Actron® - Fuel Pressure Tester Kit - Actron Testers and Tools
that's an example of an inexpensive gauge just your standard fuel pressure gauge. the coupler to connect the gauge may or may not work all you do is go to your hardware store get a coupler that will lock on your gauge and get it the same thread as were you would check it on your fuel bowl. should work as it is. get a few feet of hose so you can secure it outside the truck were it will not fall or break a windshield and drive down the road and put your foot all the way on the floor to get the best readings.

the fuel return is just access fuel were on this style 7.3 it returns back from the heads and back through your regulator if you will and off back to the tank. . you should see at least 20 psi cranking truck may or may not start off of ten pounds. if your pressure checks out you also need to see if your injectors are firing the fuel charge are you getting any smoke after cranking.

 

like today I drove it and drove fine but I want to start it up and it just kept spinning over and no start so I had to pop it off with ether 2x today but like if it sits for a good while it will start but slowly

 

stop using ether I have asked or told people to use it how ever that should be a 1 time deal for emergency or not really but diagnostic propose and a bad one at that. when you say slowly do you mean it cranks slow if you have an issue with batteries it will draw current mainly to the starter and it may lack power to do things like fire injectors is your tach reading during cranking. what about a cel tried getting codes from it. made sure their is no air in the system. with out a scan tool you need to find out is it getting fuel no smoke no fuel. then are your injectors firing during cranking if not you need to find out why you have high pressure oil and high and low pressure fuel. you need to know injection control pressure during cranking other wise you have a no start and is their any oil leaks in the system causing a low pressure issue.
so is their any smoke. do you have an idiot light on. checked you oil or fuel for any sign of contamination like black fuel. how does it start hot have your tried turning the key on and off several times. these are most know because we are not looking at a lab scope of engine controls so these questions are a must.

 

what I meant by it starting slow is that it cranks really fast but it would take literally a couple of seconds to actually to fire it up !!!! and now like today its just killing the batteries trying to start it because it won't start unless I use ether to fire it up .....when I parked it I unscrewed the fuel bowl to see if it has lost its prime in the bowl but its fine fuel comes pouring out when I unscrew the lid( while the truck is off).... I get 45psi when its running but 10psi at start up ....can a scanner tell me if there is a no start code???? no lights are on but the "wait to start" light.......there are no absolute leaks or oil burning/smoke....oil levels are good, the batteries are brand new ,this isn't something that slowly happened it , it came out of nowhere with this problem....I think it has to do with me running it dry on fuel and when I did I had to go to this ghetto Walmart for diesel and THATS WHERE I had the problems later on , remember I pulled the fuel filter out and it was gray and sticky like clay all on the filter but I replaced it and I was still getting the same issues .... do you think that's the cause?????

 

the gray stuff probably came from running it dry most of that stuff was probably just sitting in your tank. make sure you have good clean fuel. 10 psi is still low pressure its possible that all that crud made it past the filter and is causing a blockage that cranking the pressure can not over come. so check your fuel filter make sure its not re gunked up. so if you have a blockage you need to un block it and be sure you have all the air purged out. trash in your regulator will spell bad news. I could see how your truck would run once started but not start with a blockage sorry for all the questions but just want to be sure what ever you do is the right thing to do.

 

so what is the regulator???is there a way to flush it out??? is that the problem????

 

yes that is very possible that dirt has gotten in the regulator assembly but usually you would have low pressure in general not just during cranking but since you have no way of knowing if its low when running down the road 10 psi is to low. if your sure its got no power drain or poor grade fuel then first recheck or change your filter you just installed be sure everything is seated correctly when you changed the filter. then for the regulator.


before you go further make sure this is the setup you have it should be but make sure.

 

yes i have this setup on my truck....so what would i need to do to clear it out?????

 

you will need to remove the fuel relief valve or regulator from the regulator assembly be very careful not to drop the filter screen that should be between the regulator and the bowl. also its held on by 2 bolts then once its off you can begin to take it apart very careful the regulator as several seals on it or o rings that if in bad condition will leak. your regulator should have a black round canister mounted on it that will unscrew this contains a filter and is a must during cleaning. you should wind up with a screen a couple screw fittings spring and seat along with a couple o rings and should have a check ball. if this is your issue you should find lots of debris trash or bad o rings regulator stuck damaged or everything in bad condition. with out the proper fuel pressure gauge the 10 psi still leaves the pump as questionable usually on these mechanical pumps they are prone to failing but since all the trash from the tank made it to the filter this would end up being a must. so this is not a guarantee but with low fuel pressure and only crank and idle readings it sounds like your issue is in the regulator.





you should be getting smoke or spit fire from the engine after a while of cranking to ensure that you are getting fuel in your cylinders but if your sure this is probably an issue. The picture is what you would call your regulator do not mix up or loose any spring seal or ball. if you need it I can look for pictures of everything. now if your springs is bent broken or stiff in the bore then cleaning will do nothing. so based on what we have to go on this is what I can tell you. if you are not sure just ask. really your fpr filter and your fpr is what you need to looks at. just be informed of what you take apart and do not loose anything. but remember this is no sure fire fix. are you sure your batteries and starter are good. if you have a rubber return line you could crimp it off and see if the engine will start when you have a crank no start. if you do it and the engine starts kill it after it starts this creates very high pressure and is not very good to do but in a pinch it will work.

 

ok thank you I will let you know and ill reply back when I get it done .....my batteries are in great condition same for the batteries

 

I havnt really got to it yet but iv been doing some searching around and I found that some peoples psd have had bad high oil pressure pumps, high oil pressure sensers, and bad icp????? could that be a cause?????

 

yes how ever when you checked fuel pressure and its low that is different from low oil pressure two different systems. if you have low icp during cranking then your injectors will not fire. this could be caused by oil pressure leak hpop or ipr or things like that can all cause low pressure and a crank no start. you can also have low pressure oil issues. theirs is many more things that will cause low icp during cranking. but to check that in the least your will need a gauge high pressure hoses and fittings.

 

ok well besides all that and it being trash in the fuel regulator how much would that cost???

 

if you mean the high pressure gauge hoses and fittings your talking maybe 30 or 40 bucks 15 dollar gauge 15 or 20 dollars worth of high pressure hose and a couple fittings for 5 dollars or so did not look anything up but that's about what is should cost. have you checked the oil in your hpop.

 

where is the hpop exactly Is it that rectangle thing that's in front of the motor???