replace fuel components more often.