Hey all,
I am currently working on a project truck, and I got ahold of a 96 f350 with the 7.3 from a local salvage yard. supposedly the engine ran fine, the truck was just wrecked. being a salvage yard truck, it is missing some pieces and parts, so I was wondering if anyone had some form of a check list of what was needed to crank and fire this beast up. I want to hear it run before I pull it out of the wreck. thanks

 

You need quite a few things for the truck to fire and run.

It would be easier for you to tell us what is missing

 

What i know its missing is the guage cluster, air cleaner (the intake is duct taped shut) the cam sensor transmission, and batteries. The biggest concern i had was the missing cluster.

 

As long as both computers are up and running ( PCM /IDM) and you have a good ground..AND at least 14 ltrs of Oil and clean fuel / fuel filter ..........no leaks in fuel system.... It might Start and even Run......for how long .....It depends

 

You'll need the cam sensor. I'm not sure if a missing cluster will stop it from starting. I do know a missing cluster won't let the ALT. charge.
You'll want to brace the engine so it won't move back and forth

 

sounds like a fun project. plan on having several good batteries handy, or another running truck/tractor with good batteries and GOOD jumper cables - or better yet, actually battery cables with lead clamps to connect everything up.

I just did a compression test on a stand-mounted engine and it took me two hours of fiddling with battery connections to get enough juice to the starter to turn the engine over - and that was with only one cylinder compressing. I tried first with just jumper cable connections to a known good battery. I believe my starter had some corroded connections that I had to clean up, but still, 2 hours later, I had that battery hard-wired to the starter and block with old battery cables and my dad's truck hooked up to the battery via jumper cables to keep it charged. it worked pretty well then.

no knowing how long your engine has sat, I'd plan on ALOT of cranking to refill the fuel system and troubleshoot the various potential electrical problems preventing it from starting.

do yourself a favor and check the HPOP reservoir level before doing anything. if its empty, fill it up, first.

prob want to check fuel pressure while cranking as well to make sure the pump is working.

and yes, PCM and IDM are def required - not sure about gauge cluster.

if you do this, let me know how you make out. I kind of want to try to fire up my engine on the stand prior to installing back in the truck after the rebuild, but not sure I want to go through all the effort.

 

What transmission WAS in the truck?

 

The truck had the e4od automatic. fiddled with it today for awhile and still no luck even getting a crank over

 

That's because the neutral safety switch is gone with the tranny. You need to find the connector that went to that switch, determine which two terminals on it were for the start safety, and jumper them.

 

Never even thought of that but it makes perfect sense...hopefully today will be the day I can get it to rattle to life and puff a little smoke.

 

you'll need to connect the white/pink wire to the red/light blue wire. you'll find these wires in either the auto tranny harness - in the plug that connects to the driver side of the tranny, or in the connector that this harness connects to if it was taken with the tranny. the next upstream connection from the tranny is up in the engine compartment right below the brake booster/pcm/firewall connector area. there are two plugs there (one round and one rectangular, I think) one goes all the way back along the frame rail for the fuel tanks and taillights. the other one is for the tranny. in an auto tranny truck, these white/pink and red/lt blue wires are just jumpered at this connection. in an auto truck, they go to the range sensor and are only closed in P or N.

this shorting method definitely works as I used this method when I did my tranny swap. I didn't have a manual tranny harness, so just shorted these and spliced in a backup gear switch for the reverse lights. worked like a charm.

or just forget about all this and apply 12V to the small terminal on the fender-mounted starter relay. or connect the two big terminals with a screwdriver.

 

This works; and without a tranny, the OP doesn't have to worry about running himself over (the ultimate "neutral safety")....

 

That will only cause the starter motor to spin the engine. I doubt the PCM/IDM will work without the proper key-on / start sequence. However, at least you'll know if it's locked up, which I'm guessing is really the issue. From there, doubt you'd have trouble getting it running right in a truck/van install.

 

There is no "start sequence" for the PCM. The starter circuit is purely electromechanical, no interface with the PCM. It kinda goes without saying that the OP would have to do this with the key in RUN, as anyone who's push-started / pull-started a vehicle knows. Jumping the fender relay with the key in RUN is electrically / electronically identical to turning the key to START, as far as the PCM is concerned.

 

Interesting...I'd just always assumed because the trucks were throttle by wire and electronic injection that the PCM required dash/pedal communication. Nice to know that.