Thanks for all the help on here! I got the ole abused '87 F250 started! It was apparently out of fuel.
- One injector is leaking a LOT of fuel below the double nut on top. Can this be fixed with new gaskets?
- Radiator has a huge leak, any suggestions on where to get a cheap one?
- The Wait to Start light only stayed on for about 1 or 2 seconds- and it was very stubborn to start, some white smoke would come out while cranking, but I finally had to use starting fluid and 2 jumper cables to start it. I am assuming the g-plugs are shot?

She has been rode hard and put away wet, but I would like to get her back to life. I replaced the fuel filter. I will be looking for more suggestions on what to do next, assuming it has been poorly maintained up to this point. (1987 F250 Super Cab, 2wd, xlt, C-6)

 

well do you just wanna get the thing goin or do you want to get it going good?to get it going i would put a return line kit on ,replace the bad injector(s) change the air filter and fuel filter,then replace all 8 glowplugs with beru zd9 plugs.i cant stress the beru/motorcraft brand plugs enough!!!!if you want to get iot going really good swap the ip and injectors as well

 

Check the radiator out if i isn't rotten it can more than likely be repaired.
Rupe about tok care of everything else there.

How good did it run when after you got her going.

 

Well, it idled ok, about 1k rpm, but was very noisy! It was leaking so bad I didnt even drive it. It is much noisier than the other diesels.

 

Was it idling smooth and it accelerate alright. How bad was it smoking.

 

1k rpm means the high idle was set it will drop down to about 700 when it kicks down.and will also quit down when the timing advance kicks off as well

 

It wasnt smoking much at all once it started. The fuel leak was pretty bad on that one injector, so I didnt drive it, and only let it idle for about 15 minutes.

 

once you fix the air intrusion it "should" quiet down some

 

Thats good to know. So, is it likely that I need a new injector for the one thats leaking, or do you think it might just need some o-rings or gaskets?

 

bets way to tell if you need an injector in your situation would probably be to let it run for about 5 minutes and feel the metal lines to each injector.if one or more is hotter than the rest you have found a bad injector.you may just get away with a return line kit.i personally wouldnt mess around with only replacing the o-rings.the plastic caps are made of.......you guessed it plastic.lol so with heat plastic can warp and disfigure causing the o-rings to not do their job.being

 

If it's leaking I'm betting it is the orings in the return line cap. When you ghange one you have to change them all, It is a cheap fix though and I have bought several of these that have sat for over a year and had to use a return line kit on every one of them.

It shouldn't effect how it runs after a minute or two when they are leaking, like rupe said it may have never warmed up enough to shut the high idle and the cold start advance down though, and that advances the timing so that it will rattle until it gets to 112 degrees if the temp sensor is working properly, you can unplug it and it should quieten down.

 

Thanks, well, I bought one injector and 8 of the Mororcraft ZD9 glow plugs at O'reilleys. I had him check on a radiator, it was $300.00, so I passed on that! I will check online for a radiator, or maybe see if a shop can re-core this one for cheaper. (maybe I will find one in a junk yard- anyone know which year models will fit my '87?).

 

I would think that any diesel radiator out of an 87-91 truck would work.

 

you may want to consider changing all 8 injectors now,since your in there.
the fuel mileage and power gains will pay for them in sort order.
they are ware items.injectors are one of our few tune up items on our IDI's.
i plan to go 100k max on mine.they are reasonable enough to just replace.
with today's fuel prices,and the cost of a set of injectors,it only makes economic sense.
if you have another fail/leak etc.then your going to need another return line kit costing you extra time and $ that could have been avoided.
you also didn't mention buying an injector install kit(return line kit.)you will need this when replacing the injector(s).if you try reusing the lines/o rings/T's etc,your going to be chasing leaks/air intrusion problems forever.
total tune up would be ideal.
1.air filter
2.oil change/filter
3.8 Beuru GP's.
4.8 injectors.
5.CDR clean/or replace.
6.IP (if over 150k for sure.imho,100k is likely enough.)
7.injector install kit(also called return line kit.)
8.trans/rear axle/transfer case-all flushed and filter changes where applicable.
9.repack wheel bearings.
10.lube front end.

inspect U-joints,etc.etc.

power and fuel economy will boost right off the line with these basics alone for a rig with over 100k and none of these things done.
even if you can't do them all at once.this gives you something to aim for.

 

Thanks again for the suggestions. I'll get the return line kit and do it right, and go ahead and do all the injectors. On the injector that I bought already, it is BWD brand on the box, the guy said its Bosch. Is this ok, are there some brands to avoid? Since I need 7 more I may look on the internet for a cheaper source.