I am a rookie on this site and I apologize in advance if this has been covered already.

My Truckie does not start very well in the cold as is but today was the 2nd time she cranked but would not start/fire up. Yesterday I tried 3 times, 3rd time lucky and she started and ran great, except she was a little iffy when I started her again a little later.

After the 2nd try this morning I decided to quit as I was already running late for work. I have not tried again but am trying to do some research and see what possible problems could be. A friend from work suggested I check the glow plug relay first and then check the wire connectors and harnesses that go through the valve cover. Possibility that glow plugs might need changing, have never done that before, never work on Truckie other oil change, filters etc

Sounds all good when you know how everything looks like but when you have never worked on your truck's engine before, it is not just overwhelming but a little scary. I have always been afraid to work on my motorcycles because of fear of messing something up, but have become very confident after working on my 3 bikes.

However, I am just a silly woman who loves her truck more than anything and would like nothing more to learn how to recognize and fix minor issues like this. She's beat up and ugly but want to (eventually) fix her up properly.

I learn best hands on or watching someone working but after looking at endless schematics and photos.....

 

Well, I know what your saying. It sounds like you need new glow plugs (GP). It might be the glow plug relay (GPR) is bad. Then you said it was a little hard to start after it ran for awhile which means that the O rings on the injector pressure relay (IPR) are bad. Good Luck, a lot of times you just have to take the attitude 'what have I got to lose?' and jump in.

 

Well as a motorcycle rider i know exactly what your talking about and as a psd owner unfortunatly i know what your talking about... The wiring and associated parts can be a little daunting at first but if you plan on keeping the truck than a little investment in learning the underhood lingo will help you out tons... No starts or hard starts are a pretty common occurence; if you use the search feature here youll find more results than you know what to do with..

Glenn started you off in the right direction. Do you have anymore specifics on the truck, the outside temp when attempting to start, or if you plug the truck in when its cold out? Has it been running ok up until now or have you just started to notice this problem?

 

Definatly plug it in if possible. 4 hours is good to get it all warmed up. If that doesn't help the cold start then it's not necessarily your glow plug system. Within a minute of plugging it in you should hear a sound by the driver side wheel well that like a kettle heating up. If you don't hear it then either the plug in cord is bad or the block heater is bad.

 

Simple test - leave the key in RUN for about 10-15 seconds AFTER the WTS light goes off. The glow plugs actually run a lot longer than the light; they're on two completely different timer programs. Then see if it starts better. If it does, then you likely have a weakness in your glow plug system, requiring more GP run time to warm the chambers sufficiently. Then you get to diagnose, something silly women can do as well as (if not better) any man.

Do you have a multi-meter? If not, get one! Cheap investment, costs about as much as the cheapest electrical component in truck. So it pays for itself the first time you use it to determine you DON'T need some part you were just gonna throw at it. Dunno about you, but there were as many "silly women" in my high school physics class as there were guys, that covered basic electricity (charge, current, resistance, voltage, power, energy), and it all applies to how to use a voltmeter. There are "sticky" threads on how to test the components of the glow plug system, but I'm on so many forums, I forget whether they're here or on one of the others. This is where search becomes your friend. If the Search Fu fails, come back and we'll find a link, or just paste in the 411.

 

Thank you so much for suggestions where to get started. I do plug her in, the old girl does not like the cold. I have not had her plugged back in after she would not start yesterday but will do so today and see what reaction I get.

I do have a multi-meter that we use on the bikes so will get the components of the glow plug system and so the research continues.

Heaven knows I am not a math person, artist, photographer and horse trainer here, but I do have a bit of a knack for mechanics so will see if I can find enough visual material to help aid me in my Truckie's rescue.

"Moose Machine" she is is plugged in and I could hear the noise you mentioned. She tolerates temps up to about 40, under 34 she gets dodgey, so I will plug her in for a few hours which normally helps, but she was plugged in the day she would not start.

If it's okay I will continue to trouble shoot on here in case I am missing something. Once again thank you, just worried about my truckie! :/

 

Ok if you have to plug it in then you definatly have glow plug and or glow plug relay problems. In the stickies there is a write up on how to test it. Also test the uvch ( under valve cover harness) Inspect the pins on it for any burnt ones. If you find burnt pins it should be replaced. If it won't start when it is plugged in then you have other problems aside from the glow plugs. If you are removing the valve covers it may be a good time to replace the glow plugs anyway. Stick with motorcraft or beru. Autolites are bad news. Also scan through riff raff diesels website. He offer a lot of factory Ford parts for a lot cheaper than the dealer and if you can wait for shipping it's worth it.

 

Just an update, my girl had a bad glow plug relay, replaced it and she starts like a champ. Thank you so much to all for the help.
Wish you a fabulous 2015 and looking forward to learning a lot more from this forum

 

Glad to hear you got it fixed! Good feeling, isn't it!!

 

Yes it most certainly is

 

Definitely the worst time of year to have GP problems, glad you got it worked out though!
Do you have any pictures of the truck?

 

 

Nice truck, I don't see any rust. Nice bike too!

 

Looks nice!

 

Nice truck! One suggestion is to get a good relay (lots of people like the Western snow plow relays) and keep one in your glove box. A bad one can leave you sitting - hot or cold out. Also, get a Ford CPS (Cam position sensor) and keep it in your glove box as well as they can leave you sitting.