When it comes to messing with things that aren't broken and causing problems, I'm well qualified.

Wanting to check the fuel pressure to see if see was in the proper range, I got a little test kit with a gauge and about a foot long hose attachment. But since everything I have read online has made a huge stink about the engine needing to be under a load, I went to the hardware store to get a longer hose attachment so I could position gauge somewhere I could see it while driving.

The only thing the hardware store had was a 20 foot air hose designed for compressors, but I had all the necessary attachments and figured the worst thing I could do was ruin the hose. So I plug in the hose to the top left (drivers) port on the fuel bowl and snake the gauge to my drivers side mirror where I ziptied it in place. I'm in business!

Well I go to turn engine to run position and gauge reads nothing. I wait for about 30 seconds.... still nothing. So I abandon the plan, turn key to off, disconnect from fuel bowl port, button everything back up and move on.

Everything seems fine and dandy until the next time that I get on freeway... my truck has always been on the louder side with regards to the engine clatter, but mainly just while accelerating... as soon as I get up to Cruise Control speed (60-65 mph) she's smooth and humming.

But not now. Not only is the clatter constant and loud regardless of what speed, my power is wayyyy down. Like the truck is struggling to maintain even 60... I am writing this from the side of the road because my engine was sounding so bad that I was getting worried I was about to do some major damage.

So did I completely jack up my injectors? Cause I have already checked my FPR regulator/spring, already swapped out my ICP and made sure everything was as it should be, and it's still clatter city and struggling to keep pace.

Help??

(I am about to get back on road and will record video to assist with diagnosis. So mad at myself...)

 

Sounds like very low or no fuel pressure. Do you hear the pump cycle when you turn the key to run? Did you open the bowl at all during you pressure test attempt? If the pump is running you can check the bowl for fuel. Drain it and see if and how fast it refills.

Edit: If you are dealing with a low fuel pressure don't run it any more than necessary the injectors can be damaged without the fuel lubricating and cooling things down.

 

You could answer a lot of questions by running a fuel volume test. These pumps deliver quite a bit of fuel, (somewhere in the 30 gallons per hour neighborhood) if unrestricted. Unplug the hose from the outlet side of the fuel pump and put that hose you just bought onto the outlet of the fuel pump, the other end into an old jug of your choosing. Then turn the key to the on position and let it run until it shuts off a half minute later. Measure the amount and make your decision from there.
My truck had similar issues. Fuel pressure was great at idle all day long, but as soon as I put it to work, the fuel volume was so poor that the pressure would drop down to 20 psi and along with that the power output of the engine. Changing the way the fuel pump delivered fuel to the engine cured all of that, but it was some work. Still running the same mods I did back in 2005 or so.

 

The difference in fuel volume of the Ford pump vs the somewhat larger pump that I put in the tank in the above post. And that is after I cleared a bunch of junk out of the screen on the inlet side of the Ford fuel pump. Probably would have filled a level tablespoon of debris and that screen is built in. Not way to remove it to completely clean out the screen without cutting open the fuel pump itself.

 

I'd guess the fuel pressure rig did not work because it had air in the hose. Need to purge the air to read the fluid pressure.

And it looks like fuel pressure is the suspect here. Any white smoke in the exhaust?

 

No smoke period. Which is a relief. Here's a video of what I'm talking about... listen especially close after the wastegate opens. That rhythmic clatter doesn't go away..

https://youtube.com/shorts/Nfx0ahTX2...DOC0qYxb4PM0PQ

 

Would a loose downpipe make that sound? Cause I had to add a spring to the clamp stem recently as a spacer cause I'm pretty sure the thread on the portion where the nut would normally tighten to had worn away.

Would certainly explain the loss in power..

Would a tank of bad diesel have any effect like this? I only go to Chevron/Shell so I don't think it's that, just figured I'd ask.

 

You've done the Hutch mod haven't you? I'd check for aeration myself. Bad cases can cause everything you describe. The fitting on the pump intake can definitely cause that. It will suck more air than fluid and just send foam to the injectors. The engine will hammer like it's throwing a rod and you won't have any power.

 

Got passed by an OBS with a cord of wood in the bed.

Yup, you got problems.

Not sounding like a loose pipe, but pics up behind the turbo would help. Or look under the hood and check if the IC tube blew off. Maybe a pic of the clamp spring you added?

Bad diesel with bacteria could easily clog fuel filters and screens in the tank. A pic of a fuel sample would help. Or the fuel filter itself.

Have a boost gauge?

 

No boost gauge unfortunately, but I’m pretty meticulous when it comes to making sure my IC boots/clamps are on correctly. In the clip I posted you can still hear the Powerstroke ‘whistle’ that from my experience is pretty difficult to achieve if you have any sort of significant loss of boost, so I think I’m ok boost wise.

Yes, I can hear pump when turning key to on position. I will post a video shortly of what the first cycle in almost a day sounds like, just to see if that checks out normal in your guys’ opinion. I have not opened fuel bowl recently, so I will also check that as well. Any idea how long it should take for fuel bowl to fill after it has been emptied?

lastly, I was reading something about blowing some pressurized air into the fuel return line, just in case there are any obstructions. Thoughts?

 

You can disconnect the suction side of the pump and blue back into the tank. That should clear anything that has covered or plugged the fuel pickup in the tank. Has hutch been done? Fuel level in the tank? You can also fill a jug w/ known good clean diesel. Then hook a section of fuel hose to the pump suction and drop the other end in the jug. If the engine starts running better then you know where to start looking.

 

Did you check the big electrical connections that go into either side of the heads? After recently replacing my fuel bowl I accidentally knocked one of those connections loose and it caused half my engine to not work. Cleaning it and plugging it back in fixed everything. Hope you get it figured out soon!

 

Here is my 'key to on/prior to start' sound... be careful with audio, you are going to have to turn up loud to hear so don't blow your eardrums out with a YouTube ad the second it's over. That sound that lasts over a minute used to only be about 20 seconds.

And now I have a pretty significant oil leak in the vacinity of the backside drivers side, aka near #8 cackly injector. Coincidence? Maybe. This pic was taken after a 5 minute drive home after washing engine/underside so I could see where leak was coming from, so yeah, looks like I won't be driving my truck for a minute.

Any clues where this might be coming from?

 

CCV doghouse is right there and they leak. To leak like that though not 100%, but worth a look. The high pressure oil rail end plug would be capable of that and much more. You said boost is normal if I recall, so I wouldn't suspect it so much, for now at least.

 

Doghouse is dry, I reached back and felt in/around plug and its dry. From what I can tell (although its hard to see) it appears to be coming from the top of where the transmission housing meets the back of the engine/oil pan... like where the pipe from the exhaust manifold connects to the up pipe. But there wouldn't be that much oil coming out of that spot right? If anything it would be soot coming from that point, if it was leaking.