Howdy all,

Just purchased a 1984 F 250 4x4 with the IH 6.9L IDI mated to the trusty Warner T-19 4-spd gearbox. The truck allegedly only has 120K miles (which I'm inclined to believe after driving it 50 miles home).

This is my second Ford diesel. My first one was a 90 F250 7.3L AT, but I didn't have it long enough to break anything. Soooo, I never really had to research the ins and outs of the system. I'm a fairly competent wrench and usually pretty good about "finding out" before I start "tearing apart" anything.

So, first order of business has been:

2 new 900 CCA batteries
new belts
oil and filter change
new fuel filter

Next up will be:

New tires (just ordered a set of TreadWright A/T's)
Fresh lube and gaskets for the front and rear differentials
Fresh tranny and transfer case oil
Rebuild the front axles (they click when turning in 4H and 4L)
Flush and fill the coolant system

The ol' dog runs like a top, although the previous owner did do a wee bit o' Aggie engineering on the ignition.

Just turn the key all the way on and touch the wires together:



It does requires ether to start at the moment...but I suspect it's just fuel bleed-down as it'll start right up again. I've had several people suggest I add a low psi in-line electric fuel pump. Is this a good suggestion?

When it's below 80* the glow plug light DOES come on, when it's over 80* it does not. IIRC, this is how the plugs are supposed to work?

I'll continue to read back through the forum...you guys are a wealth of info! I just need to make sure I get the ol' truck into reliable shape pretty quickly. I've a couple of 1000 mile trips to make this summer and an Ozark farm to navigate regularly, so a good, tough, reliable ol' truck is a must.

Thanks for any and all suggestions, folks, 'tis appreciated.

 

Tough starting could be an air related fault in the fuel system... is the fuel/water separator on the firewall by the booster still hooked up. They are known to allow air in and cause hard starting. If it is still inline jam a 3/8 bolt up the drain line to seal it off.. or put a spigot on the end of the hose so as to retain the water drain purpose.

See what the fuel pressure is first....

Do a pressure and flow test of the fuel pump at the Schrader valve on the filter header (FSS- fuel shutoff solenoid disconnected on IP). Remove the tire valve core and hook a hose and pressure guage on it should see 4-6 psi when starter cranking engine over. Then do a fuel quantity test same place, should see 1/3 pint in 10 seconds of starter engine cranking, route fuel to a suitable container with a hose. When all finished hook up the FSS wire .

If there is a problem with the lift pump and you are changing it, ensure the new pump comes with instructions as to correct installation procedure if it is the newer model pump with the almost straight arm.

 

you sure its not a glow plug issue? when you turn the key on, do you see the voltage gauge drop down for about 10 second, then cycle for a few seconds after that?

 

@ OREO...

Nope, I don't know for sure that it's not a glow plug issue. I need to run some diagnostics first. Just sayin' that my initial, gut instinct is that it's a fuel issue. Ya could almost say that I'm assuming....but we all know what happens we assume

So here's where I'm at right now....I'm in the middle of finals week. Lemme tell y'all something, going back to college when you're middle-aged has it's good moments. And then you come up on Finals. LOL. I'm too old to pull this all-nighter shizz!

I'll be able to really get my hands dirty (and my knuckles scraped and my knees bruised) next week.

For now I just wanted to say hello, thank y'all for a great forum, and get a few starting points for what all I need to test through. I'll definitely try the tests PLC7.3 has suggested.

I did a copious amount of reading on here before we bought the truck. The information I gathered from y'all's posts is pretty much what sold me on the ol' monster in the first place.

Besides, we only paid $800 for the truck. After owning it for a week we already have an additional $700 invested in it (new batteries, new tires on the way, and the other, aforementioned odds 'n ends). Needless to say we bought it to be a lifetime machine. I'm a bleeds Ford blue kinda gal...my dad was one of those guys who was convinced that buying a Chevrolet meant you were white trash I'm not quite that extreme (I'm also a Honda GEEK), but when it comes to long-lived, reliable trucks, I'll look at everything else and still come back to the 26 y-o Ford.

Just for grins, here are some pics I snapped the day we brought it home to the HiTechRanch:

 

Welcome to the forum, your truck looks pretty straight. What is the push button next to the column for, glow plugs?

 

No sir, that's a Missouri-styled horn button

 

At least it's a button, I got a toggle on mine (what I had quick) and my son and his friends love to sneak by in the middle of the night, flip it, run and hide!

Butt heads!

-Enjoy
fh : )_~