Don't drive the truck but once a week but since its gotten colder here than usual is been harder to start when cold. Ofcourse I go thru the glow plug wait and then it kinda stumbles when its about to start . I do it again and most of the time is starts but seems rough for a few seconds. Once the truck is warm, no more problems starting. I'm wondering if I have a glow plug gone bad and that cylinder is not warming up for me. Today I plugged in the block heater for maybe 2 hours and it started first time. Also,, does anyone just leave the block heater plugged in for long periods of time.. would it get to hot?? and wonder how expensive that is,, most heater are costly to run. I have a timer but just wondering. thanks..

 

Are you trying to start it right after the light goes off? The glow plugs are
on longer that the light is. One thing I do is to wail for all the under hood
stuff to finish what it's doing. Vacuum pump is the one that takes the longest
for me. Seems to start better at that point vs cranking right as the light goes out.

So give that a try and see if it helps.

Now if you have a bad glow plug I can tell you that the PCM will let you know
about that with a CEL and the DTC that goes along with it.

Also while I am waiting for everything to finish running I make sure to turn the seat
heater off and the EVAC off also. It gives you that little more juice to crank with.

Please give my trick a try and let me know if it worked or was a flop.

Sean

 

The glow plug should throw a DTC. Mine didn't throw a CEL but did throw a DTC.


Anytime the temps get below 40 deg I plug in for at least 2 hrs. It kinda does take some forethought. This past weekend I had it plugged in for about 7 hrs anticipating moving it and never did. I'm not one that leaves it plugged in 24/7, seems like a waste to me.

.

 

Block heater is 1200 watts, you can leave it on all night or run it for 4 hours before needing to start. I do it all night in the garage when really cold. Makes a big difference on starting. Price per KWh is 5-6 cents so 7 cents an hour versus dlesel idling at 1.5 gallons per hour. Check for codes for the glow plug relays and make sure no GP error codes.

 

A quick way to check the glow plugs is disconnect the glow plug harness that goes to each side. Use a test light and clip the ground to battery positive. Probe the pins going to the plugs. If the test light doesn't light, you probably have a bad plug.

 

surprised no one mentioned FICM voltages; have you monitored them at startup?

 

thanks guys,, i'll do some checking on the ficm voltage,,, thanks again

 

Actually it's only about 900 watts. (Factory says 1000 but mine sure aren't) You can leave it plugged in indefinitely, it won't get too hot. It will max out at around 150 if your thermostat is good, less in really cold weather. Most places in the US that cost around 10-20 cents per hour. A lot of people put them on a timer for about 3 hours before they need it.