LB7: Can't get it to start.

PJank

New member
Jul 26, 2019
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Beach Park IL.
Ran out of fuel on a busy highway in a lane of traffic. Cars speeding by dangerously close I needed to get to a side road so I took a bottle of Howe's lubricant I was carrying and put it in the tank. Got it running and off the busy road to safety before it died again. Help came and we put 5 gal in, it started and ran for maybe 10 seconds before dying again. I was close to home so a friend came and pulled me home. Filled the tank, changed the fuel filter and been trying to prime it for a couple of days now but it will not fire up. My questions are: Is the Howe's in the system keeping it from running? Had a Cummins before, do i need to crack open the fuel lines to bleed the air and or Howe's out like on the Cummins? Finally did I screw something up with the additive and what would it be? I'd deeply appreciate any help I can get. Thank you
 

Chevy1925

don't know sh!t about IFS
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Oct 21, 2009
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lubricity adders are not a replacment for fuel. i would suggest you drain all the fuel lines, fuel rails, hard lines, cp3, put another fuel filter on and then suck in fresh diesel fuel from the tank or a 5 gal jug, then go from there. it will take a good bit of cranking to get rid of all the air in the system after that point.

cross your fingers you didnt just lunch your fuel system (doubt it but who knows)
 

PJank

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Jul 26, 2019
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Beach Park IL.
lb7 no start

can anyone direct me to, or suggest a procedure for clearing the fuel system? Do i have to get at the lines that feed the injectors on the rails or is there an easier way?
 

Ron Nielson

Active member
Oct 11, 2009
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Berryton, KS
I would pull the fuel filter and fill it (or a new filter) with fuel and see if you can't get it to start. And/Or disconnect the fuel line at the drivers side near the master cylinder and put fuel in a container (look for posts or you tube videos talking about using fuel system cleaner). If you can get it to run a few minutes, it just might dilute the Howes in your tank enough to get you to more fresh fuel.

In your situation at the roadside, there's only so much you can do, and getting to safety is job#1. Everything else is way behind that. Of course, stopping for fuel a little sooner would have been much easier.
 

PJank

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Jul 26, 2019
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Beach Park IL.
LB7 no start

Yeh, the computers estimated miles left got me, so inaccurate.
Did fill the tank, changed the filter, and got it primed up to the filter head. Still no good.
My question is: If I crack open the lines at the ends of the fuel rail and pump the bleeder will that push fuel through? or crank it till fresh fuel comes out will that be enough?
 

2004LB7

Well-known member
Dec 15, 2010
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You won't get any fuel to come out of the rail from pumping the primer. You will need to crank the engine over to get the rails clean

Try giving it some WD-40 as starter fluid to see if you can get it started, then it should purge the cleaner on its own. I've never had good luck with WD-40 as starter fluid but many have
 

gmduramax

Shits broke
Jun 12, 2008
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Nor cal
You won't get any fuel to come out of the rail from pumping the primer. You will need to crank the engine over to get the rails clean

Try giving it some WD-40 as starter fluid to see if you can get it started, then it should purge the cleaner on its own. I've never had good luck with WD-40 as starter fluid but many have

No. Do not use starting fluid.
 

PJank

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Jul 26, 2019
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Beach Park IL.
LB7 no start

Disconnected the fuel return line, hooked up hose (per Hotrodders suggestion, thanx) and periodically cranking the motor. Pure yellow (Howe's) is all I'm getting for now but it seems to be purging the system. Like was mentioned, the primer does nothing about pushing the fuel through. Slow process but should have a clean fuel system if I didn't trash anything.
At least I'm getting more familiar with the fuel system, a lot different then the Cummins.
 

Chevy1925

don't know sh!t about IFS
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Oct 21, 2009
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Do not use starting fluid / ether on a glow plug engine. Good way to kill it. Unless you know how much and what to disconnect, it’s best you take this thing to a shop where it can be properly worked on.

You need to get the crap out of the lines so you can get fuel in there. Youre going to kill batteries cranking this thing trying to run out the junk. Again, hopefully you are not killing the fuel system as you keep trying to crank it over. That stuff is meant to see the fuel system in a small percentage
 

gmduramax

Shits broke
Jun 12, 2008
4,045
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Nor cal
Thats why I said WD-40

You don’t want anything combustible going into the engine. If the glow plugs ignite whatever you spray in, it’ll bend the pushrods best case scenario. I don’t think wd-40 is even combustible :confused: so why would we spray that in.
 

2004LB7

Well-known member
Dec 15, 2010
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It's because I've read of others successfully using it. It is supposedly a "soft" combustion so no damage can occur. Personally I've never had luck with it so I don't know how well it really works

I have used a tea spoon of gasoline in the intake and it worked beautiful. Sounds like a gas engine with no knocking but dont really want to recommend it for others
 

Mikey52

Active member
Sep 20, 2018
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I’ve used wd-40 on a 6.2 to bleed injectors. It works pretty good there. Doesn’t explode like starting fluid.
 

Chevy1925

don't know sh!t about IFS
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Oct 21, 2009
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Let’s put it like this.

If it’s not starting on it’s own, fixing the issue would be a much better solution than trying to spray anything down the intake to get it to run. It’s not like this is a gas engine and you are quickly trying to find if it’s a fuel or spark issue. If a diesel ain’t running, either that engine is toast, there is a severe choke on the air side or it ain’t got fuel to burn.

Throwing another fuel source down the intake won’t help him get that junk out
 

TheBac

Why do I keep doing this?
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Apr 19, 2008
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Oh hell, go ahead and spray ether down the intake. ;) Just make sure to have a camera recording it so we can all share in the fun of the results. :rofl:
 

PJank

New member
Jul 26, 2019
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Beach Park IL.
LB7 no start

Took the advice of Chevy1925 to get that crap out of there. Decided it was a good time to change the coolant and thermostats so I took the top of the engine down a bit and while there made sure the diesel had gotten to the cp3. Then I cracked open the lines on the rails furthest from the supply line and made sure I was getting fuel there. Now its a matter of getting the Howe's and air the rest of the way out. Got about at least a third of the stuff out judging from my catch basin. Any other suggestions would be appreciated.
 

PJank

New member
Jul 26, 2019
11
0
0
Beach Park IL.
lb7 no start

Update: Got the additive out still no start. Have the fuel return line off and a hose connected to the pipe. The hose goes to a pan where I was monitoring what was coming out, the hose end is covered by fluid. When I pump the primer button I'm not only getting fluid coming into the pan but also some bubbles. I was told pumping the primer would not cause fluid to go through the system only cranking the engine would. Regardless it would seem that it's sucking in air from someplace because every time I try to prime I get bubbles. The primer does not hold pressure for more than 30 seconds or so either.
Also, thinking back, my low fuel warning just came on when it quit beginning to wonder if something just failed.
Could use some direction, suggestions would be appreciated.
Thanks in advance
 

ZeroGravity58

Well-known member
Mar 23, 2008
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You need to put a scanner on it and check desired vs actual rail pressure when cranking. If you not building 3-4k it's not going to start. If it's not building rail pressure you need to figure out what is returning to much fuel, the injectors or the cp3. It sounds like you may have trashed the cp3