My neighbors 1999 7.3 PSD his employee ran it out of fuel.
He installed a new filter and it gets fuel up from the tank to the filter.
I bled the excess air out as best as I could but all it does is run for a few seconds then dies.
Thanks for any help.

 

Unplug UVCH connections so IDM can't fire the injectors. Hook battery charger up. Crank 30 seconds straight, then rest several minutes. Repeat once. Plug in UVCH's, crank to start. If there's good fuel pressure (fuel tank screens not clogged from debris in last bits of fuel), should start without issue.

 

All you need to do to bleed the air out is cycle the key on for 30 secs or so about 3 times. The air is automatically bled from the filter.

No need to do anything else. Unhooking VC harnesses won't help at all.

To test if fuel pump is working, just put a hose that reaches the ground on the water drain line, insert hose into a bottle/jug, open drain valve and empty filter. Then, with valve still open, turn key on (don't start truck) and observe flow rate and volume. You should see a steady stream and get a quart or so in the 30 secs before the pump times out.

If you get good flow and volume here, the pump and in-tank junk are all good. If the flow is anemic and sputtering, you may have in-tank issues. To test that, unhook the line from the back of the pump and use a few feet of 5/16" hose to suck directly from a jug of clean fuel - then do the test with drain valve open again.

 

Thanks, The lift pump is working fine.
what's a UVCH?
And IDM?
I'm a marine mechanic and truck driver by trade.
The initials don't match with what I know!!!
I have a 6.5l Turbo Chev. Burban.
I can fix that but the PSD is new to me.

 

Unplugging the VC harnesses keeps the injectors from firing with excess air in them, risking galling the internals. You may be able to get by without doing it, but it's a bit risky. And it takes one minute to unplug them, so why not?

To the OP (original poster), the UVCH is the Under Valve Cover Harness. One on each valve cover. The UVCH carries wiring for the glow plugs and the injectors. Unplugging the UVCH will keep the IDM (injector driver module) from sending the signal to fire the injectors.

If it were my truck, I'd sure unplug them for the initial cranking - eliminates the risk of hurting the injectors. And I have unplugged them for cranking after both my injector swaps.

 

Because the air you are concerned about will not go anywhere until the injectors fire. Sending some air through cold injectors isn't going to hurt them anyway. The only way air can hurt these injectors is over a long period of time - and even then it's not a common failure mode.

As soon as the truck runs out of fuel and when we try to crank the truck with air in filter housing, the fuel rails in the heads get air in them. The only way for this air to get out is for the injectors to work.

I have changed many sets of injectors and I promise this is an unnecessary step.

 

/\ /\ SSJ /\ /\

 

Before cranking, turn your key to run, wait 30 secs or until you hear the fuel pump quit running, repeat...about a dozen times.

Fuel should cycle to the bowl and back to the tank, working out air as much as possible. The rest will have to work its way through the rail and the injectors.

Been there, done that

 

Yes just cycle the key a bunch of times and that should do it, you shouldn't have to crank it

 

Cycling the key without cranking will clear the air from the fuel - the pump pushes the air out the top of the bowl through the regulator/return line. Cranking the engine with the injector solenoids disconnected will not send more fuel to the rails or drain air from them. The injectors will just sit there like a pack of teenagers with smart phones - doing absolutely nothing of value.

You can usually hear bubbles passing through the pump - if air is still getting in there, cavitation makes the pump louder. In this case, research on the Hutch mod is needed (link in my signature).

 

That made me laugh so hard. Hey I'm the exception, I work hard. Unless I'm on here then I guess I count too lol

 

UPDATE!!!
Seems there is more to the story than just ran it out of fuel.
He did run it out of fuel, then got it started.
Ran like crap and stalled and missed and stalled the 10 mi home.
Got it in the yard and it won't start.
It will turn over and fire and misfire then die.
Doesn't sound like it wants to start.
The lift pump is pushing plenty of fuel.
The filters new and bled.

 

How much fuel did you put in it? Fresh can?

How do you know the lift pump is pushing plenty of fuel?

You may have an urgent Hutch mod in your future. Clean the crap out of the bottom of the tank while you're at it. That's where the pieces of your pickup foot and such are. Hope they didn't get sucked up!




In addition, the crud that builds up in your bowl, below the heater, seems to get stirred up (from the air in the lines blasting around?) and makes trouble.



BTW, I ran out at 1/4 tank on the fuel gauge, pre-Hutch mod

More pics and stuff in my build thread in my sig, if you're interested.

 

I took the top of the filter loose.
Turned the key and a lot of clean fuel runs out.
Took the top off and removed the new filter.
Looked inside, clean.

 

Gloves and flashlight, have to look down past the heater. I could barely get a finger in there. Looked just a little staining until I pulled it apart.

Maybe yours is fine, but they can be tricky and deceiving. Take nothing for granted, Lol.