I have a 2003 F350 4x4 crew cab with a 6.0 turbo diesel, with duel alternators and no mods. I have been having a crank no start issue. Here is what has happened and what has been done:
One day on my way home from work my truck was low on fuel, and i stopped at the store and shut the truck off. When i came out of the store and tried to start the truck it would crank but not start so I had to put about five gallons in it to get it to the gas station. It was hard to get it started but finally it started. I went straight to the gas station and filled the truck up, while fueling up I left the truck running. Several days before this the truck was hard to start in the afternoon or when the engine was hot. I assumed it was the fuel filters so i changed the filters. The truck would crank fine when it was the first start of the day (there was one or two times that it would start but shut off, but it would start right back up), but in the afternoon it would still be hard to start. It ran for about four days before the the truck shut off going down the road, coming home from work one day. It shut off when I used the brakes hard to stop. I couldn't get the truck to start, it would crank but not start. I burnt the starter up trying to get it started to move it out of the road, so I had to tow it back to the house and still havent gotten it running, it will crank but not start. When the truck shut off it was like it ran out of fuel. All the electronics were still working, but it wasnt getting fuel or something. When I got it home, i was able to get it to crank by using ether. I let the vehicle run for about an hour just to see what it would do. When I touched the brake the truck shut off. I could get it to crank but not start. I shot another thing of ether and it started again. I pressed the accelerator the truck acccerated like it should. When I let off it slowly idled down and then shut off. My wife charged the batteries one day and was able to get the truck to start without ether. When she turned the steering wheel, the truck died. Everytime it dies, it is like it runs out of fuel. I have checked and I have fuel pressure all the way through the fuel filter on top of the engine. A diesel mechanic has also checked this as well.
So far I have replaced the batteries, new starter, map sensor, cam shaft sensor, ICP sensor and pigtails. I have also checked the ficm, changed fuel filter and air, checked all o rings on filters also. Checked for chaffing wires, and checked for looses hoses. The injectors are clicking, the glow plugs are cycling, and fuel pump is running, the oil pressure goes up to normal when trying to start it. It has been hooked up to a reader and no codes. It is also sitting on a full tank of diesel. Im at my wits end with what to do next. I have had 2 mechanics come out and look at this truck so far with no luck.
Any help would be greatly appreciated......

 

Buy a V10!

Haha, no but you came to the right place. The PSD guys should be stopping by anytime now and tell you what you need to hear. If you don't get a good response here, scroll down to the 6.0 Section and they will be all over this! Hope you get it fixed!

 

Thanks. I hope someone has good news, about something I havent tried. I have throwed some money into it already with no avail.

 

Do you have a remote start system? Or security system that is activated? I have both on my bronco and songs times I hit the button In my pocket and it will die or kill if I do anything (i.e hit the brakes) not real sure about the newer trucks but check the fuel shut off switch (shuts off fuel incase of a rollover or collision. Maybe you ran over a prius and it set it off--

 

no i dont have anything like that on it. i did feel a bump in the road before it happened. lmao. i thought it might be my brake controller but i unplugged it and it still isnt starting.

 

maybe check /replace the fuel pump really (if the diesels, have them I know the older ones had a mechanical pump.
working mostly on gassers ive come across relays that heat up and quit working, leading to symptoms like yours. But work fine when cool. Plus they're cheap. Never hurts to check all the vehicles grounds, I know yours its new but metal can corrode fast, go thru the fuse box too make sure something didnt pop...

 

Really is supposed to be "relay" stupid smart phones, ha

 

the truck has two fuel pumps that im told. the previous years didnt have a strong enough fuel pump so they put on in the tank or on top of the tank and put one just before it turns up to go the engine to help with the problem of the fuel pumps burning out so bad. i have looked over the fuse boxes and relays numerous times and ohmed the relays to make sure they were good. So far have ohmed out and are checking good.

 

Moved to correct forum.

 

ok stupid question time. is your trucked parked at an angle like the drive way is sloped?
whats icp doing while cranking. both voltage and pressure.
what is the fuel pressure. just becasue the pump come on doesnt mean it works.

 

The yard its parked in is pretty level not much slope at all would that cause a problem? Didnt check the voltage or oil pressure at the icp. But the icp is brand new. The diesel mechanic that came out didn't tell me numbers but he did say that the fuel pressure was fine and the pump was working.

 

being level no it should not. icp is just a sensor that reads what the ipr has commanded it to do. so knowing the number(s) should help. you should also look at sync and ficm sync pids and make sure they both read yes.
being an 03 we have lots of sync type issues. more often then not its the wire harness failed. we also see a fair share of pumps fail.
you can attempt to to check the ckp and cmp circuits with an omh meter at the pcm connector after that you can try and test using a freq meter.. unless you have a 2 channel lab scope handy then I can go over the correct testing

 

If you dont mind explaining how to do check any of those. i read that you could get to the icp from under the truck but i couldnt reach it from underneath. I had to take it out fromt he top. I pulled the air intake, the ficm, the turbo, the turbo mounting plate out of the truck so that i could get to it. I put it all back together and the truck still wouldnt crank. as far as numbers the only numbers i was able to get was when i checked the ficm. i put my positive lead on the bottom screw inside the ficm( mine only had four screws) and got 48.3 volts, when my wife turned the motor over the voltage did not drop but to 48.2 volts. any help or testing procedure would be greatly appreciated. I am a diesel mechanic in the military but none of the engines we work on have half the electronics that this truck does. they are much simpler. any help will be greatly appreciated.

 

alright i might be just throwing parts at this truck. the entire time i have had this problem with my truck i have had no smoke coming out of the exhaust, which from my experience means that it is not getting any fuel. I read on one of these forum, where
cheezit( i believe) was talking with someone and asked if they had any smoke. they had a lil and he said that it meant that the ficm and cam and crank sensor were good. i had already replaced the cam sensor so last night i replaced the crank sensor. i have bought all parts for my truck from the local ford dealer, except the fuel filter and air filter. the fuel filters where purchased at autozone and air filter at carquest. i doubt that it is relevant where the parts came from, but at this point i am desperate. i was talking with the ford service manager, and he told me that if i could get the truck to them they could hook it to their computer and tell me what was wrong, but my problem is i dont have a way to get it there. is there any way i can check to see what is going on, and does anyone know how to do it.
i have checked the ficm. i read on a procedure on a forum of how to do. i took the lil cover off the ficm. when i pulled the cover there were four screws in line under the cover. i put my positive lead on the bottom screw, and my negeative lead on the negative ofthe battery. i had 48.3 volts, even while my wife tried cranking the truck, it only dropped to 48.2. did i do this procedure correct to elimate the ficm as my problem? will any code reader tell me if everything is syncing up like it should? i have a couple friends that have readers and some are more expensive than others. which kind should i use to check the things my engine need to start?

 

also my vaccuum pump runs the whole time my key is switching on. is this significant to leading to the cause of the problem or is this normal?