upgraded! 6.5 chev to 7.3 ford
 

Long time no see folks.

my 6.5 "dreams" were dashed when it was hit while parked by a drunk driver in Saskatoon SK.
when it was written off, I bought a 1990 318 ram to get me by, and it was a damn fine truck for 800 bucks.
but, within 5 months of owning it, I realized I was continually overloading the thing, and 2wd wasn't cuttin it.
So when someone backed into me at a gas station and pushed the box panel in 5 inches, I was looking forward to getting some form of 3/4 ton.

Found a 94 7.3 powerstroke with 140,000 miles on it, 5 spd supercab longbox, for 4 grand.
gave him 2500 bucks and drove it home.

both front driveshaft U joints, front axle U joints and bearings, a steering column (he managed to somehow bust it all to shit, I have no idea how) later, and all thats left is a fuel leak.
truck has a fuel heater, dunno if they came with one stock or not (forgive me, I know a bit about the 6.5 I had, I know old dodges, and I kinda, ish, know a little about cummins mills. the ford diesels I don't know jack fuck all about) but it'd seem it's coming from there.

only issue is that the leak is WAY worse in town than on the highway, which kinda makes me think it'd be in the return circuit. but I don't know if the return circuit goes back through the fuel heater again or not.

I'm kinda grasping at straws and it's costing me a fortune to run this truck right now (easily the front tank every 4 days, and I don't put too too many miles on).

If it is in the fuel return circuit like I think, where does a guy start lookin?

Is there any fuel in the valley of the engine?

oh yes. I've looked into it a bit myself the past couple days, and asked a couple of friends who own/run/work on 7.3s, and the consensus is to pull off the fuel bowl and check the hoses under/around it. I'll have to pull off the fuel heater and fuel bowl and check out things in there, but my guess is that the return line on the fuel bowl is leaking.

I just don't wanna do it at home, in my non heated shop, in the middle of a canadian winter.

also, chock up one more thing on the list, a fuckin block heater! tested mine, it's dead.