hey y'all. I'm new to the site and new to diesels. I just bought a '97 7.3 turbo, and I'm trying to learn ALL about it. Since it's my first diesel, I'm not sure in how many ways it differs from gas engines. I have lots of questions, but I'll start with this:

Do I ever need to pump the fuel pedal to get the truck to start? I ask because the engine doesn't start right away. It takes several tries of 4-5 seconds each. (yes I do know to wait until the glow plug light goes off, and I do plug in the truck at night.)

(truck is 4wd, and has 230k miles.)

thanks a plenty!
chris

 

pumping wont do anything.
There is no pysical cable to open a throttle body and inject fuel.

If you're having trouble starting, chances are that your glow plugs are going or your glow plug relay is bad.
And worse case, you have a bad harness for the glow plugs (this happens)

I need to check mine too, starts really rough right now.

 

That's not a glow plug light. The glow plugs stay on long after the WTS light goes off. If you want extended glow plug time before starting, just leave the key in the RUN position an extra 10 seconds or so.

But as said, that indicates a glow plug circuit issue. There are threads here with instructions on testing the GP relay and glow plugs, and associated wiring.

 

That's big negative. Don't touch the pedal while cranking. The WTS is a dummy light and the GPs remain on much longer then the light. If you're having trouble starting, let them runner longer (20-30 sec). If you're still have trouble, you likely have other issues such as weak batteries, bad GPs, bad GP relay, or bad injector orings.