I've read several threads on this but can't find a resolution.

Sunday morning I was driving. After a few miles of driving backroads, I pulled onto the highway. As I gunned it, it began to buck like I was out of fuel. I was still showing 1/8 tank but it was low and getting on it whilst heeled over on the entrance ramp may have gotten an air bubble in the system. I pulled off and tried to reprime the system several times and got it running once but still very rough and with black smoke. I walked and got two gallons to put in the tank but was not able to get it started after priming and playing with the bowl. Got it towed home and still no luck.

Last night I tried again after letting it sit for over a day without any intervention. It still won't catch - just cranks. And now there's some white smoke coming out of the exhaust and a little from underhood.

I'm stumped - thoughts are the glowplug module or IDM. Anything else I should be checking?

 

I'd start with more fuel (like 5 gallons) and if you really ran it out it can take a bit of cranking to get it going again. Have you done the hutch mod to the fuel tank?

 

Does your WTS light come on before you crank?

 

I added another 2 gallons tonight but didn't crank anymore. No mods to the tank or fuel line. The wait light does come on and go off.

 

How's the air filter? Oil level?

 

Air filter is clean - just did it about two months ago. The oil was a little low and I put two quarts in tonight.

 

Let's go old school and try a new CPS.

Also can open fuel bowl drain, key the ignition on (but don't start) to get the fuel pump running (you should hear it under drivers door) and see if a bunch of diesel just splashed on the ground behind the right front tire. If so it's pumping fuel.

No CEL right?

Having black smoke then white smoke probably means something, but it's just confusing me.

 

Older Powerstrokes do that when they get that low because the pickup tube doesn’t reach the bottom of the tank because the plastic pipe breaks

 

Doesn't crank as in the batteries are too weak or as in the crank engages but the engine won't turn over? The latter means you have a leak into one or more cylinders and it's hydrolocked.

 

Sorry, I meant that I didn't try to crank it last night, not that it didn't turn over. I will get a few more gallons of fuel to put in before I try to start it again.

I always have a CEL on now due to the EBPV. I haven't looked to see if there's something else now.

 

Oh. Thank goodness.

Is your fuel system still factory stock? It has a dumb deadhead design that makes flushing any air in the fuel galleries a real pain.

 

Uh, i believe the EBPV is a soft code, that doesn't activate the light.

 

Correct. EBPV and AIH are soft codes (no SES light).

After putting more fuel in the tank cycle the key a few times (ON - wait until you hear the fuel pump stop - OFF - Lather - Rinse - Repeat) to fully prime the fuel system.

If that doesn't work I recommend you pull the DP Tuner to see if the truck starts before you throw any parts at it.

Just my .02

 

Added 2 more gallons and primed the fuel and it started right up. So it appears the main problem is that the fuel gauge is suddenly not working as it has. The gauge showed ~1/8 of a tank - and the light had just come on - when it ran out. I put about 6 gallons in here then drove it to the fuel station where I put in 38 gallons. That means it was out when it was showing 1/8 of a tank. I've had the truck for ~10 years and the gauge has always read correctly until now. Very odd.

Regarding the CEL, the only code I showed when it started was the one for EBPV malfunction. It's been on ever since.

 

The "foot" on the in-tank sending unit might have fallen off. Unfortunately that means you'd have to drop the tank to fix it.