pulled the icp plug and still no fire. truck still hasnt even coughed. dont want to tow it up to the dealer and pay thousands!

 

I have had vehicles sit and not start due to critters chewing thru a wire. it's a long shot, but you said you parked it 2-3mos ago and that is usually when critters like to find a place to burrow. Take a flashlight and and give all your wiring a good look. If you could get your hands on a scanner, you might be better able to pin point the problem.

just my 2 cents

 

Was parked because it wouldnt start but thanks for the ideas

 

Get a scanner , do tests . Koeo , memory , buzz tests . Chattering relays sound like ground or power issue . As stated above , ck for rodent damage , chafed wires . You are blowing fuses for a reason . Ck all powers and grounds . Good luck ! Thanks for your service .

 

Earlier someone mentioned checking for smoke out of the exhaust. Should it smoke when its getting fuel or no? No possibility of rodent damage it just stopped one day. I tried the cardboard trick still nothing its not blowing fuses anymore BT not starting either

 

I also have a 99 250 with the 7.3L and it did the same thing to me, bought a new cam shaft censor and was fine. located on front of engine next to the cam shaft pulley upper left with two wires going to it. it's common for them to go out around 100k. Sometime they take time to fail and the truck will shut off while driving wait a couple of min and will fire back up, other times it will go out completely and nothing. There around 20 to 25 bucks any auto part place should have them. I never had the fuse issue though. If its fine its not a bad idea to have an extra on hand to keep in the truck.

 

I would look at the CPS as scott has suggested, and for 30 bucks or so it's worth a shot.

If that doesn't work I would get access to a scanner to look at ICP pressure while cranking, if it's not making enough pressure the injectors won't fire. But I would check the CPS first.

 

RU gettin RPM's when you try to start? If so cam sensor (CPS) is likely good. No rpm's indicated probably bad.

Yes white smoke would indicate fuel was being injected into the cylinders but not ignited. Adjust your mirrors or have your dad watch the tail pipe as you crank. With a good charge crank it for a solid 30 seconds to give it a chance to hard start. No smoke, likely no HPOP pressure (500psi+) being sent to injectors to fire up.

Strongly suggest you do a search in this the 7.3L site and just spend some time in bed with the laptop reading thru the many "No Start", Hard Start" threads in this section, and you will discover a common check by check process for troubleshooting your problem as the process will cover whats been suggested thus far and more importantly, WHY. Armed with that info you will begin to get a more focused picture of where your problem may lie.

 

Could be one of several things, but a bad IDM (Injector Driver Module) does exactly what you describe. I replaced one at 130k miles and another at 210k miles. Ford told me it was not uncommon to go bad. New ones from Ford are about $900. Buy a rebuilt one online for a couple hundred (several places sell them). If it doesn't fix it you can send it back for a refund. You have to send the core back anyway. IDM is easy to replace in about 30 min. Located behind the driver side front wheel on the firewall. Ford says the whole fender has to come off and they will charge for several hours labor. Take out the fender well and it is right there. Just a few screws and 30 min.

There is a way to test the IDM, but both times I just crossed my fingers, swapped it out and truck started right up.

Good luck

 

I know you said the batteries are on a trickle charger BUT even on trickle chargers batteries go bad. Put a full size charger on the batteries. Pull the ground on one of the batteries so that you can charge each seperately. After each is charged seperately hook the ground for the one battery back up and see if it will start. Measure the voltage on the batteries while you have someone crank. You need at least 10.5 Volts for the PCM to tell the Injector Driver Module to fire the injectors.

If you are not getting any smoke at all while cranking then the batteries are not up to par or you have an issue with your Injector Pressure Regulator, IDM, PCM or Low Pressure Oil Pump not getting oil to the small tank/resivor for the High Pressure Oil Pump(HPOP).
My vote goes to bad batteries or a bad IPR.
I know you said that you know where the IPR is but just so you know it is under the fuel bowl mounted to the back of the HPOP. There is a small tin nut that looks like the one in this picture on the back of the IPR. #14-007 IPR Re-Seal kit 94-03 7.3L Diesel - Sensors and Backpressure Tubes/Parts - 1999-2003 Ford 7.3L It takes about 51 inch pounds of torque. If you have a bad IPR it can be had here Motorcraft Injection Pressure Regulator 1995.5 - 2003
You will not know if you have a bad IPR unless you can purchase Auto Enginuity to get live data on your truck. You also need a laptop to load the AE software on to. AE here Riffraff Diesel: AutoEnginuity Total Ford Enhanced Bundle

Batteries are not hard to fully charge and to pull and have tested. This is the cheapest route until you have verified that you have greater than 10.5 Volts while cranking. No smoke while cranking means that the injectors are not firing. I basically said what you need to do in a nutshell.
BTW. Thank you for your service.
I did almost 12 years in the U.S. Navy as a Nuclear Electrical Operator. Being home is a good thing.