Wally the Walrus (1992 E350 High Roof/Ext. Body)

Cant Write · Nov 5, 2021

Our 1400 mile round trip to Lead, SD went 99% without hiccup, and learned a couple things.

Under a time crunch, I tripped the 80 amp CB that feeds the back of the van. Cut the small wires back and rolled the larger gauge that I want to keep too reuse. Did the same between the front seats and found a spark, so I assumed it blew a fuse and left it at that.

Wife brings the kids home from school, I have the rig running with the AC blowing cold and we are ready to roll. 49 miles till fill up, need my $0.60 off a gallon. I notice the OD light blinking, I have no Speedo, ODO, or trip. Trans is shifting at full line pressure. Guess the government wiring I cut tied into the van's factory fuses, well I will figure it out in 49 miles. Found the 15 amp I blew, and bought a 4-pack for spares. Everything returned, and bless CC!

I left Montrose CO - GJ - Rifle - Craig - Rawlins - Casper - and filled up in Midwest WY. I won't lie, I started biting my nails kicking myself for not filling up in Casper. "But I was north of town and didn't wanna travel south into it for fuel" what a stupid excuse!! None the less a Sinclair truck stop in Midwest saved my bacon, I was right around 1/8th of a tank. My dad was worried too cause he hammered over the radio asking if I was lost. Calculated 19.34 mpg running 62 mph with 1.5 hours of idling for a rest and to keep heat in the van for the family.

Dad and I parted ways and screwing around in the Black Hills for a few days returned much less mileage. 14.33 mpg to be exact. Must have under-filled the tank before, and/or one heck of a tail-wind.

Leaving the hills, the good ol' wind came to visit, at least 20+ mph sustained head wind all the way home, it was ridiculous. Somewhere between Wheatland WY and Laramie, I noticed it would "miss/buck" if I pressed on the pedal. The kind of "miss/buck" you get when the fuel filter on dad's 79 C10 starts plugging up cause he needs to drive it more. I had packed an extra filter.

A ways out of Laramie I find a gravel pull-out that has a small dam for the kids to go through some rocks and run around. I get to work, no water came out of the drain, just ATF from my "injector un-sticky" trials. Pour the diesel in the glass jar, it looks clean. Look in the filter, looks clean, assume the filter media is plugged up. New filter on, fired up, load up, and on the road. Hey my "miss/buck" is gone!!! ........... 30 miles down the road ......... or so I thought....dang-nab-it!!

Stopped in Waldon to fill up, man I sure like rural ranch towns cause the fuel pumps go RIGHT on past $100 and thats nice. I get tired of the $75.00 shut-offs, I digress. Whilst filling, I thank the Lord for the house I live in. You see, I'm from South Dakota and according to the experts, there are 17 days a year where the wind blows less than 10 mph. And it was HOWLING through Waldon this day, it blew my doors closed on a van where the doors wanna fall OPEN ...... I'll be. The house I live in now is in a pretty deep draw and the wind blows over top of me, oh thank you LORD!! 15.34 mpg, that sounds reasonable running 65 into a 30 mph headwind.

The "miss/buck" has returned, not quite as fierce, but I'm annoyed, no parts, and I am going to just drive it. Up over Rabbit Ears pass it comfortably holds 50+ in 3rd locked. Ask the wife to look up to see if high falootin' Steamboat Springs has a Walmart. Sure does! Pull in a buy 2 quarts of Type F ATF. Pour one in and head for Craig. Wanting to get home I start driving harder. 9 mile gap must have had a solid 30 mph wind howling up through there, .... good golly! Jumped on I-70 towards GJ and set the cruise at 70 mph.

Made it home without issue, and drove around the next couple days with my outlaws (wife's parents) and filled up. Added my last quart of ATF. checked mpg and it said 15.88 mpg.

Now I am working 9 straight night shifts and gearing up for our trip to CA for Thanksgiving.

Cant Write · Nov 5, 2021

Observations:

1. I have a small haze at idle, my guess, leaky injector but I am no expert. When I bought it, #7 (assume) had a ticking to it and the exhaust manifold read 10 degrees higher at hot idle compared to the rest. 195-205F #7 read 214-217F.

2. I ran PS injector cleaner, did nothing, Ran BG-245 cause it supersedes 244, helped some. Tried the ATF in the fuel filter and start/kill to sit over night trick, helped a ton. Between that and just driving it, tick is only there at light throttle and only sometimes.

3. I put a quart of ATF in at Montrose, zero "buck/miss" for the next 550-600 miles. Haze at hot idle ... GONE ... until I let it idle at a rest area for 1.5 hours. Next tank I just put in opti-lube winter. On way home developed this miss/buck under light-medium acceleration. Had it on the way home from the purchase and thought it was just a dirty fuel filter. Put ATF in at Steamboat and it pretty much disappears. Doesn't seem to do it locally. My guess is injectors, or air intrusion. Starts great though......? I run optilube summer/winter in my VW's and this van as well so I do not think that was the culprit.

4. I thought these E-350's had a 35 gallon tank, if so they give you a safety margin cause even with 1/8th or less I could only get in 29 gallons. Oh and for the record, I let it fill with the head on the slowest notch. When it clicks off, I can get another 4-5 gallons into it until diesel (not foam) comes right to the top of the fill tube. I even rock the van for good measure. I know, I'm weird.

5. My haze at hot idle is gone unless it sits and idles for 5 plus minutes.

6. It happily cruises at 70, just worse mpg I assume.

7. The wife fills up the vehicle no matter what size I buy, so I might as well start towards my class 8 CDL

In all honesty, for the CA trip I am going to move the seat rearward, have storage behind that for tools, suitcases and camp gear (bins). and put a makeshift bed between the seats for the kids and 1 adult to relax on while cruising down the road. In order to talk to the kids when they are behind the seat, you have to yell, and I cannot stand yelling. Thats what I learned on the Black Hills inaugural run

IDIBRONCO · Nov 5, 2021

With your light haze at idle, I wonder if you need to advance your timing slightly. I don't think that would make a difference with your bucking problem though.

Big Bart · Nov 5, 2021

My experience with bucking has been around a lack of fuel. Tons of folks on this site have suffered a bad lift pump. You seem to have issues on acceleration. That is when I have noticed bucking or at say 2,800 rpm when the engine is really humming. It was a lack of fuel, my sending units do not work so once was when I got the truck and ran a tank out. Bucking then eventually died. The second time was a lift pump going out.

If it was me I would replace the lift pump before heading to CA (Or buy one in case and take it) and while doing so -

1) Replace the rubber line and clamps Between the line to the tank and the lift pump.
2) Before you attach the new rubber hose to your pump blow 10psi or so down the fuel line into the tank. See if you have some junk in the line. If the buck goes away it was likely your pump. If it comes back in 1-2k miles I would clean the tank and lines out.
3) I have heard the middle line connector on the IP can clog up. That there is a screen just a 1/4 inside there that can clog. I have never tried to clean it, but those who have warn to go gently or you may push it in and cause an issue. But it has been a source of fuel issues for folks. If you do or have had a diesel bloom it would be a probability.
4) Perhaps you have some air intrusion on the line from the lift pump to the tank.
5) It does not sound like you either have two tanks or switch them. But the tank selector valves fail frequently as these trucks are getting long in the tooth. If you switch tanks or have not done so due to issues with the selector, don’t rule out it is stuck between tanks and limiting or starting to clog due To being partially clogged.

You mention a haze after idling for a extended period of time. I would suggest the haze is from the engine and engine compartment getting hot.(VS running slow and building up.) Many find a IP that will not let a truck start. Many suggest pouring cool water on it, if it starts they say it’s a bad IP. Although not a physical test on a fuel tester it seems to be a great indicator of a bad IP. So likely a indicator your IP has some mileage on it or was not rebuilt at a top notch shop. It is also strongly suggested you replace the IP and injectors together. I think you have a clog, bad lift pump, maybe a bad injector (Just don’t here them causing bucking rather rough idle.), possibly air intrusion before the lift pump, but do not rule out the IP.

My advice is check the cheap fixes so when you do the IP and injectors you have a high probability it fixes the issue. Rather than I just spent $1,500 and still have a bucking IDI.

Let us know what worked out for you. Send some pics of your work and your rig.

Cant Write · Nov 7, 2021

@IDIBRONCO Could very well be, I will have to read and learn about that. With it being a van, it looks like accessing the IP is a little more involved. Looks can be deceiving.......

I have also wanted to check high/cold idle advance as I am not sure mine works. Have started it down to 36F without plugging it in, and I never heard it idle up at all. Sounds like i can take a fused jumper from the battery to the rear spade terminal (I think rear)

I also want to check my GP's, I have 8 ZD-9's in hand, I just tried to pull one connector and those things have "glued" themselves on!

@Big Bart Are you in Newport Beach CA over Thanksgiving week? If so, that is the exact place I'll be. Maybe we can meet up if you have the time. Will be there, the 20-26 I believe, then headed up to Ventura for Turkey Night (USAAC non-winged sprints)

Regarding your informative post:

Its an E-350, (1) - I believe 35 gallon tank with 74,*** original miles when I bought it, 77,*** now.

After reading a little more; sure seems like its a good idea to replace it now, vs the side of the road. And I will not have a compressor on the side of the road.

1, yes great advice, I will run new rubber hose when I replace the lift pump. Any certain brand better than others, Ford dealer vs NAPA? My closest parts store (20 miles) is carquest.
2, Thanks for that info, and it makes perfect sense about potential algae if it returns in a couple k miles.
3, I will not bother with 3 unless the problem returns that I performed in step 2, does that seem reasonable?
4, I assume my van has metal line with a short section of rubber at each end. I will happily replace the section on the tank side, although its 35 gallons full right now, so if I can loosen it, and lower it enough to access the connections without dropping the entire tank, I will.
5, its a van.

With 75K, I hope the IP is good, absolutely not hot starting issues at all. I have read about the cold water trick from the 6.2l forums. I have also read the injectors and IP should be replaced together, so my hope is not to do injectors just yet (I bought some from NAPA but returned them after reading here some more). Hopefully they pass 100k and then do both at a later date.

What about air intrusion in the injector return lines via sucking it in vs leaking fuel out? Thoughts on putting clear hose on the returns and looking for bubbles?

I will definitely look for aged/cracked/rotted lines closely tomorrow night as this is my last night shift for a few days.

Thanks a ton!!!

Oh and I need to learn how to get pics up.

Cant Write · Nov 7, 2021

@DOE-SST

The rear shades are still there and I buttoned them up, wonderful things. The passenger side shade is gone, and the plastic used to black-out the windows is gone. CO law (pretty sure) allows whatever darkness you want on the sides and rear as long as the front 2 windows are 27% or higher. I like the idea of being able to see out the windows, one of the reasons I did not get a utility van.

We had a 2007 denali (6.2l LS, awesome engine, 6l80 trans not so much) and I limo tinted in addition to the factory tint and you could NOT see in at all. I am thinking along those lines for privacy.

I have not taken out the interior pieces yet, but my rear HVAC blows vent and AC out the upper vents, and heat out the floor vents with no adjustment in temperature. Its HOT below or COLD up top. So I fear my blend door is broken. Which will have to wait until after CA and likely next spring. I just cycled the rear system as needed (10%) and used the front vents to blow rearward (90%) and that worked to keep everyone comfortable.

Big Bart · Nov 7, 2021

Can’t Write

1) Yes if you replace the lift pump and blow out the line and you problem does not return right away, it would be safe to assume #3 is not related. If you do #2 and the issue persists #3 may be worth a shot. I bought mine at O’Riellys and it works, but do not have knowledge about which ones are best. Let’s see if others weigh in.

2) I will be in town so let’s plan to meet up. I will send you a message in the message bar with my cell phone number.

3) Glow plug wiring now 30 years later is having issues For most. You can find cheep crimp on connectors (Diesel specific sites and eBay.) to replace melted or cracked ones. Or Classic Diesel Designs has wire harness replacements. (There is a right and left side.) There is a lot of upside to replacing the wire harness to the glow plugs since the 7.3 GP module reads resistance of the system. Having bad wiring can complicate keeping your module working by causing issues with resistance. But we all have a budget in mind.

4) Likely your injectors and pump are the original ones. So if you get rid of the bucking you should be able to go to 100k or maybe a little beyond.

5) With your trip around the corner you will have to choose your battles, the fuel tank drop may introduce some new challenges (Finding parts if something breaks, bends, or leaks) so you will have to decide if that is an option. Again start perhaps with #2 and #3 and if the problem goes away, if so no need to pull the tank yet. Unless it comes back much later it could likely be something is causing a blockage in the fuel line coming from the tank. So you blew it out, then it got sucked back in.

Clear line can help see if you have a air leak.

To post pics e-mail them from your phone to your computer or if using a digital camera load them by memory card onto your hard drive. When you post/reply on this site there is a attach files button below the text box. Choose the pic/pics file and it will upload. If on a phone or IPAD it appears you can hit attach file and select ”Take a pic” and it will attach. I have not tried from my iPad or phone but I see the option.

sjwelds · Nov 7, 2021

One thing I'll add, you must press the throttle slightly to set the high idle when cold. The solenoid is not strong enough to move the throttle by itself.

Big Bart · Nov 7, 2021

Sorry forgot to address the IP advance.

Some thoughts

1) Per SJwelds like him I have to turn the key to on, push the throttle down 1/2 and that sets the cold idle/advance. Otherwise it does not idle faster.
2) You have a timing advance solenoid - Makes the engine really clatter if your timing is set right. Also there is a second high idle solenoid - Makes it idle +/- 100 rpm faster.
2) Both are powered by +12v And off the same circuit. So to your point a jumper wire would be a good way to test the solenoids Also a test light or volt meter with key in the on/run position with the engine cold would also confirm if getting power to these. Power yes but no advance or higher idle, you have a solenoid, ground, or wire issue to one or both.
3) There is a temperature sensor at the front drivers side of the motor that cuts +12v out to the solenoids as the engine warms. (Turns them off.) So test for +12v coming to it.(No power to it. Think fuse or wiring issue.) Test cold for power coming out of the sensor when say 65* or cooler. No power out the sensor is bad and replace. Another way to think about this test, does the sensor have continuity (ohm test it) between plug ends cold and not when hot. If yes the sensor is working.

TNBrett · Nov 7, 2021

The cold idle switch is supposed to open at 112*F or so of coolant temperature. It’s also worth noting that the cold idle solenoid that holds the throttle open is adjustable, and it’s possible to increase your base idle to where there is no noticeable difference from high idle. The small hex head on the end of the rod for the solenoid can be turned to thread it in or out.

IDIBRONCO · Nov 7, 2021

That hex head on the end of the shaft takes a 1/4" open wrench to adjust it. The other end of the rod is threaded so all you have to do is to turn the hex part one way or the other. The threads are fine enough that you can go several turns on it. It's also hard to tell that the rod has moved due to the fine threads. If you can't adjust it far enough, you can loosen the mounting bolts for the bracket that the solenoid is attached to and then rock the whole thing toward the back of your van. Then go back to the adjusting.

Cant Write · Nov 10, 2021

Attempt at pictures:

WALLY in all his glory, I just feel like WALLY is a guy (74,*** miles young)