My 97 has been missing or running only on 4 cylinders. Sometimes it runs ok, but now a small tube near the front of the pass side head - under the alternator - is pouring out diesel fuel as fast as a 1/4 tube can pass it. It this a relief of some kind or is it disconnected from something???

Thanks, Gordon

 

No, that's the drain for your fuel filter bowl. Check to see if the drain lever is closed - if it is, then I think there's an O-ring or something that can go bad on the valve.

 

I've been wiggling everything in the engine compartment to find this intermitent problem. Must have moved the lever - didn't know what it did!

Now if I could get the darned thing to run!

Gordon

 

You may have a bad wiring harness going to one side of the injectors. Check the connections at the valve cover and under it. Smell in the oil filler hole in the valve cover and see if you have a burnt smell.

 

I appreciate the ideas. 'Bout had it with this rig.

It's a 97 350. Apparently it was "rode hard and put away wet" in the past.

Ran great for almost a year, them was idling in the driveway and went to about 4 cylinders. I read about voltage and grounding problems, and one battery seemed weak, so I put in two new batteries, some cables, and a starter. Put a new fuel filter in just in case. Got in running and drove it 1500 miles in 3 days - no problem. Once on the 4th day, it went to 4 cylinders again. Played with the "gas" pedal a bit, and it caught on all 8 and ran 1500 miles home without a miss.

My wife decided to take it to western colorado a few days later, and it crapped out on Vail pass. SAme deal - went to 4 cylinders, then quit. Would start up on about 4 cylinders, then quit again.

I've bought a code reader too, and although the engine light comes on whenever this "4 cylinder running" goes on - no codes or MIL's.

Ready to push it over the mountain!

I put in a new cam position sensor in the parking lot of Silverthorne Mall. It started up great, ran about 10 seconds and went back to 4 cylinders.

I screwed around with the gas pedal, restarted it several times, and finally it "caught" again and ran 4 hours home - no sweat. Today, I finally calmed down enough to try it again. I finallly got it to catch again, after 20 minutes of running on a few cylinders.

May post his for general input - thanks again!

Gordon

 

Leave your code reader plugged in while you're driving and see if you can pull a code right away with the engine running when it starts running bad.

 

Wow I just found this post after I made the other one in your other thread and me talking about burned wiring harness's. Huge fuel leak=no fuel pressure. I think you can figure out the end result.

 

no way quick.. i have forgotten to put the fuel filter back in before and i fired it up.. ran like a champ.. poured a whole tank on the ground before i realized wut going on ran outta diesel.... put the filter back on, switched tanks and she fired right up

 

Oh, ok, I was thinking that the fuel return was split. He mentioned that he has a 97 with that sort of system.