no power

[mrbrink]

For the last couple weeks, I have been battling what I thought was an air issue. Today I went for a drive and noticed it seemed low on power. I could hear a miss in the exhaust sound and it was smoking a greyish blue when I was cruising, but none when I took my foot off the gas. Gradually it just lost all power till it finally died. It'll idle at about 500 rpm and with my foot on the floor it'll turn maybe 2000 rpm in neutral. I can't even move it without it dying. Does anyone have any ideas on this? I really hope my IP isn't toast The lift pump has maybe 200 miles on it.

 

[icanfixall]

Either the lift pump was improperly installed with the arm up on top of the cam lobe or you have a fuel filter plugged up. Your not getting enough fuel to the injection pump for the motor to run correctly. These are my thoughts... Have you changed the fuel filter lately or filled up with a differant fuel stop ... Hopefully you don't have some alge problems.... Removing the fuel filter will tell you if its alge or not....

 

[mrbrink]

I'm going to check the fuel filter first thing in the morning. I have been getting fuel at the same place since I bought the truck so I don't think thats it, but I'm really hoping its just the filter.
If I incorrectly installed the fuel pump, wouldn't that have been obvious the first time I drove it afterwards? its given me starting troubles since but never a hiccup once its warmed up

 

[icanfixall]

If the lift pump arm is positioned on top of the cam lobe it will work but it will also bind it and break it off too. One member found three arms in his oil pan when he rebuilt his motor.... Someone learned and expensive lesson there. These pumps work just like a vacuum pump. The arm moving up and down makes the diaphram go up and down. They will work running backwards too. Just need the arm to function. Being on the wrong side of the cam lobe bends then and they break off at the joint...

 

[mrbrink]

Well I pulled the hard line after the filter, it pulses fuel as the engine is being cranked. With the line back on and the engine running, when I push the schraeder valve on the filter head in, there is about 5 seconds of air, followed by sputtering diesel, then a solid stream. I'm going to replace the pigtail hose on the lift pump with clear line and try to track down the air leak

 

[mrbrink]

I got the air issues taken care of. A local mechanic around here told me to pull the return line check fitting off my pump and start it. If it ran smooth and didn't smoke, he said my pump was bad. Sure enough, fired right up and ran like a sewing machine. Before I go drop 400 bucks on a new pump, can someone verify this?

 

[icanfixall]

I really haven't heard of that method of determining if the pump was good or bad.... He could be correct. If you need an injector pump please Read the Hall of Shame forum...... You really don't want a posting of yours to ever end up in that forum... Plenty of great advise about where to buy and where not to buy a pump from... Just read and ask questions later... Glad things are going in the right direction.

 

[mrbrink]

I was just playing with that fitting...I couldn't get the ball to move at all. The fitting was plugged with this brown crap...after digging at it with a small pick I got it to move. I think I'm going to throw it back on and see what happens...

So, given that it'll run fine without that fitting in place...if I just put a regular fitting in there and it runs good, then would that work? I mean, if my pump is already shot, doing a half ass repair to get it down the road doesn't seem like a bad idea. if it screws something up, then I need a new pump which was already possibly determined. I don't know, thinking outloud

 

[icanfixall]

That fitting is designed to vent off the extra fuel the pump does not use. That fuel is also used as a coolant and a lube for the injection pump. When the rngine shuts down the balle and spring shuts off the path of flow. Now your pump wont drain down thru the return line system... Yes... You really need that fitting in place. Really no other open fitting will work properly... But you can give it a try... Seems like your going to try it anyway... Just post back what your finding are... plenty here are quirous....

 

[mrbrink]

Well I don't really need the truck right now, just kind of sucks being stuck here. I'll just break down and get a new pump... I tried cleaning that valve out and it still runs like S.

 

[Matrix37495]

Could you try soaking the fitting in some solvent or something for a few days? Sounds like all it needs is a little cleaning, and if it doesn't work then you're not out any money...

 

[mrbrink]

The problem is, the gunk thats plugging it is from the pump coming apart internally. According to oregon fuel injection anyway.

 

[Matrix37495]

Oh.... im that case...

I got my pump for $355 shipped from Pensacola Fuel Injection with no core charge.

Just so you know...

 

[icanfixall]

That gunk probably is the pump eating itself... At least its not a form of alge ... That stuff really mess's up the entire fuel system but good... Even when you kill it in the tanks it becomes cannon fodder and plugs up the filter and.... It can get past the filter and really mess up the pump and injectors....

 

[mrbrink]

I acquired a pump from a 91 7.3 for 120 bucks. while it was out I turned the pump up about a flat and a half...after running the batteries dead priming, its running and she MOVES now! Before I had a flat spot at about 1/4 throttle, and its no longer there. Just pulls hard from idle to WFO. Thank you all for the help!