diesel newbie
Thread Starter
|
Elder User
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 854
Likes: 0
From: woodville, tx
diesel newbie
I recently purchased an 87 f250 for 300$, runs and everything. Ran great for a month and a half then right after i mistakenly put B15 into my tank ran like poopie, and still is not running great. As far as i can tell it is all stock, with 177000 on it.
Where do i need to start on the lines of a "po' man's" tune up? Fuel filter and oil change are comming this weekend finally. Glo's seem to work fine, although i live in South East Texas where winter last 3 days every other decade. Have only been running 1 800cca battery and never had a problem cranking.
Speedo is 5 mph off and the tach i think is possesed. It reads what it wants, when it wants. As is about the same with the ammeter. If i lock the e-brake then let it slam up on release it will read a charge.
4-speed manual seems to be a very strong combo. On flat ground i can take off in 3rd with little to no hessitation. But the MPG is confusing me. Before the b15 i was getting 13.5-15 around town, and now it seems like 5-7 with no change in driving habbits.
Any and all advice, tips, and/or hints are greatly appreciated.
Where do i need to start on the lines of a "po' man's" tune up? Fuel filter and oil change are comming this weekend finally. Glo's seem to work fine, although i live in South East Texas where winter last 3 days every other decade. Have only been running 1 800cca battery and never had a problem cranking.
Speedo is 5 mph off and the tach i think is possesed. It reads what it wants, when it wants. As is about the same with the ammeter. If i lock the e-brake then let it slam up on release it will read a charge.
4-speed manual seems to be a very strong combo. On flat ground i can take off in 3rd with little to no hessitation. But the MPG is confusing me. Before the b15 i was getting 13.5-15 around town, and now it seems like 5-7 with no change in driving habbits.
Any and all advice, tips, and/or hints are greatly appreciated.
Elder User
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 620
Likes: 0
From: Langley, BC, Canada
ive heard that the biodiesel really cleans out the system and typically when someone switches from diesel to bio they end up changing their fuel filter a few times because the biodiesel cleans out the tank and lines and all the gunk it cleans gets stopped in the filter. so i would start with the fuel filter and see if your mileage gets anybetter
Senior User
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 191
Likes: 0
From: Denair, CA
Welcome jmmartin and I agree with 1957F100. Bio will cause lots of the gunk that's accumulated over the last couple of decades to get pushed through. I'd get a good fuel filter, like a Wix/Napa, and throw it on there. See how it runs after that.
Thread Starter
|
Elder User
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 854
Likes: 0
From: woodville, tx
Could the extra gunk also cause a "surging", for lack of a better way to put it?
Whe i first start up, i can level out my speed then it feels like a burst of power, like it gets a sudden surge of fuel and takes off. when it does this it is enough to push you back in the seat a little.
Whe i first start up, i can level out my speed then it feels like a burst of power, like it gets a sudden surge of fuel and takes off. when it does this it is enough to push you back in the seat a little.
Post Fiend
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 21,285
Likes: 15
From: Nutter Fort, WV
The surging is a sign of air in the fuel system.
You have an air leak somewhere on the suction side of the lift pump.
How much fuel is in the tank?
The pickup tube in the tank is rather famous for dropping off after years of fuel sloshing around in the tank.
When it does, you may run out of fuel anywhere below 1/2 tank showing on the guage.
You have an air leak somewhere on the suction side of the lift pump.
How much fuel is in the tank?
The pickup tube in the tank is rather famous for dropping off after years of fuel sloshing around in the tank.
When it does, you may run out of fuel anywhere below 1/2 tank showing on the guage.
Thread Starter
|
Elder User
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 854
Likes: 0
From: woodville, tx
i keep the tank between 1/4 and 1/2 full. i know it will still run even down to the red line. I know i know, this is not a good thing to do, but as wet a year as we have had, money is tight, and my wifes gasoline is cheaper. BUT, it has been doing that at 1/2 as well as at the 1/4 mark its at right now.
Trending Topics
Elder User
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 620
Likes: 0
From: Langley, BC, Canada
Does the surging your talking about happen when the engine is cold...or warmed up?. I ask this because ive noticed that when i first start my truck in the morning and it is very cold, that when the rpms get to about approximately 2250-2500 that the truck just takes off...it does the exact same thing you are describing. but it never does it when the engine is warm and it doesnt matter how much fuel is in the tank.
another thing ive noticed when my truck is cold is that if i am slowing down and the rpms are around 2250-2500 again and i just let off the gas and coast and let the engine slow the truck down that the truck surges pretty bad. its very strange. ive got to get a video camera and get a video or something becuase it doesnt seem normal to me.
another thing ive noticed when my truck is cold is that if i am slowing down and the rpms are around 2250-2500 again and i just let off the gas and coast and let the engine slow the truck down that the truck surges pretty bad. its very strange. ive got to get a video camera and get a video or something becuase it doesnt seem normal to me.
FTE Stories
Ford Trucks for Ford Truck Enthusiasts
2027 Ford Super Duty Buyer's Guide (Every Model, Engine, & Package)
Brett Foote
Top 10 Ford Truck Tragedies
Joe Kucinski
AEV FXL Super Duty - the Super Duty Raptor Ford Doesn't Make
Brett Foote
Lobo Vs Lobo: Proof the F-150 Lobo Should Be Even Lower!
Michael S. Palmer
Ford's 2001 Explorer Sportsman Concept Looks For a New Home
Verdad Gallardo
10 Best Ford Truck Engines We Miss the Most!
Joe Kucinski
2026 Shelby F-150 Off-Road: Better Than a Raptor R?
Brett Foote
2027 Super Duty Carhartt Package First Look: 12 Things You NEED to Know!
Michael S. Palmer
10 Most Surprising 2026 Ford Truck Features!
Joe Kucinski
Thread Starter
|
Elder User
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 854
Likes: 0
From: woodville, tx
Yeah, so far only cold engine. My drive to work each day is a whopping 1.1 miles so it never reaches running temp. I havent had it do that while slowing down and can not tell you at what RPM. My tach is possesed.
Elder User
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 620
Likes: 0
From: Langley, BC, Canada
It sounds like our trucks are doing the same thing. My truck is a 5 speed and i usually shift around 2500. But in the mornings when the engines cold i shift about 2000 becuase like i said when the rpms get around 2250 the truck literally takes off. it feels like the thing goes wide open throttle. i figured it had something to do with the cold start or high idle thing. i dont know much about the high idle or cold start or how they work so i dunno.
Post Fiend
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 5,638
Likes: 1
From: Manitoba
Have only been running 1 800cca battery and never had a problem cranking.
Junior User
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 69
Likes: 0
From: Corvallis/Albany, Ore.
Wow. 300 bucks. Damn. Wow. And it has the 4-speed Warner gearbox, right? Wow. You know, you really should have had to pay about five times that amount for your truck. By the way, a word of advice about your transmission: Avoid direct hits from thermonuclear devices with yields in excess of 5 megatons. Because that's pretty much the only thing that can break your transmission.
Yeah, so as the guys have said, the biodiesel shook loose a giant mass of algae that's been living happily in your fuel tank since 1992. Did you fuel up both tanks with B15? If not, great! Switch tanks, change filters and forget about it. Otherwise, yup, it's purgin' time. Buy several filters and bleed 'em at the Schrader valve so you don't have to burn up your starter cranking the engine. But when you're done, you can burn anything you want in there.
300 bucks. Damn. Hey, next time it's time for my wife to get a new car, can you come up to Oregon and help us negotiate the deal? You've obviously got some serious skills!
Cheers!
--Finn
Yeah, so as the guys have said, the biodiesel shook loose a giant mass of algae that's been living happily in your fuel tank since 1992. Did you fuel up both tanks with B15? If not, great! Switch tanks, change filters and forget about it. Otherwise, yup, it's purgin' time. Buy several filters and bleed 'em at the Schrader valve so you don't have to burn up your starter cranking the engine. But when you're done, you can burn anything you want in there.
300 bucks. Damn. Hey, next time it's time for my wife to get a new car, can you come up to Oregon and help us negotiate the deal? You've obviously got some serious skills!
Cheers!
--Finn
Freshman User
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 42
Likes: 0
From: Ohio
Originally Posted by Finnzo
By the way, a word of advice about your transmission: Avoid direct hits from thermonuclear devices with yields in excess of 5 megatons. Because that's pretty much the only thing that can break your transmission.
--Finn
--Finn