Alright guys, I got an issue, that I've thrown lots of money and countless hours at, but I can't for the life of me figure out what in the hell is going on with my truck...

Anyways, enough of introduction, I'll list some symptoms and exactly what I've put on it.

Symptoms:

Really hard starts. Even when warm. Like its struggling to get fuel up to the injectors. Sometimes I have to crank on it for 30+ seconds before it pops.

Smokey. Really smokey. When I first bought the truck there was no smoke and it started beautifly. White smoke for a minute after starting and blue smoke untill the needle moves into the norm after driving for a few miles.

What's new?:

Fuel bowl
Fuel pump
Fuel filter
Glow plugs
Glow plug relay
UVCH + gasket
UVCH pigtails
IPR
ICP
CPS
Relays


What else needs to be done? Why is it doing this? Does it have to do with the HPOP? Fueling? I'm stumped and this thing is not quite reliable at the moment. Somebody please help lol.

FYI it has 307xxxkms on it. IIRC that's 195xxx ish miles.

 

Hows your compression?

 

Compression? I have no idea. Never done a test. I should get around to it though. I was just wondering... Could it be somewhere behind the lift pump? Like say my selector switch is failing and not letting enough fuel through. Or maybe the fuel pickups are clogged. Or clogged fuel lines.

 

Injector O rings can cause problems if enough oil went to the fuel tank. How was your fuel filter when replaced? That blue smoke is a good indication of oil being burn either thru injector O rings, valve seals, or piston rings.

 

How does the truck run after getting it started? If it runs OK, I highly doubt if these things come into play. My first thought when reading your first post was injectors needing rebuilt. Usually they will go longer than 195000, but it depends on how the engine was maintained.

 

My firts thought is injectors as well.

 

I see where you're coming from... filter was clean, with the usual impurities that I've seen on most 7.3s with this dirty North American diesel fuel. I'm going to rule out piston rings because first of all, I'm stubborn and I'm not pulling this pig out untill something goes horribly wrong and I have to rebuild the entire thing, and second, I have hardly any blow-by. It only burns blue when cold, as soon as EGTs come up to normal it burns clean with no smoke (not even black). Valve seals? Possibly. Injector O-rings? Also a possibility.


After it has been running driving for a few miles, clean smooth, no smoke. I initially thought it was the injectors too, but then again, I'm stubborn. It it is, then I'll send em down to rosewood. They can build me a good set there. I hAve other little and big mods on my todo list but I just wanted to get it to factory performance and reliability first lol. Also, I'm going to say it was maintained well, as it was a fleet truck. The company that owned it did all the regular maintenance, shy of changing the hpop reservoir oil. Which brings me to another thing.... would a clogged oil rail/sludge build up cause these kinds of symptoms?

 

I'm still leaning towards injectors. I say this because of my brothers superduty with the 7.3 that he bought used with no known past history. At around 250K, it got hard to start when the temps fell to 45 degrees F. if not plugged in. I first thought glow plug system, but all checked ok. At around 268K, it started to "make" oil, so a set of good used injectors were installed. His hard start problem went away, and it no longer "made" oil.

 

Lol 45 F? Try 75... anything colder than that (25°c, which is pretty damn warm) and I've got troubles. Hell even 30+.... hang on... if the oil is not warm or hot, it won't start. Lol. today I just got in to fire it up and I jumped the glow plug relay for about 45 seconds and it took about 6 or 7 seconds of cranking to fire up.... Why?????

Yeah maybe injectors..

 

Not so much of a "bump," but also I may have figured out the problem. I changed the hpop oil about 4 times and each time it got less smokey (blue smoke) and started easier. Another possible solution was my glow plugs. The plugs that I got in my VCG kit weren't worth a dime. My neighbour has (or rather had) the same kit, only for a SD though, and he was experiencing the same issues. Put the old plugs in and she ran mint. I didn't have time to finish putting my truck back together last night, so when I get home today I will put my "reconditioned" (by wirewheel) Bosch plugs in and see where that gets me. Oh, before I forget, my pan oil is honey colour, while the oil that came out of the hpop reservoir was black as coal, thick and a bit sludgy.

 

Update:
I dedicated today to finding out what's wrong with/fixing my truck. I heard about if my regulator spring wore out, I wouldn't have a whole lot of pressure to the injectors. I read about both the BB mod and making my own adjustable regulator using the stock brass fitting (drilled and tapped for a machine screw). So I did both.

Before tearing the regulator apart, I measured fp. It read about 43 psi average at idle. That ain't right. So I tried the bb mod which only brought up to 55psi, but I wanted more. Then I built the adjustable regulator and pinned it at 65 psi flat. I let the engine cool off (it had been running for like 5 minutes) for more than a few hours, and went for a cold start.

She cranked fast and fired instantly with little to no smoke. Now when I stomp on it there's a little bit of black which never used to be there. Idle is slightly smoother, and I feel like I have gained back lost power.

While I was building my regulator, I also decided that I would clean the FPR screen. Man, that thing was clogged. Couldn't see sunlight through it. I'll bet money that this contributed to a smoother idle and a significantly quicker start.

On a side note, at WOT in neutral, the rpms stumble and the engine falls on its face between 2600 and 3100. During this time, she puffs a hell of a lot of blue. I have been told that the o rings are pooched on the injectors (which also explains a slight knock on the passenger side head). So I will be pulling the trigger on an order from riffraff, for 8 o ring sets, a 6637 kit, a hpx, and new intake and y boots. Gotta spend money to have fun, I suppose.

Tranny is coming out for a SMF this weekend, and while I'm under there with more room, my 4 inch DP is going in....

 

Sounds like you got lots figured out alex

 

I can get stuff done with no distractions, just a matter if time. Other than that, this engine came from a work truck. Probably not very well maintained. You get what you pay for I guess.. hate to say it as well, but you said "alex," I tell everyone to call me "Al" to avoid that. Lol

 

Oh, before I forget, my pan oil is honey colour, while the oil that came out of the hpop reservoir was black as coal, thick and a bit sludgy.
this issue is due to the oil in the upper portion where the HPOP for the injectors does not drain into the lower reservoir. This is all explained here POWERSTROKEHELP.COM - The Information Source for Ford Power Stroke Diesel Owners

 

That guy is an idiot. The hpop res is fed by the lpop, all the oil gets circulated. The res may need to be cleaned out once in a great while, but all the oil is circulated throughout the whole motor. You are much better off NOT LISTENING TO ANYTHING THAT GUY SAYS. Nuff said.