92 fuel problems

[dlefebvre]

Friend of mine has 92 ctd 4by 4 . Was running rough with a slower idle. On the highway it was running good, when he got it home it died in the yard when he slowed down after driving a couple hours. It started once after that, ran about ten seconds, then quit. Would not start since. There is fuel from the lift pump to the inj pump, how much pressure does the lift pump have to put out to be picked up by the inj pump? Could it be the lift pump?. The fuel filter was changed, with rusty looking stuff inside the filter. What are the symptoms of a inj pump going ?

 

[BushWakr - RIP]

The lift pump will/should supply at least 7-8 psi min.

The low pressure (supply) side of the VE can run as much as 100 psi depending on throttle position.



If you have rust colored stuff in the filter you may well have damage to the internals on the injection pump.

First, remove the fuel solenoid internals. It has two spade connectors on it. Remove those, then unscrew the top of the solenoid. Carefully remove the guts. There is a spring and shaft with O-Ring on the end. Try to look at the O-Ring for signs of chaffing/splitting/bits missing... then look down into the hole it came out of... if you see and black bits in there then you've got a bagged solenoid. You can put the top back on without the guts, and the truck should start up if it is the solenoid. You will have to use the manual shutdown lever on the injection pump to shut it off, till you get a new solenoid.



If that isn't the problem, and removing the innards doesn't help the "no start" problem then you may well have internal contamination of the pump. These things can take a beating but can also be pretty delicate when you get particles inside them.

If this is the case,,,, you're likely looking at a rebuild or a replacement pump.



Any other thoughts here guys... . ?????

Make sure you follow-up with us so we all benefit from your solution/results... .



Pastor Bob.

 

[dlefebvre]

thanks Bob, stupid question for you ( or anyone else)- where exactly is the fuel shut off solenoid located? Thanks, Dean

 

[BushWakr - RIP]

Hey no worries Dean... .



The fuel solenoid is located at the firewall end of the pump... . it is just under the "U" shaped boost tube. It has a double spade connector on it. BTW, it doesn't matter which wire connects to which spade on it either...

It has a large hex head, maybe 19mm or something like that... .

Just remove the two wires, one black and one blue I think, then remove the solenoid top. Remember that the "guts" will need to be carefully snagged as you lift the top off. If anything drops back in, you can use a mech. magnet to pull them out.

Hope that helps a bit... .



Bob.

 

[Greenleaf]

Lift Pump???I'd also try to prime the system with the lift pump's lever. Remove the bleeder and try to pump it up, then bleed out the pump housing. With this said and done,crack open some of the fuel lines at the nozzles & crank over the engine. wish for fuel to spray. Stay back. This is high pressure stuff.



When I changed my fuel filter for the first time,it too was full of crud and gunk. Let's hope it's just the lift pump.



Scott

 

[dlefebvre]

Well, before work tonight we pulled the guts out of the fuel shut off solenoid. still didn't start. took bleeder out of line just down stream of the filter housing and the inj pump, cranked engine and lots of fuel present. cracked a line to the injector and no fuel present. Next logical step is to bleed the pump. How do I go about doing that? thanks, Dean

 

[CDegner]

Loosen all the injector lines. Crank the engine for no more than 15-20 seconds. If fuel has started coming out, great ... tighten em up and you are ready to go. If not, let the starter set for a minute of two then do it again. Hopefully by then, fuel will be shooting out of those lines.



This is a simplified version of bleeding the injectors but it will give you an idea if your injection pump is working.



Carl

 

[dlefebvre]

Thanks CDegnar, will give it a try before work tomorrow afternoon



Dean

 

[dlefebvre]

Well, after pretty much exhausting all posibilities, we found my buddy's inj pump shot. We got a quote from a local shop of 1595 bucks canadian for a brand new( not rebuilt) pump. seems too cheap to me, but anyway. Does anyone have any insight why the pump calved after just 200000 km? Besides the normal causes of dirty fuel sysytem, water ,etc The truck was always well cared for, maintenance done at regular intervals. About the oil in the intercooler to intake tube- I'm still kind of foggy as to how this can happen- Bushwackr touched on it last night, maybe he can learn me some more



Thanks, Dean

 

[dpuckett]

Dean,



I've heard of VEs going south while still under warranty; others, like mine, have 250K+ miles, and still strong. REgular fuel filter changes, along with good quality fuel from a reputable, high volume source, will help the longevity of it. ALso, an additive to help lubricity cant hurt, either. If there was rusty stuff floating around in the filter, then it had been a WHILE since the last change. I think the manual gives too long an interval for filter chnages- I change my fuel filter every 7500-8000 miles, which converts to 11000-12000 km or so. Can buy a lot of filters for the price of a new pump.



Daniel

 

[skobylenski]

Fuel filter

About 3 weeks ago I was coming back from Darien, CT after bringing horses to a show, and coming up I91 in Vt, my beast started to die going uphill. It was only when I needed the extra fuel to go to the engine that it lost power. I took the fuel filter off, and replaced it. WOW!!! It was like night and day the difference. I took a hacksaw to the old filter, and again WOW!!! It's amazing the engine evne ran there was so much crap in the bottom, and the pleats were almost solid, not like the paper they are supposed to be :--) :--) :--) I couldn't believe what I was looking at when I pulled the filter element out and looked in the bottom of the can. If you haven't, try replacing the filter, that's my $. 02.

 

[cerberusiam]

One of the short comings of the VE pump is sensitivity to fuel contamination that leads to pump failure. All of the pump builders I have dealt with stated that fuel contamination will void any expectations long life and it doesn't take much to do it. Since the fuel pump is lubed by the fuel it is easy to see why changing fuel filters frequently, using clean fuel, and a good additive is a must to keep the pumps in good shape.



As to why it didn't last longer, 200k is probably at the limit of what the mechanical pieces can take. The VE pump use a cam plate with rolles to inject the fuel. There are 2 springs that return the cam plate for the start of the next inection cycle. Given that there is no contamination and good lubrication, the load and wear on the rollers and springs is fairly high anyway. A proposed "rule of thumb" is a spring retrofit every 100 to 120k to keep the pump performing where it should. That doesn't mean a complete rebuild but a tuneup of sorts.



Look at the bright side, if it was a Ford of the same age you would be looking the third pump instead of the second. Considering what could have been neglected over its lifetime, the mileage is probably pretty good.



BTW, Piers diesel lists a VE pump at about $2300 canadian. Maybe they have done some additional work tp their pumps?