My '91 ford E-350 Econoline Diesel 7.3 L V-8 is starting hard. When engine is cold (not-run-for-over-eight-hours) it starts up right away,
BUT ONLY RUNS FOR 3 SECONDS AND STALLS.
It can’t be the glo-plugs, because it does start right up on the first try. But after it stalls that first try, I have to crank for about 45 to 50 seconds before it will start. Lots of blue smoke after it starts, so I might have some oil slipping by the valve-guides.
But, that shouldn’t matter on a diesel,right?
And the strange thing is after it does start, it runs just fine.
. . . And always a quick start for the rest of the day if the time-factor is less that five or six hours. (?)
This starting problem never happens
unless the van has been sitting over night for longer than 8 hours !
Am I right with the belief that a diesel doesn’t need eight good glow-plugs to stay running?
_______ any guesses ?
The advice so far is to “swap-out the crank and cam sensors”
. . .what do think. . . and my Mickey-mouse-van book doesn’t show the crank & cam sensors, so if you agree, where are they?
What’s the cost? Much $
It’s 20 years old…The mileage is??? When diesels get old and tired, they lose compression and without adequate compression they can not run…The injection pumps get tired too…
Yes, it’s old . . . but 120 K on a Diesel is NOTHING !
PLEASE re-read my statement above:
“It runs just-fine the rest of the day, no problem starting” ! !
Do you have an opinion on the “crank & cam” sensors?
Are you a Ford Diesel Mechanic?
If it has adequate compression and fuel delivery it will start and run…
“Lots of blue smoke after it starts, so I might have some oil slipping by the valve-guides.”
“Yes, it’s old . . . but 120 K on a Diesel is NOTHING !”
Then why does it smoke??
The problem might be from leaking injectors.
As the vehicle sits for an extended period of time the injectors may be leaking diesel fuel into the cylinders. This then allows the fuel pressure to bleed off on the pressure side of the injector pump. Then when the engine is started the smoke you see isn’t oil burning but instead unburned diesel fuel which can look like burning oil. The reason the engine starts for three seconds and stalls is because the engine is burning off the excess diesel fuel in the cylinders thus the smoke, but the injector pump hasn’t restored the proper fuel pressure to the injectors to keep the engine running.
Tester
TO “TESTER”
Aha-haa, I like your answer better than “Caddyman” above. . .
I was thinking (extra) diesel fuel would be grayish-white
smoke. . . and the blue smoke would be oil.
-Thanks !
This blue smoke phenomenon is just a recent thing, and of course
it does only happen on the first start of the day (e.g. that long 30
second or so ‘crank’ to clear out the cylinders) . . . all makes sense now.
I just re-checked the odometer reading and I have 107K on the van,
so it does make me feel better, that I’m not due for valve-guides.
So when you said:
"As the vehicle sits for an extended period of time the injectors
may be leaking diesel fuel into the cylinders. . ."
Would sitting just overnight for 12 hrs be a long enough sit for the this problem to occur?
That’s only how long it has to sit for this problem.(?)
IF YES, WOULD YOU SAY THE FIRST THING TO DO NEXT IS
TO HAVE THE “INJECTOR PUMP” TESTED? . . .
(or) What ?
PS: I don’t want to over heat the Starter-motor, so should I
"crank" for 15 seconds, and wait a minute or so and "crank"
again, until the fuel is dumped into the exhaust manifold ?
On the fuel filter head there is a return line (5/16", I think). The barbed fitting the hose attaches to is actually a check valve. The rubber inside the check valve deteriorates and the valve no longer works and a bubble of air forms at the filter head…very common problem which few seem to know about. It takes a few seconds for this bubble to make its way to the injection pump. The Ford part # is(or was) E9TZ-9K061-A. Good luck.