I watched a couple of YouTube videos about resurrecting these old diesels but wanted to ask y’all first. I would assume that you would pull the dipstick first to check oil level and look for milkshakes. I think then cracking the drain plug and looking for water would be next. Checking coolant for mud and see if it has any. It’s here in Alabama so it doesn’t really stay cold enough for long enough to pop freeze plugs. So I would venture the fuel filter to see if she has fuel and probably put some fresh fuel in her. Then i supposed it would be ok to try to bleed the fuel system to see if it will bark. Anything I’m missing? This is strictly just to see if the engine is functioning. It was supposedly a yard truck for a crane company and the odometer is reading 9,000+. If the engine is shot from idling all day at least the drive train should be somewhat good.

 

sounds like a good plan for seeing if it will fire up.
if it does start, drain the oil good and refill with now filter, then drain the fuel tanks and fresh fuel filter. you may have to pull the cover off the injector pump and free the fuel shutoff circuit if it is too gummed up to move.

 

That's a nice solid truck! I would make sure it had fresh oil. I think it's worth it because the odds will be very high the engine is still very good.
Then install a fresh fuel filter (full of ATF) and a new mechanical (or better; electric) fuel pump. Don't try and turn it over with the old pump because the diaphragm could be dried out and you don't want to pump the base full of fuel and hurt a nice low mile engine.

Then remove both hoses from the lift pump and the return line hose from the back of the engine. Run a new hose from a 5 gallon jug of diesel to the lift pump and another hose from the back top of the engine, back into the jug, so that's your temporary, clean fuel tank, see? Don't trust any fuel line, tank, selector valve or pickup tube on the truck until you replace/inspect it all.

See if you can get some water in the cooling system or just run it for a few seconds only, if not.
Two fresh batteries, see if the block heater works. Test for, or simply supply 12v to the FSS on the injection pump and have a truck with jumper cables already hooked up. Fire extinguisher or garden hose on standby.

I bet she purrs like a kitten.

Yeah, if you find she doesn't go and want to inspect the IP to see if it's gummed up, be sure you know how to re-install the top cover without getting a runaway. You want to feel a "spring action" when you set it back down forward towards you, and then slide it rearwards towards firewall and down. If you don't feel a spring action.....it's dangerously wrong! Do not attempt to start unless 100% (have a block of wood/ large rag to smother the intake for backup.) If she runs away, don't panic, smother her air asap.

That's a cab and chassis truck. 2wd?

 

No milkshake, green coolant, and not locked down. So I bought it for $800. She definitely needs work but I feel sure that she will run just fine. I took the oil fill cap off and shined a flashlight down in there and what I could see the engine looked clean. Then I went and looked at a 97 f350 crew cab 7.3 powerstroke that had been sitting for five years. She started right up and was running smooth as a sewing machine. So I bought her too. She only has 191,000 so k think I did pretty good today with trucks.

 

Smoking deal. Hard to find anything for a thousand dollar truck anymore. The engine is worth that. The truck was free. I bet you stole that 9th gen powerstroke too. Rust free trucks down there. You guys are spoiled.

 

Yes indeed, I have thought about finding a donor truck and taking the engine out of my ambulance. Easier to Turbo and work on. Lots of rust free trucks down here.

 

Don't forget to show us a pic of the Bricknose truck freed from the weeds.

 

Finally got her home and started to get here clean. Soon as the rain lets up, I will get to changing fluids and see about getting her running. The rain helped while washing but I was tired of being wet so I will wash it a couple more times after the rain.

 

I’m replacing the fuel filter for the first time on my 86’ 6.9. Why are you suggesting to fill with ATF? Thanks!

 

Fill it up and let it run for a minute and shut it down. The atf will soak overnight and loosen up the gunk accumulated. Go out and drive it like you stole it. It works......

 

No fuel from the lift pump so i ordered one. Praying that the IP is still working. Glow plug relay is clicking so I ordered some Motorcraft glow plugs and hoping that will fix it but I’m guessing that the relay will need replacement as well. Won’t crank from the key but can jump the solenoid out so either a break in the wire, bad ignition switch or solenoid is going bad. Will test it when I have some help. The fuel shutoff is working. Did the plug unplug and heard it clicking. Hopefully everything will be here Thursday and I will know by then if she will run or not

 

No fuel to the injectors. I replaced the lift pump, fuel filter and return lines. Got all the air out of the fuel filter housing. Cracked the injector lines and got ATF pretty quickly. Closed them down and she just spins and spins. No start. Pulled all the drivers side injector lines off and cranked on it and only a couple of drops. Fuel shutoff solenoid clicks when you pull the wire on and off so I’m assuming it is working properly. I’m also assuming the the injector pump is shot. Is there anything that I am missing?

 

This is the only fuel I can get out of her. Been cranking every two minutes for 3 hours now. All right injector lines are cracked, no leaks, I did notice I forgot the clamp for the return line going back to the filter housing, pulled it off and it had a lot of pressure on it spraying fuel. Feed line to the IP is flowing good. Accelerator is pinned when cranking. The glow plugs aren’t working because one is bad but the new ones are on the way. It shouldn’t matter because it was almost 90 today. It hit on a shot of ether so I know it does have compression. How much is anyone’s guess. Took the FSS cover off and made sure it wasn’t stuck or the metering valve wasn’t stuck either. I’m not seeing any bubbles come out of the injector lines but they do dribble a little fuel out. And when I say dribble, I mean it keeps them wet. I attached a picture to show the wettest injector line.

 

So did you do the suggestion of making a temp fuel supply bypassing everything on the truck except the fuel filter? If not are you sure the fuel return to the tank is open and able to actually move fuel back to a tank? Just because it is 90 degrees outside does not mean it will fire up. If not using the glow plugs how about the block heater?

 

I want to say that pressure in the return line can mess with the injector pump. There should be zero pressure in the return lines for a not running engine. Reroute a return line into a bottle and see what happens. Make sure your batteries are fully charged. 90 doesn't mean squat, this isn't a modern diesel, it needs the glow plugs, block heater, heat gun down the intake... something needs to warm the combustion chamber for the first fire.