Power Stroke bad fuel pump or bad diesel ?

[rdrose]

have two power stokes 1996 and 1997 both are eating fuel pumps. the 1996 is on its 3rd and the 97 in on its 5th!!

my question is there a difference in the off road diesel and the fuel at the pumps? these trucks are farm use only. and only run on off road fuel. one symptom is that it just starts to die and will not rev past low rpm. new pumps last 2-3 months. any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[COBRAJET]

The fuel pumps you are referring are rather simple and cheap items mounted on the frame rail. I have had three PSD's and never had a problem at all with them. They are simply an inline electric fuel pump. If you are referring to the HEUI I would have some serious problems believing 5 of them have gone out on one truck and three on another. They are very reliable... . CJ

 

[WyoJim]

rdrose... Is this off road diesel or heating oil? Heating oil does not have the additives to qualify it as diesel fuel.

 

[thepipe1]

Neither!

Bad motor!!!!!!!!!! <bg>

 

[Evan A. Beck]

Originally posted by COBRAJET

The fuel pumps you are referring are rather simple and cheap items mounted on the frame rail.

CJ, 1994. 5-1997 PSDs use a mechanical lift pump, mounted in the valley of the engine. It rides off a cam lobe. They went to the more reliable electric pump in 1998 on the E-Vans, and on the F-Series in early '99.



Rdrose,



PSDs are notorious for having a poor fuel system. I will bet the tanks on these trucks are full of debris, most likely sand and injector o-ring material. I have removed countless fuel filters only to find a canister full of grit. Usually, a failed lift pump accompanies the dirt. Remove your fuel fulter and check out the canister. You may need to remove the heating element to get a good look at the bottom of the canister. You will need a ultra-deep 7/8" socket to remove it. It uses left-hand threads, so be aware! If you see a bunch of crap in the canister, you will need to pull both tanks and clean them out. You will also need to remove the fuel filter canister, and thoroghly clean it too. Do not try to do it while it is in the truck, as contaminating the 'clean' side of the fuel system is too easy.



Also check the supply side of the fuel system... There could be a restricition causing the pump to work extra hard to suck the fuel. Also, check the fuel pressure regulator screen... Its in the fuel filter housing, on the top left. Remove the fuel filter, and you will see a small hole about 3/8" in diameter. Look in there and see if it is plugged. If it is plugged, it could be causing Too much restriction on the pressure side of the lift pump, thus resulting in pump failure. As for the off-road fuel, it should be ok. I see LOTS of PSDs in our shop, and many of them are running dyed diesel without any problems. Be sure you are not using standard heating oil, as it lacks the lubricity of regular diesel.



These mechanical pumps are made by Carter, and are very reliable. They usually last about 100,000-125,000 miles. Some do fail prematurely, but I have never had a truck eat 3 pumps, and certainly not 5.



Keep us posted, and PM me if you need more info!

 

[rdrose]

fuel pump

to answer some questions. fuel is not heat oil, the pumps are not electric but if there is a way to use an electric pump it would be nice to add for back-up. took one of the pumps apart last night diaphram had a hole in it. will check for debris in fuel system. thanks Evan for your response. i will check these things,really appreciate the info. if i have any question i will let you know.