This is my first post. I've had the truck 4+ years. It's always run good without smoking other than a little at start up. In mid Sept. I pulled the engine and replaced the head gaskets as well as just about all other seals & gaskets and put it back in and it ran better than before. I even pulled a 7000+ pound camper from Seattle to Portland. During the head gasket replacement process I removed the IP by marking the drive gear with respect to the housing and pulled the whole assembly (IP & housing). I also marked the crankshaft and kept the crank in the same position throughout the work. Thus when I reassembled it started right up and ran just fine. About a week ago I was driving down the highway and it just suddenly died as if the engine where turned off. I had it towed home, and pulled the IP. The fuel shutoff solenoid was working.However, the rotor was jammed and the input shaft turns very easily. Found a used IP from an `89 F350 7.3 with turbo which the guy was parting out due to replacing with a Cummins engine. He said the IP was working. So I put it in my truck. It had the 7.3 style IP drive gear cover mated to the IP. So...I put the IP in the same position as I had marked my 6.9 and installed it. It seemed to be in the same position when the gear engaged on the cam (I'm hoping I'm not a tooth off). Anyway, I bled everything out and it started up, albeit with a LOT of smoke. After it warmed up and had run awhile (no driving) it got a lot better but it still has some bluish smoke at idle and increasing white/blue smoke with throttle. It seems to idle fairly smooth. Is it possible I'm a tooth off? Just a little above idle and it seems to maybe have a miss/loping. Since this came from a 7.3 with turbo, could the fuel be turned up to high for my non-turbo 6.9? Just trying to figure this one out.

 

I doubt it is a tooth off, but the fuel setting and timing may not be matched up to your engine. For future reference, it is easier to pull the pump out the back than to gamble with getting the gear in the right place. The marking on the housing helps get it close, but it is easy to get off a tooth. I'm not sure about the gears on the 7.3 to 6.9 though, as they should be the same, yet I had similar experience to yours wehre the 7.3 housing and gear swap didn't work out. I even pulled the timing cover to verify without a doubt the marks were lined up (a friend's uncle had done the swap...) yet the pump just didn't work well on my 6.9. That isn't to say that the pump was verified good either... It supposedly was, but no way short of testing it to know.

For much more insight to this, check into the pre-powerstroke forum, lots of good knowledgeable people there to help.

 

Almost all the smoke went away and it ran much better as I rotated the pump, but I came to a hard limit. Moved it from its original position someone had marked on the housing & pump maybe 1/8th of an inch. If it could rotate a tiny bit more I think it would be totally smokeless. Took it for a drive and it seems to run very well.

 

How's the rattle? ( the pre-ignition sound)

 

Welcome to the site

 

Didn't notice a rattle. I'll have to check again. Standing at the front of the truck facing the IP, when I adjusted it, I turned it counterclockwise and that's what made most of the smoke go away...until I hit the hard limit. Has a little black smoke under load/acceleration I noticed when I drove it. I had also turned the fuel up "one flat" before I adjusted the IP. May turn it back if it stops raining long enough. I discovered how to keep the fuel from spilling out the IP side cover. I remove the top cover, insert a very small clear tubing hose (about 3/16 dia) down into the pump and siphon the fuel out. My tubing is small enough it will go down quite far in the IP so that little or no fuel comes out when I open the side cover.

 

When timing, the more advanced you get, the more there is a "powerstroke rattle". Obviously you have to pay attention to not over advance as well. When you advance it, the rattle sound should become more pronounced. If it does, you are near the max. If it only black smokes under sudden acceleration or heavy load, I wouldn't get too concerned about it. I usually set mine to give a light haze under heavy load. Much more and the temps can start to climb...