Been fighting this truck for 2 months trying to get it started, ( damn diesel junk), anyway from what I can trace down it looks like the electric transfer pump is out. -- It is mounted under the cab, inside the frame rail, ( lovely place amonst the salt crap), and after some research I find it has the stupid "snap connectors" on the hoses going to it.--- well it takes a special tool to remove them, and I doubt that they will budge!--- Looks like a lot of dirt hanging under there like maybe small fuel leak ?
Tried to get a guy to fix it,---That was 2 weeks ago, never heard for him so I assume he don't want to mess with it either. I need some ideas of how to deal with these stupid fittings!-- I watched a video on changing one, but that guy had the special tool that I don't have and he didn't do a nasty pump. thanks ; sonny

the tool is cheep but the ford fitting can be hard to get lose

I tangled with the fittings on a 84 crown vic one time!--I said never again! lol!! I didn't check about getting a tool that fits the fittings, might have to break down and tear into it myself, since nobody else wants to do it for me.Thanks; sonny

Well ,I took off the thing under the cab, inside the frame like they said and looked up the part # AND--- well that stupid piece is only the tank switch valve!!---After more tracking, now they say it could be on right side just ahead of the starter,--NOT on this one!---next location possible was in tank!--- Not sure I want to empty the tank and try taking that sucker off!---Not a 1 man job and I have to work by myself.
Next idea they came up with was that it has a 2 stage mechanical pump in the valley UNDER the turbo. YA take turbo and pedestal off to change that sucker IF its the problem child!---Mine looks like a single stage pump.--- anyway I am getting no where on this POS! thanks; sonny

The problem is circled on the Grill. just sayin

Actually the main problem is that morph. 7.3 POS diesel that Ford put in there!---Truck itself is decent. -- I used to be all GM trucks, but they got scarce and out of my price range, so I ended up with Fords. Had some really good ones over the years, all gas models. This is the first (and last), diesel of any brand for me!--Turned down a great deal on a Chevy 1- ton just because it too was diesel. Don't think they are any better than 7.3 either.

Well,--- Finally got the truck started. ---there are NO electric fuel pumps anywhere on this model year, ( 97), and they use a 2- stage mechanical pump on them, mounted it right under the turbo so everything has to come off to replace it.
Went to put battery charger on it to try turning it over again and noticed the positive cable on the right battery was white. (left battery looked o.k.), so went to remove cable and the bolt was ate in half, just sitting there not holding the clamp tight. ---- the starter turned engine over just fine, only wouldn't start. While I had that cable off and cleaned it, --I took the neg side off and cleaned it too. -- Then I had to put new bolts in the clamps and got them tight.
After all this I decided to see if it would still turn over, so I hit the heat cycle a couple of times and then hit start and the first piston that hit compression fired and died!!-- scared the hell out of me!! lol!!, so I ran the heat cycle a couple more times and tried the starter again, --- it was turning and firing and soon it started and ran like it always did!
The only thing I can figure out is that some of the sensors get power from the right battery and the starter runs off the left one, and until both batterys are making contact it wont run. --- A real work of art for sure!!
Still have a couple of injectors going bad , misses a wee bit on idle, but hits on all 8 at high rpm's.
Goofy automatic transmission not working the greatest, but may have found a "donor truck" that has a 5- speed manual with a new clutch just put in a while back. I really want to do the swap to the good manual transmission so if I can make a deal with the guy he will sell me the old truck. Actually he wants to trade it to me on an old Farmall 806 gas tractor that I have here and need it gone, so we will see what comes of this deal! Thanks ;sonny
P.S. ---- NEVER buy anything with a 7.3 diesel motor in it!!!!

I personally will NEVER buy a FORD. 806 Farmall I spent a lot of time on one of those as a teenager bailing hay. We had an old H with a buzz saw mounted on the front we used to get fire wood. Good Luck with the truck.