'00 7.3L Hard To Get Started Warm

[Reckless]

My 2000 F250 recently has started to be hard or unreliable to drive somewhere fearing it won't start for the return trip. Biggest problem is after it's been driven, but lately every other time when it's sat for awhile regardless of weather, it has to crank quite a bit to start but usually always does. After I've driven somewhere, go in do my thing, and start to return, it just cranks and cranks and cranks without sounding like it wants to fire at all. I carry my jump box and cables cause I've ran the batteries down enuff on two occasions trying to start. After it has sat for 90 minutes to 2 hours, and with a booster box for the now low batteries, it cranks and I keep the crank going until I hear the starter spon up and some combustion and voila. Now other than keeping it running, I'm afraid to drive it anywhere where I have to turn it off. Happened again yesterday helping my inlaw change out a water heater. My first gut feeling is maybe it's a fuel pressure thing? But I've "Binged" the problem and see something about oil pressure? to get the injectors to fire especially when the oil is warm and less viscous? Where should I start and work towards more complicated? Where can I purchase a scantool for it? I should also mention I only drive it when I need to use a truck (boat, dump, lumber, etc). It has approx 147k miles. And I had the recall done on it last year. Not sure if that would have any impact on it?

[redford]

I would start by looking at your batteries, then your HPOP, then your fuel pressure.

But, I hope someone with more knowledge of the 7.3L chimes in. You wouldn't want just one opinion from a gas engine owner.

[Kdr358]

I would start by doing a smiple test first, drain the fuel bowl and remove the filter, close the drain valve and turn the key ON and see how fast the bowl takes to fill up. It should only be a few seconds. Also, when was the oil last changed I know these trucks get picky when the oil gets worn out. Aslo I would check the batteries Im not sure about the cranking voltage but Im sure someone else will chime in. Is there any smoke when the truck does start?

[Shake-N-Bake]

Have you checked your battery cables?
I had a slow start a few weeks ago and it just turned out to be loose cables on the passenger side battery. Sometimes it's the simple things...

What are your volts while cranking? Are you getting any smoke out the exhaust while trying to start? Do you know how to check the HPOP reservoir level prior to starting the engine? Are your starter bolts nice and tight? (just something good to check from time to time..) Remember, you must have at least 10-10.5 volts while cranking. These engines will still crank over pretty quick even if the volts are very low. Just an FYI...

If batteries and cables are good, oil level is good then you might consider having your started checked for amp draw. Sometimes they draw a lot more power when they are hot and that could cause your symptoms.

Hope this helps...

[CampSpringsJohn]

Injectors are my guess. Or rather the injector o-rings. Pull the fuel filter and see what color the fuel is. If it's blue of black, oil is getting in there. But, in my opinion, if you're going to do the o-rings, with that mileage, I'd just do the injectors too. And I would also find a good aftermarket injector too. I've been doing some reading on these injectors, and the HPOP. A good hybrid will do wonders for these engines.

[Reckless]

My daughter took it and had it changed for me at a Jiffy/Texaco fly-thru place last fall. I wonder if they (kids) could've put 10-30w vice 15-40w in??? Hmmmm. I also just last month changed the fuel/water filter which I tend to change more frequently than normal due to how much it sits.

I recently replaced the pax side battery (primary batt right?) due to it reading a little low (negligible) on my voltmeter (eng off) while the other seems fine, and while I was at it of course I cleaned up all the connectors and ensured they were good and snug. With the motor running each batt read 13.5 The starter seems to "sound" good/normal with regards to possible loose bolts. Yesterday at the inlaws after running down the batteries enuff on three failed start attempts, I used his charger on the aux battery (driver side and yes disconnected) to charge it for 20 miunutes then reconnected, and put my jump box on the pax side battery and she spun fast (faster than normal starts) but it took a long crank cycle (10-15 secs) until it started sputtering, and fired up. By then I guess it had been approx 90 minutes since shutting off upon arrival. Soon after I purchased it from the original owner in 2004, I went thru the poor battery won't spin quick problem (even though it "sounded" normal) and changed both batts, and recently as stated the pax side batt last month.

Forgot to add, no smoke that I've noticed.

As far as the HPOP level is concerned, I've never done it. I have had the leaking drain plug issue a couple of times and had to re-torque it to prevent leakage and pooling of oil in the valley, but no don't know to check level.

[Shake-N-Bake]

Originally Posted by Reckless

My daughter took it and had it changed for me at a Jiffy/Texaco fly-thru place last fall. I wonder if they (kids) could've put 10-30w vice 15-40w in??? Hmmmm. I also just last month changed the fuel/water filter which I tend to change more frequently than normal due to how much it sits.

I recently replaced the pax side battery (primary batt right?) due to it reading a little low (negligible) on my voltmeter (eng off) while the other seems fine, and while I was at it of course I cleaned up all the connectors and ensured they were good and snug. With the motor running each batt read 13.5 The starter seems to "sound" good/normal with regards to possible loose bolts. Yesterday at the inlaws after running down the batteries enuff on three failed start attempts, I used his charger on the aux battery (driver side and yes disconnected) to charge it for 20 miunutes then reconnected, and put my jump box on the pax side battery and she spun fast (faster than normal starts) but it took a long crank cycle (10-15 secs) until it started sputtering, and fired up. By then I guess it had been approx 90 minutes since shutting off upon arrival. Soon after I purchased it from the original owner in 2004, I went thru the poor battery won't spin quick problem (even though it "sounded" normal) and changed both batts, and recently as stated the pax side batt last month.

Forgot to add, no smoke that I've noticed.

As far as the HPOP level is concerned, I've never done it. I have had the leaking drain plug issue a couple of times and had to re-torque it to prevent leakage and pooling of oil in the valley, but no don't know to check level.

Ok...good info.

Verify the "No smoke while cranking". If no smoke, then it means the injectors aren't firing. It's also a decent sign that your injector o-rings are OK. Typically worn injectors will make for difficult cold starts and then run fine the rest of the day....you are having the opposite symptoms so your issue is most likely elsewhere.

Typically, there are three reasons why the injectors won't fire.

1. Low voltage while cranking
2. Injector control pressure below 500 psi (HPOP oil)
3. RPM not fast enough while cranking (CPS)

The part where you said you cranked until the engine started sputtering and then fired up is a clue. This leads me to a fuel or oil issue, which is why I suggest that you verify if you have any smoke while cranking. I would also verify the correct engine oil is being used and the crank case level is good. Then I would check the HPOP reservoir level prior to the next expected 'difficult start'. The reservoir has an allen had plug right on top....the oil level should be about 1/2"-3/4" down from the top. (do not attempt to start engine with reservoir plug removed!)

If you find that you have low oil prior to starting...then check for oil leaks. Your non-servicable plug might be due for service.
Here is a link:
Replacement O-rings for Ford Diesel Engines

If you have smoke while cranking and the initial crank seems labored and then gets progressively quicker than you could have leaking injector o-rings (as suggested by CampSpringsJohn).

Here is a photo to help you find the reservoir plug.

[Reckless]

Okay, I'm now now and a nice day here, so I'm gonna do all the quick checks as suggested in terms of current pan oil level, HPOP oil level, remove fuel filter and turn key on to check if bowl refills nicely, re-check battery levels and cable cleanliness/tighness. I'm also gonna go later purchase new oil and change it myself (as usual) tonite or tomorrow to be sure it's the right viscosity/weight.

Just for an Fyi...I get the wait to start light, hear the plugs humming and always wait until the light goes out each and everytime i start. Assuming all the above checks are and done and normal, what would be the next step in the increasingly difficult ladder of things to do?

[Shake-N-Bake]

Originally Posted by Reckless

Okay, I'm now now and a nice day here, so I'm gonna do all the quick checks as suggested in terms of current pan oil level, HPOP oil level, remove fuel filter and turn key on to check if bowl refills nicely, re-check battery levels and cable cleanliness/tighness. I'm also gonna go later purchase new oil and change it myself (as usual) tonite or tomorrow to be sure it's the right viscosity/weight.

Just for an Fyi...I get the wait to start light, hear the plugs humming and always wait until the light goes out each and everytime i start. Assuming all the above checks are and done and normal, what would be the next step in the increasingly difficult ladder of things to do?

If we end up suspecting a high pressure oil issue...then there are a few things that can cause problems ranging from simple to severe. Sometimes we find a loose IPR nut or maybe a bad ICP sensor....extreme cases could be cavitation corrosion so we want to rule out the cheap/easy stuff first. A quality scan tool is ideal when diagnosing problems with these trucks. Here is what I use:
Riffraff Diesel: AutoEnginuity Total Ford Enhanced Bundle

Let us know what you find and we can help you with the next step.

[Crazy001]

Hi Reckless,

I'm going to move this one down to the 7.3L Powerstroke forum.

[Reckless]

Well I changed oil using 15-40w oil and even suctioned out the old from the HPOP reservoir and refilled with fresh (it was 0.5 - .75 from the top). I also did the remove fuel filter, drain and turn the key to on to see how the bowl filled. It filled fine. I then removed both battery cables ensuring cleanliness and reinstalled tight. In the end the motor would start each time but still took a prolonged cranking/spin up session to start. The starter seemed to spin up faster than I'm used to hearing normally (maybe bcause it had to spin so long?) until it started sputtering and finally started. I ran it up the road, stomped the peddle a time or two, and brought it back home. I then started again with same results (prolonged spin up until sputtered and started). So in the end it helped "somewhat" but still there's an issue. Idles and runs great other than the start phase.

So what would be my next logical step to take? CPS?

I forgot to mention, no smoke whatsoever when starting cold or warm.

[BigAlsPSD]

Have you tried unplugging the ICP and seeing if it will start sooner? Without being able to view live data that the PCM sees it's tough to diagnose. Have you checked the HPOP reservoir level before starting?

[MikeSDK]

I had a similar issue a few months ago, and rebuilding my IPR helped a ton. You can get the O-ring set from Diesel O-Rings.

It's a great cheap thing to try before you spend a ton on anything. I think the oring kit was something like $12.

My IPR orings were bad, and IPR connector was oily, etc. Fixed me right up.

[Reckless]

Yes the reservoir was like a half inch from the top hole. When i changed oil yesterday I also pumped out all the old oil from the reservoir and topped it back off with new until it started draining back into the pan

Where are the ICP and IPR located? Are they on or near the HPOP?

When i got home today I checked my K&N air filter (somewhat dirty) and cleaned it up. It's outside drying before i oil it back up and reinstall just to be sure air flow is max.

I checked my batteries yesterday as well. They were testing on the meter at 12-12.5v static, and when the engine is running the alternator output to the batteries was 13-13.5v.

What about the CPS/CMP, MAP or crankshaft sensors as possible culprits on startup?

[MikeSDK]

The ICP is on the front of the driver's side head- the IPR on on the back of the HPOP. The ICP should be the only sensor located on the front/top of the drivers side head- you can then trace the wiring harness backwards from there, and you'll see that the harness splits in two directions- one side of the harness goes to the ICP, and the other half goes to the IPR.