Alright first off I am a new member so, Hi yall. Now on to buisness, I have just come into an old work/farm truck its a 1990 F350 7.3 manual trans 2wd. The engine when running runs excellent no problems, but and theres always a but with old trucks, the previous owner has been starting the truck with Ether for 5 months or so. It wont start on its own. So my question is there more underlying problems than a simple Glow Plug relay or is there gonna be some serious damage from all that ether? Just got it today and before I dig in just want to get some ideas. Im more concerned that the Ether may have ruined this motor.
as long as he used a small amount there will be no issues. you probably have some burned plugs and more than likely thats why he was using ether to start it.oh and welcome to FTE !!!!
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94 ford f250 7.3 turbo idi headlight mod,electric fuel pump,tinted windows all around,straight piped and 6" stack and sweet camo trim in the cab
I started out the same way and from what some will attest, i have a very unique truck to state it gently. Hopefully yours is not the mutt mine is. It will be narrowed down to a faulty controller, plugs and or wiring. Do NOT use ether, yes you can get away with it for some time, it will kill the beast. Test all glow plugs, test controller, and if something will be wrong within those two for sure but let us know and we can guide you to the correct solution. Ether brought me to a new(er) engine i have today. Does it have a block heater? Does it have WTS(wait to start) light? What does it do when you turn the key to on? Clicking? anything? That will help the diagnosis a lot!
WB
Oh and welcome, it will come at you fast so get a pen and paper or word document ready.
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94 F350 Extra Cab 7.3l IDI NA W/C6. Major mod is the F150 Body(LMAO) my truck makes me laugh and everyone else scratch their heads!
OleSmokey87,
Welcome to FTE and the IDI diesel forum.
I think the first thing you need to check are how many glow plugs are burnt out.
Fast test,
To check the glow plugs, use an automotive test light.
Clip the ground clip on a positive battery terminal and touch the tip to the negative terminal to make sure you have a good connection.
Now remove the connector from a glow plug.
Touch the tip of the testor to the glow plug terminal, if the light lights the glow plug is good, if it does not light the glow plug needs replaced.
Continue till you check them all this way.
Better test,
A friend posted this way back when..........
If you have 2 or more bad GPs, the controller may not cycle at all.
Two problems that occur with the solid state ( 1987 to 1994 IDI engines ) GP systems. If a GP burns out ( circuit resistance goes up ), the controller cycles the GPs at a faster rate which doesn't let them get to max operating temp. If 2 or more GPs fail, the controller may not cycle the GPs at all ( very rapid or no clicking heard ). When you check the GPs, use an ohmmeter. A high resistance ( not necessarily burned out ) GP can cause circuit resistance to go up and the controller will then cycle the GPs too fast. You probably will not find this problem with a test light. Resistance spec for GPs = .5 to 1 ohm cold. Second problem. A poor controller ground ( black wire attached to valve cover stud ) will cause the controller to leave the GPs on longer, often damaging or failing them. If you are having mulitple GP failures, I would check closely the controller ground. Now the confusing part. Bad ground --> longer GP on time ( slower cycling ). Burned out GPs --> faster cycling If you have both situations, it may appear that the controller is cycling the GPs at the proper rate. Bad ground slows it up while the burned GPs speed it up ---> normal cycling. The system acts/sounds like it's working normally, but you have a hard starting concern.
By........DieselDon
Glow plug torque is 12 ft lbs, I always use antisieze on the threads.
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86 F250 HD 6.9 IDI ATS turbo "not exactly" stock 4x4 T19 BW1345 3.55LS both ends D60 front, 10.25" Sterling rear, ram air, dual stacks.
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