1999 7.3 and it has been throwing 10-15 seconds of white smoke when starting cold for about a year. About 6 months ago, it started a period of running fine for some variable amount of time, then running real rough, loosing power and eventually shutting down. I was always able to let the thing sit for 10-15 minutes and then start it up and it would be OK again. Kind of tough to fix a problem that really isn't there and it wasn't there very often.

Now things have changed drastically. If it starts at all it will run pretty good for about 10-15 minutes and then will progressively get rougher and rougher and lose more and more power until eventually it will just shut down. I used to have an Edge Juice w/Attitude chip but removed it just to be sure that wasn't causing the problem.

Please, I'm a weekend warrior, use full words, not abbreviations. I tried to read a few threads and just got confused because I couldn't follow all the three letter abbreviations.

 

Sounds like you need help with a GPR (Glow Plug Relay) for the 10-15 seconds of white smoke.

The other problem could be a UVCH (Under Valve Cover Harness) problem, but I don't know.

Where do you live? Maybe someone would help you out for a 6-pack on something if they are in your area.

 

I live near Schuylkill Haven, PA and I'd have plenty of 6-packs for someone that would point me in the right direction. I've been doing a bunch of reading today and there are a lot of things that point towards an injector problem but to buy a set of injectors and find out that really wasn't it sure would be an expensive way to find out. I found a kit from a company in Tenn. that sells all 8 injectors, 8 glow plugs, the internal wiring and 2 gaskets for right around $1000 but that still an expensive fishing expedition. There are some other things that point towards a fuel pump that might have been slowly overheating and now has failed completely but that doesn't explain the white smoke on cold starts. I know there is a problem with either the glow plugs or the relay because it starts much better after being plugged in for a while. Starting without the plug in time will usually not work and now, not at all. I don't have the diagnostic equipment to put on this truck to do that kind of troubleshooting. I know how to use a VOM but that's about as far as I can go with what I have.