SnowDrift
Ultra Conservative. ULTRA!
This is a quick summary of the troubles I had and the final resolution on my 95 6.5.
Back when Katrina hit, the IRS lifted the ban on off road fuel as long as taxes were paid on the fuel. We loaded up a few hundred gallons and left for the south to try to help out. Hauling a livestock trailer full of our gear, the truck ran perfectly. Once back home, we had a bit of red fuel left and I stored it in a 5 gallon container. I forgot about it and decided to use it quite some time later (Jan. or Feb. of '07). After that time, my truck started to have a slight stumble on rare occasion. I'd really have to pay attention to notice it at first.
Since I have another vehicle as my sacrificial anode, my truck doesn't see much road in the winter. Throughout the next summer, I drove it on occasion and I went through a spell of dying. Just driving down the road, it died as if someone shut off the key. This went on for a few weeks and I ended up taking it to the local dealer to have it diagnosed. Beforehand, I tried two separate accelerator pedals and that changed nothing. In the diagnosis, I was told the AP was bad and needed to be changed out to the tune of $350 for the part and 1 hour labor. In a nutshell, I told them they were not going to convinc me the pedal was bad because of the previous two I tried. I went to the parts counter and ordered an ignition switch. I installed it the following weekend and it fixed the stalling issue.
The stumble was still present, though. After a year of stumbling, it was getting worse and I was getting tired of it. I had tried "everything" and it still didn't fix the issue. The fuel pressure has been low (3psi @ idle and drops to 0 psi @ light acceleration) since the day I got the truck. The thing is, though, that the truck has ran like a TOP since day one, even with low pressure. I could gross +31,000 lbs., asking it for its life and it didn't offer to give up.
I replaced the inlet fuel valve, optic filter, fuel filter and so on. Finally, I decided to drop the fuel tank to check the sock for a second time. It was clean and the tank was clean.
A good friend gave me a new (almost new) injection pump and I was planning to cannibalize it, but ended up leaving it mostly intact. I made an appointment at a place in Fredericktown, Ohio on the suggestion from a friend. The following Monday, I took my truck in and the tech. had about 2 1/2 hours doing all the same tests I had already done, for the most part. The thing is, though, that on the way to their shop that day, the truck started not wanting to idle and I could barely make speed. I double footed it to the fuel station, and then for an additional half hour or so to his shop.
At the shop, the engine wouldn't idle on its own and it was revving up and down. The tech showed that it was going from 8mm of fuel to 40mm of fuel and repeating the cycle over and over. (side note: he said with the fuel changing like that, it should have been bellowing black smoke, but it was not smoking at all. The exhaust was basicaly as clean as normal) They ended up checking the IP and found the metering valve was cracked. The pump tech. guy said he had only ever seen two cracked like this and both happened to be the same week.
They tested the loose pump I brought to them and they found it to be what they thought was only a 200-300 mile old pump to the tune that it was nearly new looking inside. I asked them to set the TDC offset to something close to -1.94 and they got it to -1.85, which I was ok with. I had diagnostic time and flat rate for removing and replacing the IP and it was somewhere to the tune of just over $620 and a gift card to the best local steak house we have in town to the friend that gave me the pump.
I've logged about 200 miles so far on the new pump and have had no stumble at all.
I know I said thanks before, but thanks again to all those that tried to help and did help out with advice. I know there were lots of details I left out, but if anyone has questions, I'd be more than pleased to answer anything I can if it will help someone out.
Back when Katrina hit, the IRS lifted the ban on off road fuel as long as taxes were paid on the fuel. We loaded up a few hundred gallons and left for the south to try to help out. Hauling a livestock trailer full of our gear, the truck ran perfectly. Once back home, we had a bit of red fuel left and I stored it in a 5 gallon container. I forgot about it and decided to use it quite some time later (Jan. or Feb. of '07). After that time, my truck started to have a slight stumble on rare occasion. I'd really have to pay attention to notice it at first.
Since I have another vehicle as my sacrificial anode, my truck doesn't see much road in the winter. Throughout the next summer, I drove it on occasion and I went through a spell of dying. Just driving down the road, it died as if someone shut off the key. This went on for a few weeks and I ended up taking it to the local dealer to have it diagnosed. Beforehand, I tried two separate accelerator pedals and that changed nothing. In the diagnosis, I was told the AP was bad and needed to be changed out to the tune of $350 for the part and 1 hour labor. In a nutshell, I told them they were not going to convinc me the pedal was bad because of the previous two I tried. I went to the parts counter and ordered an ignition switch. I installed it the following weekend and it fixed the stalling issue.
The stumble was still present, though. After a year of stumbling, it was getting worse and I was getting tired of it. I had tried "everything" and it still didn't fix the issue. The fuel pressure has been low (3psi @ idle and drops to 0 psi @ light acceleration) since the day I got the truck. The thing is, though, that the truck has ran like a TOP since day one, even with low pressure. I could gross +31,000 lbs., asking it for its life and it didn't offer to give up.
I replaced the inlet fuel valve, optic filter, fuel filter and so on. Finally, I decided to drop the fuel tank to check the sock for a second time. It was clean and the tank was clean.
A good friend gave me a new (almost new) injection pump and I was planning to cannibalize it, but ended up leaving it mostly intact. I made an appointment at a place in Fredericktown, Ohio on the suggestion from a friend. The following Monday, I took my truck in and the tech. had about 2 1/2 hours doing all the same tests I had already done, for the most part. The thing is, though, that on the way to their shop that day, the truck started not wanting to idle and I could barely make speed. I double footed it to the fuel station, and then for an additional half hour or so to his shop.
At the shop, the engine wouldn't idle on its own and it was revving up and down. The tech showed that it was going from 8mm of fuel to 40mm of fuel and repeating the cycle over and over. (side note: he said with the fuel changing like that, it should have been bellowing black smoke, but it was not smoking at all. The exhaust was basicaly as clean as normal) They ended up checking the IP and found the metering valve was cracked. The pump tech. guy said he had only ever seen two cracked like this and both happened to be the same week.
They tested the loose pump I brought to them and they found it to be what they thought was only a 200-300 mile old pump to the tune that it was nearly new looking inside. I asked them to set the TDC offset to something close to -1.94 and they got it to -1.85, which I was ok with. I had diagnostic time and flat rate for removing and replacing the IP and it was somewhere to the tune of just over $620 and a gift card to the best local steak house we have in town to the friend that gave me the pump.
I've logged about 200 miles so far on the new pump and have had no stumble at all.
I know I said thanks before, but thanks again to all those that tried to help and did help out with advice. I know there were lots of details I left out, but if anyone has questions, I'd be more than pleased to answer anything I can if it will help someone out.
