Well im not really sure what the issue would be on this thing because i have noticed dramatic changes in the way the truck starts in the winter. Last winter it was absolutely fine! AANNDDD this year it has trouble starting when its 40 or 45 deg outside. Last year i would never plug the truck in unless its below 20 and this year i constantly have the truck plugged in! The only things that i did to the truck this past year was new PCM, starter, and bellowed up pipes. Anything at all would appreciated!

 

I would say its your GP's and/or the GPR.

 

Ditto on the Glow Plugs/Relay under the dog house.. Question though with these multi position chips are any one settings easier starting than any other?? Also how long are you waiting after you turn on the key for the glow plugs to warm up?? That rotten wait to start light means absolutely nothing in regards to the temp of the glow plugs!! At 20 degrees I'd be waiting 30 seconds, at 0 degrees I wait 90 and at 20 below I wait till the needle starts it's upswing which is usually about 2 minutes.. What weight motor oil you running makes a big diff in the winter as well, cold as it's been I'm running 10-30 Rotella and been having good cranks at -25 so far but Jelled fuel can be a bitch!!

Slick

 

Thanks for the replies guys and here's what I'm running, motorcraft 15-40 and when I turn the key I may only leave it on for 20 sec at a time... So what's the full cycle time? Also, what's the cost for GP and GPR? Also is there a better brand of GP that I can buy? Lastly is it difficult to replace all that?

 

Get only motorcroft GP's ZF 11's or something like that, never autolites. They are about $10 apiece at Riffraff's. I'm not sure about the cost of a GPR, its been awhile. They aren't that hard to replace but you do have to pull the valve covers off to get to them. A 10mm deep socket will get them out.

 

Motorcraft/Beru ZD11 are the plugs to get. I believe you can get them from Rockauto.com for around 10 a piece. You can watch the volt meter to see how long the GPs stay on, it can be up to 2 minuts depending on the temps.

 

Ok that's not too bad, and I'll get those ones from rock auto most likely and lastly, what would you recommend as regaurds to the GPR?

 

The NAPA GPR109 wiil work on these trucks. A lot of folks use the Stancor/White Rodgers relay. It is a heavey duty relay. Also a Western snow plow relay is reported to work well and is fairly cheap.

 

I just ordered one from autozone along with the motorcraft zd11s. Any tips on replacing them all to save time or any struggles?

 

Depending on the deep socket you use, some hit the rocker arm. So after you get them unscrewed, pull the socket out and push a fairly tight fitting hose over the top of the GP and lift it out of there. Sometimes, I just use a pair of needle nose pliers.

 

Is the GPR fairly easy, just a matter of swapping the parts out? And I heard one side of the engine was harder to replace the GPs on???

 

The location of the wires really don't matter that much but just duplicate what you have now. Be careful or disconnect the batteries or you could start welding, LOL. Each side is about the same for GP's, the hardest ones being in the back. I use a little anti-sieze on the new ones to make next time easier.

 

The passenger side is a little tougher, due to the heater box on that side. You get a little more room if you remove the vaccume control box that is attached to the heater box. It is held on with 2 screws. The 2 valve cover hold down bolts ( the one next to the firewall and the bottom one by the heater box) are fun to get out. I have the best luck reaching up from under the truck between the frame and engine for those 2. A 1/4 drive 13mm socket, u joint and extensions will be your friend.

 

But what about a valve cover gasket? Do I need a new one or is it a reusable one?

 

Unless the pins for the wires are burned, the valve cover gaskets are reuseable.