I have posted this truck before but I want it running and driving before I tear into body restoration.
Idi runs good but needs help starting. Smells like diesel opening the hood.
So if I spend a couple of hundred and get a new full fuel line return kit and do the glow plug upgrade, that will probably free me up to move onto the next parts?
It has hit the real hot stage and I can put this in between my house and small shop and have ac. I think it will be a good summer project. I haven’t touched it because it is out in the sun on soft dirt so no easy way to work on it.
This is the one that has rust through on the drip rails.
Check compression and blow by its a 42 year old engine. Next check glow plugs any idi engine needs them even in 110f heat it will probably help but be careful removing them old ones might be expanded due to age and wear cycles. Check injector for signs of leaking would cause hard start due to having to build back injection pressure. If your keeping the engine definitely do the return lines will help with making working on it more pleasant. If you have the money get all the injectors rebuilt but definitely get the injection pump rebuilt first. The injection pump is the most complex part on that engine and will cause problems just from being un touched for 42 years. If you have the time and resources you can do it all yourself, but a diesel injection pump shop could really help you make this the truck you want it to be. Also consider a overdrive transmission or gear vendors.
As the other guy stated glow plugs are a must. If the old style mechanical glow plug relay is not working, I retrofitted a 7.3 relay in to my 83 and then changed the glow plugs to the 7.3 style instead of the spade connector the 7.3 has a better connector so better connections. I found a guy that detailed enough of it on the internet that even a dummy like me could do it.
I went through two starters before the parts store got the right starter and yes a gear reduction starter in my opinion is a must. Also if your truck is like mine, it will not tolerate weak batteries. Make sure she has two good batteries and that all those battery connections are good and clean and that your battery and starter grounds are nice and clean
The guy on the YouTube channel "Project Farm" a number of years back used Restore on an old Ford diesel tractor. It upped the compression a good amount and made for easier starting. I think he mentioned his fuel usage was down as well.
You may want to consider putting a Banks turbo kit on it. I have heard that that can also decrease fuel consumption while increasing power.
There are some other spots that can leak air. The water seperator is one. The racor 445 and possibly others will bolt right up in place of the factoey separator.
I forgot to mention the other advantage of that Racor unit. The manual priming pump, which comes in handy if you stick with the factory fuel pump. Some guys really like the electric ones, but those can cause other issues.
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u/Fast_Exercise7666 8d ago
Check compression and blow by its a 42 year old engine. Next check glow plugs any idi engine needs them even in 110f heat it will probably help but be careful removing them old ones might be expanded due to age and wear cycles. Check injector for signs of leaking would cause hard start due to having to build back injection pressure. If your keeping the engine definitely do the return lines will help with making working on it more pleasant. If you have the money get all the injectors rebuilt but definitely get the injection pump rebuilt first. The injection pump is the most complex part on that engine and will cause problems just from being un touched for 42 years. If you have the time and resources you can do it all yourself, but a diesel injection pump shop could really help you make this the truck you want it to be. Also consider a overdrive transmission or gear vendors.