So its been a while since i posted up on here. But for a update/briefing of what the issue was before hand and what is going on now here it is...

I have an 87 f250 6.9idi 4x4 with a old style non waste-gated banks turbo kit on it. 3 speed auto w/ shift kit, 4/11 gears in rear, stock tuning on injection pump.

I was having trouble starting my truck after it had sat for more then about 2-6 hours. If it was less then that it would start right up but if it sat longer then that I would have to floor it in order for the truck to start and when it would start it would spit and sputter for about 30 seconds to a minute after starting then it would run good.

I got on here and talked to the guys on here and a lot of guys were saying my return lines were leaking and that was my issue. So I decided I would go ahead and do what I thought was a full overhaul on the starting system. I put in brand new glow plugs, glow plug relay, fuel injectors, return lines, by-passed the water separator and put in a new fuel filter.

Guess what SAME EXACT starting problem. I'm not sure if I missed some key component that I should have changed but I really thought this would solve my problem and it didn't. Injection pump problem? I really don't know what else to check.

Kind of random side note. My front gas tank has a leak in it so I only use my rear gas tank, and when i get down to about 1/4 of a tank on the rear tank (according to the gas gauge) the truck will start sputtering and drives like it is sucking in air but has never stalled on me. I have been running Diesel Clean in my fuel since I first bought the truck about 6 months ago. Is my gauge just off and I am actually running out of fuel? Or could there be junk in the bottom of my fuel tank that my truck starts sucking in when I get down there in the tank? Or could this be a symptom of my already existing problem???

Thanks a lot guys. Any suggestions anyone can throw out there will be greatly appreciated. Winter is fast approaching and I would like to not half to worry if my truck is gonna start or not when it is 20 degrees out. THANKS AGAIN!!!

 

The pickup tube in the rear tank has likely broken or cracked. A common trouble spot on these older rigs. 1/4 tank is usually where the engine will start to suck air with the broken pickup tube.

The starting problem sounds like there is a slow fuel drain back issue. Cause could be from a leaking fuel line from the tank to the tank selector or from there to the lift pump. Fuel does not have to be leaking out of a bad spot for air to be getting in.

The things you've done so far have not been in vain. You have eliminated common trouble spots on an older vehicle. Find the current trouble spot and you should be good for quite a few years as far a fuel related trouble.

 

Thanks man. To replace that pickup tube would I need to drop the fuel tank? And if so how bad is it to drop those tanks? I didn't think it looked to bad but one of my buddies said that he had to pull the bed off his truck to remove the tanks. I figure if i did remove the bed it would probably make it a lot easier to go in there and just replace all the fuel lines. Haha and i'm REALLY glad to hear all the other stuff I did wasn't in vain.

 

You either need to drop the tanks or remove the bed to fix the pick up tube problem. Most use a piece of hose with a V cut in the bottom of the hose so it won't stick to the bottom of the tank.

I've always pulled the fuel tank when repairs were needed but others have said it's easier to move the bed!

 

Alright so I bought new tanks and straps. I am now trying to find sending units for my truck and can't find them anywhere!!! Every where I have talked to says they are discontinued. Anyone have any ideas as to where you can find them????

 

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/9...50-diesel.html Plenty of suggestions in this thread, including lmctruck.

 

87f250banks, why are you looking for a new sending unit? Does your fuel gauge not read accurate? I know exactly what is broken in your tank, as I watched my boyfriend repair it in his (now mine) truck - the steel line that comes in from the top of the tank does not ll the way down to the bottom, instead it stops several inches higher and there is a plastic-rubberish thingie that slides on the steel line and reaches the very bottom of the tank, I think people here call it a "shower head" because it kind of looks like one. Anywho, that shower head has either cracked, or completely slipped off the steel line it is attached to, and this is what you need to fix - the sending unit itself is a little squarish plastic box that is attached on the side of the steel line, and all it does is move your fuel gauge. I distinctly remember my boyfriend saying he took his apart while I had stepped away and that he didn't finding any wear on its contacts (whatever those may be), so he never replaced it before reinstalling the tank...