Will start only with a squirt of starting fluid. Runs great once started.

[7Dust]

My truck has sat for 5 years with infrequent starts. Gradually it would start and run only with the throttle idling the truck up.

i changed all fuel filters and they were full of sludge/ bacteria poop/ nastiest crap ever.

I pulled the tank and pump. Cleaned all with acetone and pressure washing with sewer snake until it rinsed clear.

I put fresh fuel in the tank, biocide, and sludge remover.

Now, truck will only start with ether but it settles into a regular idle and runs fine with good throttle response.

If I kill the truck and immediately try restart - no good. Need a squirt of ether and it will restart.

I have searched and I’ll take my lumps but I haven’t found the solution.

I have about a two inch squirt out of secondary filter bleed with the pump on.

if I remove the fuel cutoff cover and look at the rod, it is at 6o clock, I can push it rearward and it springs back immediately.

if I start the truck (with ether) the fuel rod does it’s thing and I can feel the governor - governing. I can easily kill the truck with my finger but I have to restart with ether or it only cranks - no sputtering, smoke, or intermittent firing. Only ether will coax it to life.

My truck fell into neglect because I broke my back two places and fractured my sternum in a car crash.

I promise to drive my truck more and quit ignoring it. I’m back though!

 

[7Dust]

I also wanted to say that truck runs really good on diesel once it starts (with ether).

im not running it on ether, just need it to get it started

 

[ToddJK]

I'm guessing it started fine without either before it was parked for 5 years? If so, sounds like the IP/injectors may need a good cleaning. Have you driven it or just had it running stationary? Transmission fluid is a great cleaner due to all the detergents it has, may be a good idea to run some of that in the fuel tank for a while and see if that cleans the rest of the system out. Drive the truck if possible good and hard a few times a week. If that doesn't help, I'd look into the injectors and start there. Lots of good threads on how to clean, rebuild, and test them as well as the fuel system if need be. Also, check the nuts that go into and from the secondary and final fuel filters, Tactical Repair just had a video about that, some but not all trucks have a nut on there that has a small pin hole instead of being open as the ID of the fuel line and this little hole can get clogged up with gunk, making for rough running engines, lack of power, and even hard starts.

 

[ToddJK]

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[Mullaney]

I also wanted to say that truck runs really good on diesel once it starts (with ether).

im not running it on ether, just need it to get it started

.
I have to agree with @ToddJK . It might be that some cleaner through the injector system would help solve your starting problems. Maybe seven some SeaFoam. Several hours of run time like that might get you back to "cranking right".

 

[G744]

Several guys out here run straight ATF, as they get it used from transmission shops.

Not a thing wrong with that.

 

[ToddJK]

Several guys out here run straight ATF, as they get it used from transmission shops.

Not a thing wrong with that.

I wish I could, ATF is actually a great fuel to run on after filtered.

 

[GopherHill]

Ford 6.9 and 7.3 IDI diesels run great ATF. Cummins 5.9s do as well.

 

[jeffhuey1n]

Several guys out here run straight ATF, as they get it used from transmission shops.

Not a thing wrong with that.

So are they running straight ATF? Or are they mixing it with something else? When I bought my M52A2, unbeknownst to me, the tanks were full of unfiltered used motor oil. The truck started, ran, drove and shutdown normally. I’m still finding crud in my fuel lines and tank.

 

[7Dust]

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I pulled the inlet tube from primary filter to get a peek. It had traces of the crud that was in the tank- but it doesn’t have the small orafice that was in the video.

I put more sludge remover in the fuel. From my experience cleaning the tank, nothing affected the sludge except acetone - and even that wouldn’t get ALL of it out.

I don’t want to run acetone in any amount through the fuel system.

What I cannot figure out is why the truck idles and revs so good - once it’s started on ether.

 

[7Dust]

If I had to GUESS at this point it’s that my fuel pump is pumping but not enough? When I removed it, it was encrusted in sludge. I had to soak it in acetone to free it. It was a Parker red to pump. If it had any plastic seals inside, they could have been compromised? I see a fountain of fuel at the secondary filters bleed but maybe should be more?

is there easy way to verify pressure?

I do not see a source of $75 Parker pumps anymore and only $500 pumps for sale. It is very pricey for a maybe.

Question: should truck be able to start with a weak pump if it is killed and restart is attempted immediately?

OR am I barking up wrong skin the cat?

 

[7Dust]

I do have a small fuel leak. I would take it apart but it’s safety wired! I am seeing seepage here - looks like on fuel pump electrical connector? Weird.

it has new tank gasket but not where it’s leaking. I’m guessing my pressure washing could have damaged it.

not sure if this is part of my no-ether, no-start prob.

 

[7Dust]

I do have a small fuel leak. I would take it apart but it’s safety wired! I am seeing seepage here - looks like on fuel pump electrical connector? Weird.

it has new tank gasket but not where it’s leaking. I’m guessing my pressure washing could have damaged it.

not sure if this is part of my no-ether, no-start prob.

 

[ToddJK]

If I had to GUESS at this point it’s that my fuel pump is pumping but not enough? When I removed it, it was encrusted in sludge. I had to soak it in acetone to free it. It was a Parker red to pump. If it had any plastic seals inside, they could have been compromised? I see a fountain of fuel at the secondary filters bleed but maybe should be more?

is there easy way to verify pressure?

I do not see a source of $75 Parker pumps anymore and only $500 pumps for sale. It is very pricey for a maybe.

Question: should truck be able to start with a weak pump if it is killed and restart is attempted immediately?

OR am I barking up wrong skin the cat?

The truck will start and run fine without the intake pump, it'll lack power and may have occasional hard starts but the IP does all the work in that case.
I'd still run some transmission fluid in it and run it for while. With the truck running and driving, that fuel is constantly shaking around and flowing through everything kind of acting like a makeshift ultrasonic cleaner. Only way to more thoroughly clean everything is by taking it apart and cleaning it by hand or letting parts soak for long period of time. The plus side to trans fluid, it won't eat or destroy any seals or gaskets like harsh cleaners can.

 

[G744]

According to those that know more than I do about Diesels, an engine will not run on straight ether. It will knock & bang, but that's all.

An engine that requires it to start in normal air temps usually has a worn fuel pump. Not the pressure pump, but the one that fires the injectors.

The test is to pull the injectors, reconnect the input lines so they point away from the engine, and crank. They should "pop" with a visually fine & robust spray. All 6 should produce the same spray.

If not, they are getting too small an amount of fuel. See if it can be repaired or adjusted to deliver more fuel.

If not, it's time to rebuild or replace your pump.

 

[7Dust]

The injection pump was a NOS unit installed shortly before truck was parked.

What about the booster pump? Id check that- if I knew it existed before 10 minutes ago, where ut is, and where to get a new one?

i took this thing around the block and it runs great! It’s just a pain to get started.

 

[87cr250r]

What is the condition of your batteries? I used to get this on the early common rail John Deere engines. The pump wouldn't make enough pressure to start at normal cranking speeds. Jumper cables gave enough of a speed boost to get the engine started and it would continue to run normally afterwards. It was usually a week or so before we ended up replacing the injection pump.

 

[G744]

The pressure pump is in the fuel tank. It runs whenever the ignition is on. It has a fuse under a cover on top of the flange, make sure to check that fuse.

Another thing that happens is the internal rotor bottom comes loose and falls off. That requires pump removal. Easy enough, just disconnect the electric cable, the fuel line, unscrew a few screws, and it lifts out of the tank.

When it works right, it can prime all the filters and I-pump by opening the bleed screws and wait for flow to show.

 

[jeffhuey1n]

I’ve got no way of verifying if this is an issue but what type of cold weather start aid is installed? I’ve got trucks with two types. The first is the easy one, an ether start canister. I’d have to read the book on its characteristics but I don’t think it’d be an issue. If you have the other type, the one that sits on top of the engine, has a type of spark plug in it. It’s actually part of the fuel system. Could some of that gack gotten into those lines? Might be worth checking out.

 

[KN6KXR]

Part of the pre start walk around checks is to turn the ignition on and open the bleed screw on the first filter to drain off any crap in the system. If you're pump failed you'll know it when you do this. That's how I found mine went kaput.

Screw the $500 in tank replacement. Get a Walbro marine grade pump and mount it to the frame rail. Bit spendy for a fuel pump at $200 but a nice quality piece never is cheap. One thing I don't have to worry about on my truck.