Well I have a strange problem and I am wondering if I screwed something up. I have had a hard start condition for the past 2 weeks or so(around the same time I first started screwing with my liftpumps) It takes awhile of cranking for it to start and it dosnt apear the liftpumps helped. It happened when I had my factory flex line in there and its happening with the liftpumps installed with the factorry flecline eliminated(like the nictane set up) It acts like its losing prime but I can leave my pumps running for a miute or so before i try to start it or I can shut it off with them running and its still hard to start(if I just shut it off and restart it starts almost as quick as it used to) he longer it sits the longer you have to crank. I am wondering if I nocked the vent lose or something like that going into the tank? I have no fuel leaks and i have felt around up top and can feel anything outa place but its hard to know whats going on with the tank mounted. Could dislodging something cause a problem? It runs fine other than the lotsa cranking. Snapon scanner shows inj pw ms at .3 to .5 it used to be consitently around .4 to.5 but thats still within specs. Thats at idle with it warmed up, at a 2k raside idle its all .3 IIRC

Any ideas on things to check? If I turn on the pump its squirting fuel out the bleeder.

TIA:confused:

Edit: I looked at my scanner with it in park. I assume thats right?

Is the OEM fuel filter clean, a lift pump plus the factory pump wont pass fuel through a clogged filter.

good luck

well I duno if its clean or not? has 4k on it......I have the extreme and the truck still runs like a raped ape.....

Might change the factory anyway just for grins, I'm sure i introduced some buggers into my fuel system when doing the lift pump install.

just relized I went about my checking procedure wrong.....will try again tonight with it in D.....

Might change the factory anyway just for grins, I'm sure i introduced some buggers into my fuel system when doing the lift pump install.

FYIO One of the fuel suppliers published an artical on foreign items (IE. steel slither from gas pump nozzels) entering the fuel tank, then being sucked up by the fuel pump passing through the fuel filter (because they are so sharp and small) and damaging the fuel injectors.

good luck

Going to change the factory this weekend. Actually planned on it anyway. Figure anything I induced by the LP install would be caught by then and the factory shouldnt be doing much work now and i can go onto longer intervals for it.

It started doing its funny buisness before I hooked up the whole set up. I pulled off the factory flex line, did some measuring and such and put it back in place. Hopefully I havent sent any filter destroying particles down stream:eek: Maybe a bit of aluminum(although i tried to be carefull) or some dirt boogers. I tried to be neat but i was under my truck and it wasnt exactly a "clean room" type envirnment. I'm hoping this is just something stupid I did and I'm not going to have to take it to the stealer:(

With a liftpump it will automaticly purge any air back through the return as soon as you hit the switch right? Could I be getting air in the factory fuel filter? Cracking the bleeder seems like nothing but lotsa fuel, no bubbles.

Have you ever thought that it could be injectors? If they are returning too much, it takes longer to build up full pressure in the fuel rail, causing a longer than normal crank, especially after sitting. Just a thought.

yes unfortunatly that what I am thinking......but I'm hoping I screwed something up that I can fix. :( :confused:

Edit: and I want to make sure its not something i screwed up before I take it in to em to fix. 35k, full warantee is getting close to being up. If they try to ding me for the 100$ deductable you can bet i will be a agitated MF

Since you said it was happening BEFORE you touched it, I say take it in.

I disconected the flex line between the tank and the QD behind the fuel cooler. Dont think it started acting flakey untill a day or 2 after that but I cant quite remember? It didnt do it before that though I am sure.

scanned it with a snapon scanner last night. all warmed up, let it idel for 30 second before I started the test. no accesories on. brake to the floor. in N and also in D. D raised the readings by maybe a tenth.

inj pw (mS) .5 for most of em ranged from .4 to.7 though for flickers but most of em were hanging in the .5 to.6

Anything else I should check or do with my scanner? Is it dealer time? :( Not in the mood to take off all my goodies but oh well. Gues it would be a good time to take my braket to a powder coater anyway. This sux :(

All it takes is 1 bad tank of fuel to clog a filter...................it sounds like you don't have a tight seal on one of your fuel lines and it is loosing prime........but if it happened a day or so before I am stumped.

I had a hard start losing prime feeling after I removed the stock flex line and replaced it. Still have it after I replaced the flex line with a liftpump set up.

If you turn on a liftpump and do not open the bleeder will it bleed itself via purging itself back through the bypass if the truck isnt on or cranking?

How do you diagnois a bad injector?

What other problems could casue a hard start yet no other driveability issues?

Help :( I would like to diagnosi this problem myself. Thanks guys. :)

Philip,
Are your batteries drawing down lower than normal when cranking. If the batteries are lower than normal it will be tougher to get rail pressure up when cranking which will cause a harder start. Even if it sounds like it's turning over good it sometimes isn't enough. New batteries made a night and day difference on my truck. This often shows up with the cooler weather.

If problem is with starting, your wasting your time looking at anything while its running. Hook the scanner up and watch actual fuel pressure with KOEO. It should be about 1.1-1.4 MPA or about 150psi at key on. Crank it up and it should jump right to 10.0 MPA or 4500 psi, thats what it takes to fire the beast. If it climbs slowly, and starts as fast, then you have an issue in the HP side. If it climbs right up and still dont want to fire right away, still could have issues, but you wont diag that with a scanner.

"Well I have a strange problem and I am wondering if I screwed something up. I have had a hard start condition for the past 2 weeks or so(around the same time I first started screwing with my liftpumps)"

I once had a similar problem in my shop where a fellow had installed a lift pump in his vehicle & it was difficult to start when cold (I don't mean literally).
The way he wired the pump, it seems it would lose power when the starter was operating (many things do), we simply rewired it to recieve constant power with the key on & the trouble was gone (although someday I'll start hooking them up right, with a crank/run relay which will operate in run, only when a tach signal is present. It's much safer that way)
just a thought though.

Cranking speed *seems* fine, also I can crank alot. Wired to the battery. I have it wired on a switch and can have it run for quite awhile and no real difference in starting. I plan on hooking it up in a way you describe in stead of a switch triggering the relay. Also was hard to start with no liftpump.

Will try Erics suggestion Thank you.

You said there was no problem starting up shortly after shut down, well, leaking injector(s) will cause a hard start (lots of cranking) after sitting for a while (but it couldn't be that! no way, we all know how reliable these Bosch injectors are-LOL).
Also, don't forget about the glow plugs & their circuit. They're still needed when the engines cold.
Good luck with it.

UPDATE

It was the injectors. I drove up to MI and Eric fixed her up.