You would think after all of the TLC I have put into this truck it would somewhere along the road start warming up to me but clearly its not.

I have had issues with starting this truck since day 1, I thought I had overcome most of them after having replaced the return lines (Twice) replaced all the glowplugs.... and found the ground that was running my batteries dead.

For the past 2 weeks I can almost never start my truck on the first...second....third go i'll either get it started right before my batteries are completely drained or right after i have charged them back up...

I said confused in the title for good reason.. that reason being If i park this truck facing downhill come back 24 hours later bam starts right up with no problem. And yesterday my batteries had plenty of charge in them but i ran them completely dead trying to get it started but then i put them on the charge for about 20mins I go to start it and the ****ing thing starts right the **** up.

Whenever I'm having these no start issues I always think air intrusion so i go and hit the schrader valve and there is always fuel there its SPuRtING. So that pretty much rules out air intrusion as well as lift pump and clogged filter.

There are two things that I'm worried about and will try to replace tomorrow, one being the glowplug solenoid Why im worried about this idk but ill never get peace of mind till i replace it sense that's one of the few things in the start system i havent looked into.

And Im mildly suspecting a collapsed fuel line from the fuel filter to the ip, thats the only rubber line in that setup that i havent replaced.

Please help me or steer me in the right direction or something, I have a guy who wants to buy this truck for 4,xxx but I'm only a pay check or so away from being able to buy a decent car that i could commute with and still afford to keep the truck and i really love this truck but with problems like this constantly happening Its quickly becoming not worth it anymore.

 

"If i park this truck facing downhill come back 24 hours later bam starts right up with no problem."

that tells you where the issue is.that has eliminated everything from being your issue expect for fuel delivery.
you may have fuel at the valve,but obviously not enough.she's draining back on ya.if it wasn't,then she'd also fire right up after sitting on the flat,or uphill too.
if you just run diesel fuel (or anything but wmo i guess) send genlightning https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/member.php?u=388490 a pm asking for a dura lift e-pump.install that,and be done with the mess.from then on,all you need to worry about are fuel leaks.air leaks/fuel drain back issues will be nothing of concern anymore (unless it's a leak from the tanks to your pump.then it will just surge and wont run right.)
i didn't even bother running my idi truck with a lift pump after reading the forums.was easy to see what the most common issue with the idi was,so i didn't even let the hassle enter my life lol.i ditched it upon purchase,and went electric.been primed upon WTS light out ever since.

no need to just replace parts and hope.you can run this series of tests for your '87-94 GP system:
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...low-plugs.html

 

Im down to do the epump but I dont know if im capable how difficult is it, how much money does it cost?

 

difficulty level on a scale of 1-10 (1 easiest: changing a belt,battery etc.,10 most difficult: pulling an automatic trans to replace a converter,pulling the front pump and having gears fall out on ya lol,changing ball joints in a 4wd truck.)
probably a 3 at most.likely only a 2 if you enjoy wrenching (the electrical part is easy as pie.we can help with that,making it a breeze,turn key all auto setup.)
total cost with part,fuel pump block off plate,a couple fuel fittings,some hose,should run you total of around 1 Benjamin or so.worth it,as it's a pump that would likely outlast the truck by far,and of course saving $ due to no longer using cranking time of the expensive diesel starter to prime fuel but, simply start the engine up.

 

This is good news, I will start reading.

 

Did you check if the fuel filter was full or half-full when hard-starting?

Mine was due to an air leak where the return line hooked to the front tank...

Also, I replaced my Pos battery cable end the other day and it made a huge difference in everything, including start-up.

I would think drain-back of fuel...much harder for it to drain-back when facing downhill.

 

I agree with Fordf250. Could be your lift pump going on it.( the rubber inside is letting fuel pressure slowly drop, when your on a hill, it hits an air pocket, along with the poor rubber condition, causing a hard start because of lost prime pressure).
Even if you don't plan on keeping it , an electric is always handy to have as a stand by.
If the electric does the job, then you can replace your mechanical when you have the time.

 

Okay so the more I read the more I am doubting that this a lift pump issue, I haven't done any tests yet, and don't get me wrong I do find the E-Pump Idea appealing, but here is my reason why I don't think its the Lift Pump:

The bleeder valve on the filter is always spurting air whenever I check it to make sure its not just air intrusion, I'm relatively certain that it would pass the 10sec 1/3 pint test, I'm not 100% but I think i remember reading somewhere that if I hooked a psi gauge up to that valve it should read right around 8psi? I will test it tomorrow and double check this, but how does it make sense that im getting fuel up to that point yet I have no start, what can i check after that point other than the line running from the the fuel filter to the IP? (That btw is the only line I have not replaced.

 

7 lbs, and 1/3 pint in 10 seconds.

you still have air intrusion somewhere.

my 88 will do the same thing.
engine down, starts every time.
tailgate down, good luck, it will kill the batteries before it starts.

i put a facet dura-lift pump on it and it will now start even if it is standing on the tailgate.

 

I suppose ill pm genlightning and see if i can get an epump from him.

 

Okay so after looking into installing the e-pump (BTW I have ordered the one from GenLightening) I feel confident in placement, wiring, understanding what it does but what i dont feel confident in is how to cut it in after the FSV, I mean those are hard plastic lines...Do really just saw through the line that pulls fuel up from the tank? And btw, im pretty sure the return line is the bigger of the two am i right in assuming that?

Another thing, I really have no idea what the lift pump looks like, how to disconnect it, and what kind of plate i should put in place of it, where can i get a plate and how much do they cost?

 

the lift pump is on the passenger side front of the block. looks just like a fuel pump on a car.
remove the lift pump and put the E-pump in its place. this will eliminate the need for messing with fuel lines at the tank or filter housing
get a big block chevy fuel pump block off plate from a speed shop or off flea bay. here is one for $5.49
FUEL PUMP BLOCK OFF PLATE BB BIG BLOCK CHEVY CHROME | eBay

 

yeah,she's a puller.not just a pusher.there's no need to set it down on the frame rail like other e-pumps.set it right up in the engine bay where you can wash out the filter easy once in a while.check out this article on obn:
How to replace your mechanical fuel pump with a Facet Duralift electric fuel pump

you can skip that doorman plug imho.all you need are a couple butt connectors.it's not an item you unhook ever again really.it's all i did.

 

Okay so I got the pump in today and have been looking at how to wire it all up ( I have never wired a relay or much of anything else for that matter) I am using the diagram that F250 Posted in a post way back when, and here is what I've got:

86 - Splice into FSS
30 - Coming off positive battery terminal with a 5amp inline fuse

Clearly I am missing a couple significant pieces to this puzzle those being:

87 - Power Wire for pump
85 - Ground Wire

So It looks simple on a diagram but after looking at the Oilburners post that F250 posted as well as a couple other threads it seems as though there are two grounds involved in this circuit...One ground coming off the relay and the other ground coming from idk where the **** (Sorry im getting frustrated).

And for the power wire - 87 - I dont understand how this works either because connector that is suggested by the guy in the Oilburners post has two wires coming out of it: how do I connect those two wires into 87?

Now the only thing I can think of that makes this all work (in my head atleast) is that one of the wires coming from the suggested connector gets grounded and the other one is simply connected to 87 in the relay. Which is what I have drawn up in the picture posted in the link below. The dotted lines are what I think would make everything work please confirm.


http://kosgaming.net/file/Bear/Diagram.JPG

 

you got it.

oh,
for grounds it's really basic.
the negative wire coming off the pump (or that plug if you want it) goes right to grounded metal anywhere,or to the negative terminal of the battery directly.whichever you prefer.makes no difference. it's all connected.all the metal (that's hooked to say the frame) = negative battery post.
you also do the same to the relay.you ground that too just like your diagram.from pin 85.same place,or different place.grounded metal or negative battery terminal.doesn't need to be hooked to the negative pump wire or anything.it's all the same.

pin 87 is the power out to your pump.the only wire left.the positive wire to your pump (or through that plug)

pin 30 you understand.that comes off the positive battery post directly.

now to help you understand what pin 86 does:
when you turn the key forward,power is sent to your FSS wire right? well,now it will also be sent to pin 86.all this does is "flip a switch" it hooks pins 87 and 30 together,so that power flows from your battery to your pump and it runs.
simple right?

why did someone else have another line run off his pin 87? i dunno.doesn't matter to you.don't let it confuse you.
edit;
DesertBen44? the guy in the first post who did the writeup? he only has 1 wire coming off all the pins.just like your diagram you wrote.his positive pump line goes to pin 87 and done.