I have a '97 F350 4wd Crew Cab long bed that I've had since new. In the last few years, I only run it in the summer to pull my tandem axle gooseneck trailer when hauling round bales (I'm in the hay business). The truck gets very little use.

I was running on B20 bio diesle, same stuff I run in my farm tractors, same supplier (no, it's on road not dyed red off road like is in my farm tank).

I've never had any issue with the fuel <NOBR id=itxt_nobr_2_0 style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: darkblue; FONT-FAMILY: verdana,geneva,lucida,'lucida grande',arial,helvetica,sans-serif">system</NOBR> until this month. I switched from b20 to BP super diesel and was going down the road and the engine started missing. I pulled over, switched tanks thinking I was out of fuel (didn't look at the gage, just a knee jerk reaction) . I got it home and pulled the filter to install another and the bottom of the fuel bowl was full of what looked like slimy rust. The filter was loaded as well. Put in a new filter (plus both tanks full of fresh fuel).

It's still starving for fuel. I pulled the new filter and it's clean. I'd removed the fuel heater plate and standpipe and cleaned all the crud below the heater plate when I replaced the loaded filter with the new one.....

My question is, is there a screen or possible screens that could be plugged up with this stuff and if so, where? I take it the fuel comes into the fuel bowl. passes through the filter and out the standpipe?

I have good fuel pressure. If I open the drain lever with the engine running, I immediately get wet boots.

It's starved for fuel so there has to be some of the crud that was in the filter, somewhere else. in a strainer??

The fuel in the fuel bowl is nice and clear/green. Nothing collecting below the heater plate either.

I've never taken anything on this engine apart other than replacing the starter relay and one alternator.

Any ideas would be appreciated. I'm used to working on diesels that have spin-on fuel filters like Class 8 trucks. never had an issue like this before.

I'm thinking (out loud) that there is some of the crud that got past the old filter, went down the standpipe and is lodged somewhere in the delivery system.

Is there an additive that I san add that will remove the blockage or do I need to pull the fuel bowl and clean it internally.

I'm at a loss and I need the truck (to deliver hay).

 

the FPR screen will need cleaning as well.
Take a q-tip and just cut the end off, use that to scrape the little screen. its on the drivers side of the fuel bowl, at the top.

You can always just take the assembly off as well and check it. its 2 or 3 bolts. can't remember
there are other things inside that get gunky.
just be sure to watch the o-rings and little parts.

some guys on here have some good pictures.

 

Besides just thinking that it is starving for fuel, do you have any other symptoms, smoke? IMO it is more likely to have a bad Valve cover connection than to be starving for fuel.

Is the fuel filter light on?

Does the truck run any differently at operating temp than when it is cold?

Is there a lot of smoke while it is running? What color is the smoke?

If you can answer these questions it will help make it easier to diagnose the problem.

Thanks,

 

There is no smoke when running. It's clean. It smokes a bit when cold, but cleans right up once it runs for a few minutes. All the big diesels smoke a little when cold, even the new Cats except the urea ones...lol

No lights on the dash indicating anything.

It will run fine just at idle. If I throttle the engine in the yard, it pulls up in rpm and if I free rev the engine at 2000 rpm or so and hold it there for a period of time, it starts loosing power (like fuel starvation) and I have to push down farther on the fuel pedal to a point where I have it to the firewall. Then it starts missing and finally dies. I let it sit 5 minutes and it starts right up, misses a little then cleans out and idles just fine. There is never any unburned fuel (smoke) at the tailpipe. I work on Class 8 diesels all the time (mostly Caterpillar) and plugged filters on them exhibit the same scenario.

I use Cat Fuel additive in my farm tractors (all direct injection diesels not HUEI systems). Should I be running Cat additive in the 7.3 as well? I was running bio until this summer. I switched back to premium diesel (because my local station discontinued bio).

Does the same thing on the road as well. 5 minutes with the 4 ways on and I go another quarter mile and repeat.

I'd better add that I have a Gale Banks kit on the truck, been there since new. I don't have the chip plugged into the computer port however.

It has a bunch of other modifications as well but not to the engine itself other than a Banks Turbo.

I do have a custom built E4OD (By Ford SVO in Dearborn) but I've never had problem one with the engine...until now.

I'm flabergasted. I need to be delivering hay and I can't. My wifes Transit Connect won't do the job and a motorcycle can't do it either.

I'm thimking I got some bad fuel (because of the crud in the bottom of the bowl) which I carefully cleaned out (with a syringe and clean rags). The fuel is clean and green now.

I take it that the standpipe is just that. I thought maybe there was a screen below the pipe (in the housing) that might be plugged.

When I changed out the filter (from the cruddy one) to the new one and cleaned the bowl, it ran fine for about 15 miles and started it's bad behavior again. I got it home...long trip...., pulled the filter and it's clean on the outside and like I stated, the fuel in the bowl is clean. I put the old cap back on minus a filter (I know that's a no-no but I'm getting desperate) and it didn't help.

I have the new style WIX with the filter secured to the top. The old one was Motorcraft 2 piece.

I saw the small brass screen on the side of the bowl the appears to fit in a passage that goes to the regulator... I can't ascertain the fuel direction flow. The filter is sealed against the standpipe with sealing grommets so I presume the unfiltered fuel is on the outside of the filter and filtered fuel travels to the inside and down the standpipe or is that wrong?

I'm not adverse to taking it apart but I don't want to if I don't have to. Never a problem until now.

 

Not related to the issue (one would hope that it isn't)..

I bought truck new and did some serious modifications to the running gear. I happen to own a machine/fabrication shop so making stuff wasn't a problem.

I did the ORU shackle reversal plus I reworked all the spring pivots with roller bearings and grease fittings, replaced all the no grease driveline components with greasable ones, had the transmission redone plus a huge Hayden transmission cooler at my BIL's advice (my BIL is a design engineer at SVO), Installed a Detriot Tru-Track in the rear and an ORB air locker in the front. Did the rear brake disc conversion and lifted the unit (it's so high that I had to modify my gooseneck to get it level). I need stepladder to get uner the hood.

One thing I did do (this spring) was switch from 15-40 Rotella to 5-40 Rotella. I've also switched all my tractors to the new Rotella as well.

I'm wondering if the 5-40 is making a difference as the injectors are hydraulically actuated with engine oil. I can go back to the 15-40 as the truck is in the garage all winter. It's never seen snow.... The garage is heated so it's always nice and warm in there.

This problem is a pisser...

 

The oil should be fine, I wouldn't worry about that.

 

take off the fpr and at bottom where the fuel comes in is a screen that looks like steel wool, it's probley pluged.

 

so you have the banks power pack but no chip piggy backed on to the pcm? or is it uploaded on the computer?

can you do me a favor and start the truck, rev it like you said untill it dies then go to the oil resivour for the high pressure oil pump and take the little 1/4" plug out on the tank and see what the oil level is in there, should be about an inch or less from the top. starting to wonder if you have oil issues, such as the IPR sticking. or just bad o rings, when there are oil issues the truck will seem like its running out of fuel.

 

That's the assembly on the side of the fuel bowl (right side facing the firewall) I take it? Is that also where the drillway in the bowl on the side goes to?

I don't mean to act stupid but I've never had to fiddle with the engine before. I fiddle with big diesels all the time but they are a little different animal. With the big diesels you can stand beside the engine and work on it in a long nose conventional. Not so with this engine.

I still can't ascertain if the fuel comes up through the plastic standpipe or in the space between the bowl casting and the filter itself (that's the way that's logical). If so, unfiltered fuel (and junk) is exposed to the FPR and that's not overly intellegent design.

 

I'll do that first thing tomorrow morning. I just got home from the shop. The plug is in front next to the alternator I presume.

I have a piggyback chip but it's not installed right now. I pulled it when this issue started. It's easy to get to.

Besides the chip and the SVO reworked trans, I have the Banks box on the E4 and the B&M Finned aluminum sump. My BIL told me keeping the fluid cool and increasing the capacity was all important. I use this truck hard when it gets used. Typically I overload my tandem axle gooseneck and I'm pulling in excess of 10 ton.

I have air bags on the back too plus an extra leaf in the packs..... never 'look' heavy if you are.

I'll do that and report back.

 

Yeah, FPR probably dirty, sounds like you got some diesel algae. Probably gummed up in that FPR.

 

there is two filters on the fpr, right under the bottom it screws out but the fpr needs to takeing off to get to it.

 

In as much as I use the truck infrequently, should I be adding the Cat Diesel additive (it's expensive but I get a good price on it from the shop, at cost versus retail) or should I be using something else? I have everything availble, power service, the Cat stuff, Lucas and a bunch others. Is there a particular one the you knowledgable guys recommend?

I've always used the Cat additive in the farm diesel because I add it right to the bulk tank. I get a 500 gallon fill and add a quarter bottle.

I swithched to B20 because the new fuel is dry compared to the older higher sulfur stuff. With the fleet diesels at work, we dose the underground tanks with the Cat additive on every fill. We have twin 10K tanks and 70 on road trucks.

First thing I'll do tomorrow morning is check the oil level in the tank on the front of the engine (after it dies) and report back. Then, I'll pull off the FPR and clean it. Are the a lot of loose parts inside or will it just unbolt and stay together?

I was always under the impression that the engine would not run without a fuel filter. In desperation I took mine out and it runs and that was a surprise.

I'm thinking, to avoid a problem in the future, I'll add a remote spin on pre filter in front of the fuel pump suction line (whichever one that is). I can go to a Fleetguard or Donalsdon spin on with a water/sediment drain. That would be a whole lot easier to deal with.

I've already added a remote coolant filter with a potassium permagnate sacrificial block a long time ago. My coolant PH and my additive levels stay with range and I don't have to add DCA to the expansion tank. That's the big truck way.

I had a 6.9 previously and it returned quite a bit of fuel I have no idea how much this engine returns if any. Cats and DDEC's have a lot of return flow.

I'm a bit nervous about this. I have no problem working on the fleet trucks (now you plug a computer into the data port and the program tells you what's failed). It's cut and dry at 105 per hour shop rate. Wrench spinners have become parts replacers.

I'd take it to the shop and do it on my time but it won't malke it that far at least in one day.

 

i dont care how plugged taht PFR screen is, i dont think it will make it die.mine was completely plugged and i never would have known if i didnt take it apart and clean it, the FPR will unbolt and the screen may or may not come out, just put your hand underneath just incase, its a far fall down...i would know.

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/p...ictureid=29639
here is the diagram of the oil system, up top is teh oil res as i discribed, and that plug on top is what i want you to take out, its tiny, a 1/4" rachet and will take it out

 

when you pull the 2 bolts out take car of the o rings and pull it up off tube on the bottom, it has 2 o ring in it, just cut them putting it back in. unscrew the brass plug and take the filter and clean it, it's reuseable.