sitting for awhile 84 f350

[imfixinmopars]

hey guys im new to this so bear w/ me, im working on a farmers 84 f350 6.9 manual trans truck thats been sitting for 2 yrs.thinking of buying and need some info please.they said that you needed to bleed the fuel system when shut the truck off,or it will start and then die the next time you try and start it.whats going on?why is there air in the system,and its still running?i think i can buy it cheap,but its dirty and 2wd,so whats my first move? its here at my shop and im new at diesels,thanks for any help!

 

[Agnem]

Welcome to the site. The reason you had so much trouble posting, is that you tried to put this in our tech articles section. Wrong forum! I know that was just an honest mistake, but I'm sure you wanted an explanation. I got you fixed up here, and hopefully you will find your way back.

As for your question, have you read our FAQ (top of this forum) where we have information on buying a used IDI? If not, please check that out. The fuel system will be fine after 2 years, provided that the fuel did not have organisms in it, and that they have not grown and clogged everything. You will probably need a fresh pair of 950CCA batteries, a new fuel filter, fresh fuel in the tank, and a lot of understanding as to how the fuel system works in these trucks. I'd suggest reading the fuel system servicing article in our tech articles forum (I know you know where that is ) to get some ideas, then read up on how the glow plug system works, and try to determine if this farmers truck has an original glow plug system, or if it has been converted or hacked by someone who may or may not have known what they were doing. Also look at the glow plugs and determine if they are Beru, so you get a feel for the likelyhood of sucessfully replacing them, if they test bad.

 

[f-two-fiddy]

As allways, Mel offers up some great advice.

I'd try and get a little more info outta the farmer.

Most farmers I know, won't put a truck out to pasture unless it's pretty well rung out. See if you can get him to fess up to the problem that designated it to the field.

 

[Mr_Roboto]

Sounds like the truck stalling was the problem....

IMO, an electric fuel pump plumbed in next to the tank makes easy work of finding air leaks, as they turn into fuel leaks under pressure.

I guess it all depends what "cheap" is for the price. Even just parting out a non-running 1 ton diesel should be able to fetch $800 at least.