Going to buy Ford f 350 7.3 international diesel. Owner said he backed into parking space, smelled fuel, and saw that rubber lines leaking. Replaced lines, and truck will not start. He never bleed fuel system and need help in trouble shooting and in what order. Truck is spotless. No dents dings or rust. New tires to include spare. Only 100.000 miles. $2000. Good price?

you answered your own question with # 1
the fuel leak is doing opposite when starting it is sucking
air . i had the same problem on mine,
it also let the fuel drain back to the tank that then
takes forever to reprime itself
hope this helps

You may have a leaking fuel pressure regulator.
A Fuel Pressure Regulator is a simple mechanical device that holds constant fuel pressure or relieves excess fuel pressure by way of the pressure compressing an internal spring and opening an orifice back to the fuel pump.
Normally it is mounted on top of or near the TBI (injection) throttle bodies, on top of the injector, but if it's not visible there you will need to check a shop manual of follow the fuel line visually.

If it is mounted on the motor (not under the intake cover) you can remove a rubber hose and see if there's gas in the hose. If there is, the regulator has failed. The hose is only supposed to have air in it at all times.

A bad fuel regulator can allow gas to leak onto the ground or actually leak into the motor where it fouls the plugs.

I am having the exact same problem with my 06' F-250. Does anyone have any suggestions? [email protected]

Check door rubber seal for damage / wear.

To test exhaust simply place a flexible object over exhaust pipe to seal it. If no leaks it should blow it off.

White smoke is usually caused by a coolant leak into the motor.
You may have a blown head gasket.

Have your valve clearance checked for that noise. As well as the diesel smell, fuel lines must be checked for
leaks. If your car is emitting heavy smoke, and it seems to loose power going uphill, your engine must
be due for overhauling. However, if your problem is just
knocking and diesel smell, valve clearance adjustment
and fuel line check up will correct the problem.

my tdi beetle does the same thing. i have talked to mechanics at an import shop near where i live and they tell me that the wiring harness to the glow plugs can develop more resistance than the engine computer likes and it will set a code and turn the light on. maybe since you have a newer one (mine's a 99) you can buy one that just plugs in. in my car i have to cut wires and solder so haven't gotten around to it yet. you are going to have some oil smell with a diesel, i suppose you know that, so it must be stronger than it used to be. check the fittings around the fuel filter, if they have a slow leak you will get an odor. i had a leak once at the fuel line at the bottom of the engine compartment. had to remove the line and replace a seal, if you are having that you can find it pretty easy. just put some clean cardboard under the engine when you park the car and then look at it the next day. if you find some spots you want to look at what and where. of course diesel fuel is oil but it looks a little different than engine oil. if you have a fuel leak higher up it will likely burn off on the hot block, could be the source of your smell. hope that helps

CHECK THE TORQUE ON THE FUEL FILTER CAP ON THE TOP OF THE ENGINE. SEE IF THE RUBBER O-RING IS INTACT. IF THAT CHECKS OUT THEN LOOK AT THE FUEL LINE GOING TO THE BOTTOM OF THE BOWL AT THE FILTER BASE. HOPE THIS HELPS. KEEP ME POSTED PLEASE. THANKS FOR USING FIX-YA. AND THANK YOU IN ADVANCE FOR AN HONEST RATING. BEST OF LUCK.

Either valve stem seals are leaking or the turbo oil seal is leaking.

??? well you could start by parking it up and buying a smaller car that does more mpg,
i have found that to be quite effective