Ok guys, so my 86 has issues... It will fire but no start.... Cant figure it out and sick of dumping money into it... New lines, new pickups, new lift pump...

 

Have you checked the fuel pressure and flow.
Are you getting smoke out of your exhaust.
Are your glow plugs working properly.
How fast is your starter spinning.

 

could be something simple like burnt out out gp's.
could be air intrusion.could be poor tired starter.could be the gp relay.could be corroded cables etc.
need more info.
could be a combo of course like i had lol.
when's the last time you cleaned all connections of the starting system? this includes terminals and block/starter contact points.
remove the ground on the block and sand it to make it shine like a mirror at least once a year.your starter will thank you.
when everything's right,these suckers start great without being plugged in down in the single digits.
it costs some $ to bring the whole starting/GP system back to new,but man when you do it makes you smile when you go to hit that key!
expect to pay as much possibly as a new truck payment for a month.looking at it this way helps.then's she's reliable for years again
i know i make that sound easy lol.i cheated.i saved up to completely go over all expenses for a good used rig,and suffered with an f150 for longer.

 

Check for air in the fuel filter. If there is an air pocket or bubbles in the filter. Keep looking for any hairline cracks in hoses on fuel return lines.

 

out of curiosity how much fuel is in the tank?

 

i will check fuel level tomorrow.
new starter, new glow plugs, new gp relay, new gp controller, new gp switch, new fuel lines, no air intrusion, new filter/water separator, new injector lines, new fuel pickups, new return lines

it will fire like it wants to start, but wont stay going....

all that work was done at ford....

 

wow.well there can't be much more left.
id say you either have low compression or a bad injector pump at this point.
i suppose the timing could way off too.
but i dunno!! don't go buying parts until experienced people help you test stuff.

 

i know these questions answered will help the guys get you going though:

1.no mention of battery cables.does it turn over nice and fast?
so fast you can't count the revolutions?
2.do you have fuel squirting out of the schrader valve?
if not,when you pull fuel filter,how full is it?
3.have you tried both tanks?
i had this same problem and my FSV went.lucky for me tho,i heard it running constantly,and before i checked the truck out,i figured it was an electric fuel pump,thats how loud it was.i went to fill up and she burnt out.
i bypassed it to get it running.-replaced now.
4.how long is the WTS staying on for when you first turn the key forward?
5.whats your average temp where you are currently?
6.has anyone adjusted the timing or the IP in anyway lately?
7.when the truck did run,what seemed to happen that made you take the truck in for repair?
8.when cranking,do you see any smoke out the tail pipe? if so,what color is it? and what does it smell like?


a simple test you can do,that doesn't cost anything,and can help narrow things down is to unhook the lift pump feed from the tanks,and connect a short hose to this side.insert it into a jug of diesel and try starting the engine then.
if it runs,you have found a problem thats in the back,like a bad fuel line,bad pickup,bad selector valve etc.although some of those things have been replaced,it doesn't hurt to try while waiting for more help i suppose.

 

How cold has it been? Could be a gelling issue. This is a new to you truck, right? Have you had it running? Are you sure there is no problem with water in the tank?

Think I'd first pull the fuel filter and check the fuel level and contents of the filter.

 

Harrwood assuming everything was done right, it sounds like you may have a gelling issue.

What part of the country are you in and where are you buying your fuel. is it possible you have filled with bio diesel. All fuel is not equal and if you are buying at a low volume station that doesn't sell a lot of diesel, it is possible you have a mix of summer fuel.

What is the history of your truck was it parked for a long time before you got it.
A compression test would eliminate that part of the equasion and confirm it is something simple.
It is sad to say but just because a ford shop performed the work doesn't mean that they aren't just throwing parts at it. Many ford dealers have no techs that understands these motors. Most only had one tech for diesels (even when these pickups were new) and they didn't get much practice on them, because these pickups just didn't have a lot of problems on the average.

 

I had that issue when I would buy fuel from cheap stations i even got off road once my poor old truck like to never started, but ive got other problems as well so it wasnt totally on the gas stations i have fuel lines under my side of the cab they got a pinch in them from a pair of pliars so they are leaking its evident from the stains in the driveway so this spring i need to go from front to back with fuel lines.

also the diaphram in my fuel pump would leak when it got warm so i was losing fuel there as well my truck set in grass for a good 3 years so everything almost rot even the bed so. im going to redo everything this spring.

 

You don't mention new transfer pump in your list. I know I always suggest that because it was the last thing I fixed on my truck, and solved all my problems! :-> Still, if you haven't checked the transfer pump pressure and volume, I would do that...

Chris.

[EDIT]: Oh sorry, I see you mention the lift pump in your first post....

 

I really hate to say it but if ford has throwed all these parts at it and hasn't got it running right I would be chapped. the only thing that it could be that isn't a simple fix would be the compression which does not go away overnight and ford should have informed you if that is the case, before spending what you have invested.

I can't imagine ford doing all this work without checking fuel pressure and volume, but like I said there are a lot of dealers that do not have a tech that understands these rigs at all. Most will not admit it though.
And yes the fuel pump could very well be the problem.

 

it was parked for a week... Batteries and cables are also new, turns over fast, some smoke, grayish in color(hard to tell cause of our temps), Temp wise, this could be the issue, but my other truck fires and runs right away without being plugged in. I am in Fargo, ND, right now it is below zero at night, and like 4 above during the day. It could be a gelling issue, But it is our so called "arctic diesel" according to the sticker that they have in our pumps...

also star, the fuel pump is brand new... I do not think it is timing as it was running perfect than sat over night and this all started, found 2 blocked injector lines, and thats when ford replaced all the injector lines, returns, and the rest of the fuel lines and filter. It has a wix one piece on it.

its getting plenty of fuel through the lift pump also... no air in the filter... but like i said it could very well be a gelling issue...

Also i should specify about what i am talking about when i say ford did the work. Here, all the parts come from ford, but the work was physically done at RDO, And now that i think about it, it wasnt driven very much if at all in the winter so it may have a summer mix in the tanks still....

 

If you are in fargo I'm leaning on the fuel trying to gel. I'm curious now what stopped up your injector lines. I have had to replace cracked ones but never blocked ones and a whole set, I imagine this got expensive quick. Was it something in the IP came apart and clogged them.