For reference, this van had sit for over 4 years when I bought it due to the owner not wanting to pay $700(!) to replace the fuel pump. The tank had sit out without the pump in it for that time, and the fuel had pretty much turned to sludge. I found a clean tank, bought a fuel pump, and have been driving it since. It usually has a dead miss in the morning for about 5 miles of driving. If it doesn't clear up on the way to my shop, the next time I get in during the day it's smooth as glass. The SES code is always #3 missing, so I'm pretty certain it's the dreaded poppet sticking. Since this van is destined for a 5.7 of the same vintage (98), I don't really want to upgrade to the newer spider as I'll most certainly need to do the same on the 5.7 once it's in. I did the seafoam treatment, both down her throat and through the gas tank which didn't make any difference. The local Grease Monkey and Precision Tune wants $100 for a pressure cleaning, and of course that's not a guaranteed fix although it's a good bit towards a upgraded spider. So...........
Google turned up quite a few instances of folks using the BWD "Cleen" system to fix a sticking poppet. The smallest kit is $350 but has fittings for pretty much everything under the sun. I bought a can of cleaner ($10 CSF56) and ordered the can adapter from the kit ($25 CST600T) through Oreillys. I had a cheapo fuel injection pressure gauge at the shop with the correct fitting for the fuel rail. I dug through the junk around here and found a regulator off an old oiless air compressor to use as a valve. This was the only part I'm going to change because it was leaking immediately, but not bad enough to abort the mission. Being an air regulator, the chemicals probably attacked the rubber seals in it.
Here is the pressure gauge:
My "adapted" fuel injector cleaning system:
Attached to fuel rail:
This is what the can looks like. It wasn't on the shelf at Oreillys but they had it in the back:
I pulled the fuel pump relay, then let the pressure off and hooked up the can of cleaner. Took off gas cap in case tank had pressure in it. Open the regulator wide open, and started the engine. The van ran a LONG TIME on that can of cleaner. It ran long enough that at one point I shut the engine off to listen for the fuel pump running somehow. Your supposed to let it run until it dies on it's own, then let it set for 10 minutes to soak. At that point relieve what little pressure is left and remove the hose. Put the relay back in, and drive off into the sunset. I'll report back tomorrow if the miss is gone in the morning, but I can already tell it's idling smoother and revs a bit quicker. I don't remember what I paid for the fuel pressure gauge initially, but other than that I've got $35 in this system, and I'll be able to use it again on other vehicles.
Google turned up quite a few instances of folks using the BWD "Cleen" system to fix a sticking poppet. The smallest kit is $350 but has fittings for pretty much everything under the sun. I bought a can of cleaner ($10 CSF56) and ordered the can adapter from the kit ($25 CST600T) through Oreillys. I had a cheapo fuel injection pressure gauge at the shop with the correct fitting for the fuel rail. I dug through the junk around here and found a regulator off an old oiless air compressor to use as a valve. This was the only part I'm going to change because it was leaking immediately, but not bad enough to abort the mission. Being an air regulator, the chemicals probably attacked the rubber seals in it.
Here is the pressure gauge:
My "adapted" fuel injector cleaning system:
Attached to fuel rail:
This is what the can looks like. It wasn't on the shelf at Oreillys but they had it in the back:
I pulled the fuel pump relay, then let the pressure off and hooked up the can of cleaner. Took off gas cap in case tank had pressure in it. Open the regulator wide open, and started the engine. The van ran a LONG TIME on that can of cleaner. It ran long enough that at one point I shut the engine off to listen for the fuel pump running somehow. Your supposed to let it run until it dies on it's own, then let it set for 10 minutes to soak. At that point relieve what little pressure is left and remove the hose. Put the relay back in, and drive off into the sunset. I'll report back tomorrow if the miss is gone in the morning, but I can already tell it's idling smoother and revs a bit quicker. I don't remember what I paid for the fuel pressure gauge initially, but other than that I've got $35 in this system, and I'll be able to use it again on other vehicles.