After 8 1/2 long months yesterday was the moment of truth.

Gave it one last purge cycle just to make sure the cylinders were mostly clear. I turned the engine by hand for several rotations with an old busted 1/2” ratcheting torque wrench and 7/8” socket then gave it 2 dry starts/bumps for about 10 seconds each (no UVCHs and 42 pin disconnected for overkill since it was already disconnected).

Connected everything, cycled the key a couple times to make sure I had fuel pressure, held my breath and went to START. Took about 10 seconds of cranking and it fired up. If anything was to go well during this whole process this was it. I shot a short video of it but can't attach it. I don't have a YouTube account and don't plan creating one just for the video. If anyone is interested in seeing it (or posting it on their account and linking it here) send me a PM with your e-mail address.

I know others have had issues recently with injectors so I was worried I might be in the same boat. Warranty or not, troubleshooting takes time. I also bought most of this stuff last summer so there's not much warranty left anyway.

I did notice some issues that concern me but I'm going to finish the work that's left (coolant flush, oil change, etc.) to get it road worthy and give it a few hundred miles before I start crying wolf. I have some oil floating on the top of the water in the degas bottle and it was a long crank on the second start shortly after running it for a couple of minutes but I'll wait and see if that's residual from the work and (hopefully) air working it's way out of the system.

I will say that I am very impressed with the North Star batteries. I bought them last August (July build) and they sat until last month. I did a few hours of trickle charge on each one in the middle of January then they sat again until yesterday. I figured I'd give them a shot before trying to hook up a charger and they handled it with no problem. Definitely happy with my decision to pony up the extra coin for them.

Now I have to download my pictures and start writing some of this stuff up.

 

 

Thanks. Once I get things back to 100%, dialed in (and past my overdue smog inspection) then I’ll start planning the rest of it. Unfortunately I won’t have my dad’s work truck as an extended loaner (9 months by the time I return it to him) so I will have to work around my wife’s schedule to carve out a few days to put the truck in layup again but this time for the driveline and rear end (to handle the new power ).

 

 

 

Whoo-hooo!!!!

 

NICE WORK! I laughed a bit because you could hear the air tools in the background and it brought back memories of my time in an auto hobby shop.

I am glad John was able to help you out with posting the video so we could all participate in the happy dance. It really sounds smooth, the few seconds we were able to hear it anyway.

Were the old fellas at the desk/counter smiling or waving at you in approval when it started up?

Keep going Brian, you are almost there!

 

There is a guy a few stalls down who is restoring a '70s Bronco. It is completely stripped down to body and frame and he is sanding it down so that's the air tools you hear in the background.

When I fired it up they came out to hear it run. They are happy to take my money every month but were also happy to see it running after all the time and money I've put into it.

If you don't count their long term storage there's only one person that's been sitting in an active stall (lights, power, air) longer than I have. As much as I love to work on my truck I'll be glad to take a break and enjoy it for awhile after I get it put back together. I do have some other parts sitting in my garage waiting but that will be a couple of months down the road. I will have to plan better since I will no longer have a loaner to drive after this month.

 

Whoop!!! Anxious to hear how you like driving it. Nice job man.

 

I did the hot torques under the valve covers last Sunday and drove it for a few miles around base yesterday (25-30 mph). I should have everything cleaned up today and have it road-worthy by dinnertime. It has very little run time since I finished the work so it's got a ways to go to work the air out of all the systems. My initial observations:

- Starts a little quicker each time. The first couple of times it took 5-10 seconds, IPR % would max out, ICP would get to 500psi, truck would fire up, ICP would immediately spike to 3000+ psi then all would slowly settle down after a couple of minutes. It still takes about 5 seconds to fire but IPR % only gets to ~45%-ish before it starts so it's a much smaller spike.

- The Hydra is going to take some getting used to. My 6 position chip was easy (lift off the throttle, *click* to the position I want, then back on the throttle). The Hydra takes a little longer (lift off the throttle, select the position I want, wait for the display to blink, then back on the throttle). That 1-2 second pause before getting back on the throttle feels huge since I've not had to do that before.

- Single shots are louder. I didn't realize that until yesterday. With everything back together I warmed it up and took it for a short drive yesterday. At idle it sounds like it's cold AND needs a hot torque.

- I'm getting some hazing out of the tailpipe. It's hard to tell what color it is as it's very slight at idle. As I drive down the street I can see in the mirror that I leave a trail behind me and if I give the throttle a little stab I get a puff out the back. I've barely gotten it back on the road and there's a lot of factors that may contribute to this so I'm not going to jump to any conclusions or take anything apart for a couple hundred miles.

It's amazing how relative frustration can be. There were a couple of times I seriously considered quitting, parting out the truck to recoup some of the money I invested, and getting something with spark plugs. I didn't think it was ever going to start again.

I did a lot of work for this project and was expecting to have trouble starting it. In addition to going whole hog with injectors and cups (glowplugs, UVCHs, valve cover gaskets, coolant, oil, new filters) I worked on the electrical system (alarm, gauges) along with the fuel system (pump, Racor)...and it sat for 9 months. This lends itself to a myriad of potential issues (including installing bad parts). Once it started it was a relief to know that I had reached overall success. Now I just need to make sure everything is working in harmony and it's on to the next project.

While I am not taking action about the hazing it does concern me. I wish I wasn't due for my smog check ASAP and had a year to dial this in. Is there any kind of break-in procedure or "good practice" for new injectors? I shot off an e-mail to the vendor yesterday and am waiting to hear back from the experts but would like to know of any recommendations. I don't know if there are any components that need to seat or need initial wear like brakes and engines do. For all I know it's install them and "go for it".

I will make updates until things have settled in and everything is working. DISCLAIMER: These will be my personal opinions based on my truck, desires, expectations, etc, etc. My experiences will hopefully give others insight but are in no way a recommendation. What works for me may not work for you. These past 9 months have been an enormous buck$zooka blast, most of which I would not have been able to accomplish without this forum and all of you guys sharing your experiences and expertise. This is my small way of trying to pay it forward.

I haven't tried any of the tunes over 30mph so don't have much to report on those yet. I have PHP (7 tunes) and GH (7 tunes) so it will take me some time to put some miles on each one and give any thoughts. The one thing I'll throw out there is don't waste your money on a "drive-thru" tune (PHP "Whisper Mode" and GH "Stealth") with single shots. I'm not discounting the tunes as they do quiet things down noticeably when selected but not enough to keep you from shutting down so the person taking your order can actually hear you.

Don't fret, I took lots of pictures because it happened . I will post my write-ups as I finish them.

 

Great job all around! Congrats on getting her back on the road

It is reported to take at least 50 miles of spirited driving to get the air out of the HPO system and you should notice a difference. Keep us updated on your progress- you've certainly earned the rewards

 

You need to get out and drive it. Get on the freeway and take it up to speed. Switch between tunes like 40 HP and 80 HP, this will work the hpop at different pressures and bleed the air out fasted. Don't be afraid to step on it. Then come back and see if the haze is still there on lower tunes. You need to smog it on the lowest tune you have. They look at the smoke test here in California.

 

I am driving it home tonight and using it for cruising around the area tomorrow. This will help get the air out and keep me close to home in case something takes a dump on me and I need a ride/tools/tow. I have faith in my powerplant but I need to get some miles under the "refresh" before I have my confidence back.

I did not think about switching tunes. I will do that to exercise the HPOP. Thanks for the idea.

That's why I was careful with my selections. I had my PCM flashed with a modified stock tune in the event I get flagged for the Hydra and have to pull it and do a retest.

I would be more casual about the hazing but my smog was due in January so as soon as I get this ready it's going in for the test. I paid my registration fees but don't get my new sticker until it passes smog. I'm not too keen on running around here for an extended time with expired tags on my plate...paid up or not.

 

I agree on the tags, it's a big money item. I put the controller behind the dash at drives side air duct. It pops off and I slide mine in there. Good luck hope al goes well for you.

 

It's been up and down with the truck over the last week and a half but I've got some miles on it to be able to make a useful update with some insights. I will remind everyone of my disclaimer (in post #25) that I am not a certified professional, these are my personal observations and opinoins, and YMMV.

Went to drive it home that Friday night and the headlights wouldn't come on. Parked it and drove home in my loaner. Not a good start.

Saturday morning went back and drove it home. Better start, ran well, but still some haze out of the exhaust. Put some miles on it and cycled through the tunes to exercise the HPOP as Bonanza35 recommended. Things started to smooth out in about 50 miles and a little longer for a normal start. As of now things are running great although I hear an occasional knock at idle. I can't tell if it's my mind playing tricks on me or there really is one. Time will tell but I've got bigger fish to fry for now as I did not pass my smog check last week (more on that later).

My observations about the work I did:

1. Removed the alarm - Love it! No more failure to arm, random alarming, or having to disarm the system again in 30 seconds if I don't start it. Nobody has ever broken into the truck or tried to take anything off it so I'm not too worried about not having the alarm on there any more. Hydra position 17 is NO START so I've got that too.

2. S&B Intake - Love/hate. Love: definitely flows more air, doesn't look redneck-y, sucks from the grill and fender, and won't get blasted (water, dust, dirt, sand) in inclement weather or off-roading. Hate: not a fan of double-walled plastic construction, barely fits, plastic intake tube rubs on CAC pipe (only orientation where I could connect the intake tube to the horn on the bracket...and that's only 95% aligned), I do not like the battery hold down mount, and I can't take my power steering reservoir cap off now (yes S&B has a video of that and they told me that it can be done, but the way, the only way, that mine lines up it cannot be done).

3. 160cc/80% single shots - Love them. I am obviously comparing this to my original injectors with 305K on them but the new injectors are much stronger. The truck isn't faster and, honestly, not that much quicker but it definitely has more cajones. It's like I just upgraded from high school football to the NFL. The idle is about the same but the moment you push on the go pedal they are definitely louder. Luckily there are three other diesels on my street (two 6.0s and a D-Max) so everyone is used to diesels coming and going otherwise it would be a steep learning curve for the neighbors. I don't know if it's a product of the tunes or the injectors but the truck is smellier too (fuel smell).

4. Tunes - Need some tweaking. PHP doesn't like to downshift and GH downshifts a little early for my taste. I haven't had much time to test all of the tunes out and put them through their paces but so far I'm satisfied with the engine management. Neither of them feel like the pedal is shortened. It feels like the GH tunes are more linear and the PHP tunes have a bit more of a curve to them (a little more slope up front and a little less towards the end). I haven't towed yet but I did try out both of the medium tow tunes (GH's Medium Town and PHP's 65Hp Tow) on the same route that I knew I was taking twice in the same day. I mainly watched EGT for a couple of different grades (a short and medium one that were only 2% or so and then a 5-6% grade that was about a mile long) to see how they compared. The short one was in OD, the medium and the 6%-er were in both OD then in 3rd. They were pretty much the same except GH was about 50F hotter in 3rd on the medium hill. The only real difference is downshifting as I mentioned.

Don't know the fuel economy yet. I put in some fresh #2 to dilute some of the 1/2 tank that sat for 9 months. Ran it down then put in some more to run some clean fuel through. Small heart attack when I saw the needle move 1/4 tank in 50 miles . Topped off the tank late last week and I'm going to fill up in the next couple of days so will post my results. Hopefully I'm still getting decent mileage. I suspect that my tank level sender did not like sitting for the better part of a year. Could be why my headlights don't like me either. The low beams just started working the next day but the high beams are still not working. Troubleshooting in the future but my smog check takes precedence right now...