Tried to start my truck last Sunday 1-14-23. Very cold here I want to say it was 2 degrees out. Truck turned over no start kept trying eventually I got it to start for a few seconds. Ran rough figured it was just the cold then it stalled. Has not started since. I ran out and got the 911 diesel stuff for gelled fuel still nothing. Drained it from the fuel bowl. Try turning it over nothing check fuel bowl it’s empty. So I’m not getting fuel I read about blowing air through the line. I do that I can hear gargling in fuel tank from fuel cap hole. So I’m sure that’s clear so I try again and nothing still no fuel. Just this summer I was having issues with fuel took it to a shop they replaced the pump and supposedly a fuel line. But now with this issue when I started investing I notice metal flakes in the bottom of fuel bowl. Is it possible my fuel pump is toast again? I’ll include picture of flakes. Any help or suggestions are greatly appreciated if it’s the pump again what could be killing them. The first time when the shop worked on it. I don’t think it was the pump I was getting fuel the bowl I think was getting over pressurized. Because I could drain the bowl and the truck would run fine till the bowl got to full but the shop replaced the pump and a line supposedly. I’m at a loss if it wasn’t so cold out I’d say start fresh with all new fuel setup but for now till it warms up I just need it to run again. If not pump what would make it not get fuel.

 

Have you checked fuel pressure while cranking? It needs to be at least 20psi

did you remove the fuel heater or was it already gone? Those may be bits from the fuel heater. If not, then those have not come from the tank unless the pick up head is damaged. The pump may have died but you don’t usually see pieces of it in the bowl.

I would clean it out, fill the bowl, then crank to see what the pressure is.

have you tried switching tanks? Are they more than 1/4 full?

 

I removed the fuel heater it wasn’t plugged in. In side the bowl or on the outside I’m guessing it was bad. As for fuel pressure I’m getting none. And then the question about the tanks only the rear tank is in working order. The last time I paid a shop to replace the pump the switch got flipped to front tank and it sucked up whatever was in there from at least 8 years ago when I got the truck. Who knows how long before that it wasn’t being used. The tanks are on my list of things to do but it was working with one tank so it wasn’t at the top of the list. Now having had fuel issues twice it’s at the top of my list to replace all lines and tanks also switch to a sump set up instead. At least that’s the plan in warmer weather.
there’s nothing on the pump that would shave off metal flakes if the pump was running dry. The flakes were razor thin. I did clean them all out and blew air throw the lines to the tank. Took the cap off the fill neck before so as to not expand the tank with the pressure. Try turning it over and nothing the pump don’t fill the bowl on its own as it normal would but even if I add fuel to the bowl it still won’t fire up. I should note Batteries are fully charged and truck block heater plugged in. Normal with the block heater plug in it fires up better than it does in the summer.

 

You need to get the entire truck into a heated building and let it sit 24 hours.
You are chasing ghost in this cold weather.
Could damage more components.

 

If only that were possible with out having it taken to a shop.

so are we ruling out fuel pump then?

 

Cover it with a blue tarp and put a torpedo heater blowing warm air on it.
Been there, done that....... More than once.
You have learned a lesson about the need for fuel conditioner in the winter.
Keep cranking it and your next lesson will be changing a starter in cold weather.

 

Your description has raised red flags for a number of possible causes. Cold, sucking from a dead tank, mystery debris. Time for differential diagnosis, or you may end up replacing entire fuel system.

Gelled fuel is one possible issue. Frozen water in fuel is another possible issue. Sustained heat soak is the only way around those.

Whatever those flakes are, they absolutely should not be there. The "flakes" don't look like metal to me. They're translucent. To me, they look like thin, flaked, cracked varnish that came off a surface. Could be a failed plastic part, but I would expect disintegrated plastic to be more granular rather than flat, thin flakes. I would suspect fuel contamination... which makes me wonder if filter, lines, pump, and/or pickup are blocked. Hmmm... have you tried a fresh fuel filter? Whatever is coming through may have clogged the filter. Injector pressure regulator screen in the bowl is also another suspect for blockage. Have you carefully handled any to see if they are solid like real plastic, or kind of soft and squishy? Do they melt when brought inside and warmed to room temperature?

Sounds like you blew air through both feed and return lines, can you confirm? If you only blew through one, other may be blocked.

How much fuel is in the working tank? If "showerhead" pickup inside tank breaks off, you get not only coarse debris (but that is black plastic), but also sucking air at about 1/4 tank.

If you need to warm it up outside, this may be an idea for redneck warming tent. Tape plastic or tarp "skirt" around the perimeter of the body, with good overlap on ground. Cover grille, and gap between bed and cab. Put a low-intensity heat source under engine and working tank. Heat source could be a couple of incandescent (not fluorescent or LED) trouble lights (remember EZ-Bake toy ovens?), blow dryer, heat gun, or other heater that won't melt stuff or start a fire. Let simmer overnight. OBS PSD crock pot stew?

Not an expert, just some ideas. I see a lot of folks that want to know "which part do I replace" without having done enough diagnosis to rule out multiple possible causes. Just my $0.02, and some advice is worth less than what you pay for it.

 

The flakes are very thin metal shavings. I inspected them sorry if the picture isn’t clear. The working tank is completely full just filled it up as for gelled Iv been diligent about keeping anti gel in but this last time I filled up I dumped it in after filling instead of before like I normally would. It was at home so waited till then. Just the week before it was 40+ degrees out. Michigan weather is so unpredictable. Another thing that happens with my truck is my driveway is on a slope so over the weekend it seems to drain the fuel bowl slightly sometimes that gives the truck trouble but minor and then through the week as it’s driven everyday it starts fine last weekend was a three day weekend so it sat.
as for blowing out lines I blew out the line coming from the tank to the pump that one I could hear was clear. The return line I didn’t blow it out I actually used a vacuum to suck the screen clean.
filter is new
pump was new as of this summer from the dirty tank mishap.
new ipr new Icp new cps new vacuum pressure sensor the one by the cawl. I noticed the fuel bowl has a vacuum sensor could that be bad.
problem with this truck is Iv been chasing my tail fixing things. It was my wife’s grandpas truck trying to restore it given it will last us forever once I get past the years and years of neglect my mother in law and her ex husband put it through. He’s fixed stuff on it but more half *** than an actual repair. Fuel bowl being one of them. So it’s possible metal shavings could have been his handy work. I never noticed them till now but Iv also never removed the bowl heater to notice them. Heat and a tarp will be my next try at throwing it.
sorry about randomness just grasping at straws of what info could be relevant.

before all this truck struggles to drive under its own weight but with a tuner it drives normal ish. Still can’t pull a trailer at a speed past 50. I chalked that under the exhaust leak but then can’t make sense of tuner fixing it. I got a truck that needs a full rebuild basically. But she was running and now she’s not just need to get past that. Injectors pass buzz test and contribution seems good. No codes. It passes scanner test. Except now it won’t start to do any running test.

 

Metal flakes, bad. I don't know if they could come out of the pump, and I forget if the filter is before or after the low-pressure stage of the pump.

I wonder if the metal flakes could be internal coating of a fuel line flaking off. Or maybe drill shavings?

Block might be between fuel pump and tank selector switch.

This isn't an easy diagnosis.

 

so fuel comes from tank to pump on low pressure side then out a line right next to the line coming from tank the second line feeds into the fuel bowl it comes out the small hole on the lower side wall of the bowl. I think you can see it in picture. Then the bowl fills up fuel passes through the filter and down the rod in the middle of the bowl. From there it goes to the high pressure side of the pump. At least that’s my understanding from inspecting the functionality of it.

 

No need to apologize... The reason we are all hanging with you is because we have been right where you are.
Sometimes I just have to step back from a truck and let my brain clear. Prioritize the challenge.
Hang in there.

 

In this exact situation. Any updates?

 

Please make you own thread so we can concentrate on you