PSA: Check your injector return lines before you start pulling the head off a 7.3

I was out on a farm near Lubbock last Tuesday with a Powerstroke that wouldn't start. Got a fuel pressure reading of zero at the bowl, so I figured the HPOP was toast. Pulled the valve covers, tested everything, even started pulling the passenger head bolts. Then I noticed a tiny wet spot on the back of the #4 injector where the return line was split. Fixed it for $12 in fuel line and it fired right up. Has anyone else spent half a day chasing a problem that turned out to be something simple?

2 comments

2 Comments

cole_hall3d ago

Oh man, I've done that exact thing. Last year I spent a whole Saturday chasing a no-start on mine and it ended up being a cracked fuel line at the filter housing. Swapped it out in ten minutes and felt like an idiot.

lee6273d ago

Keep an eye on your alternator too, @cole_hall. I had a similar wild goose chase with an intermittent no-start that turned out to be the alternator diode pack failing and bleeding voltage into the system when it got hot. Would start fine cold, then after a long drive it'd just click. Replaced the alternator on a hunch and it solved the problem completely. Sometimes a dying alternator can do weird things that look like a fuel or starter issue, it's worth checking before you tear your hair out.