I am a diesel virgin , but learning quite a bit from these pages in the last few days .. I have a 2002 F 350 7.3 dually that has in the last few weeks been having hard start issues . The hard start problem began to get worse creating longer cranking . I have no white smoke when it eventually starts so I am ruling out injectors for now . I have checked the Glow plug relay and it appears fine . The engine started on second glow 3 days ago in the morning but in the afternoon would not start at all ( afternoon temp was 90 ) I changed the Cam sensor and the fuel filter with no result other than running the batteries down trying to start . I am currently at a loss as to what to try next .... bearing in mind I can't take the truck to a mechanic even if I could afford one anyway .. I am desperate for answers , as you can appreciate how much of an inconvenience it is to have no ride .

 

Probably IPR related. Unplug the ICP and see if that helps if not go to the IPR. If it won't start at 90degrees that is why I said above. Relay clicking don't mean it is good. I went thur that.

 

just a thought here but, you might want to take a look at the icp plug to see if there is oil present. and check to make sure the tin nut is still tight and in place on the ipr

i type slow.....

 

Do you have at least 10.5 volts when cranking. If not....no start. Then again no smoke is a red flag in itself.

 

not too sure what ICP and IPR mean ... I did unplug the one on the drivers side and cleaned it with electric cleaner and tried it plugged and unplugged ... I have only had the truck 4 weeks and have had problems for 3 of them .. when the truck starts it runs awesome .

 

does it have a tuner plugged in to the PCM?

 

start with the easy stuff. If you have weak batteries it will not start. Check those first and verify that you have 10.5 volts while crancking.

Will it start after you have had the block heater plugged in for a while? There is a plug hiding in the front bumper that is for the block heater.

 

1. yes I have an Edge Juicer programmer , but I also know nothing about that .
2. Block heater is not there , I have searched extensively .
3.The truck didn't come with an owners book .
4. Not sure about the cranking volts , or how to check .
5. Sorry if I seem stupid , but I do need help ...( I wish mechanics would take payments .)

 

Get a volt meter from autozone that plugs into the outlet inside. It will tell you how much volts you have when starting. Let us know, that too is a problem if there old or alternator isn't preforming well. I don't know how to post the pictures but if you serach there is pictures of where all the sensors are. Print it and keep for your records.

 

Look at where the oil filter screws on. There should be a large wire....mine is orange?....if it is there follow it. I had a hard time finding mine. Where are you located?

 

How many miles are on the truck? What kind/type of oil is in it and what is the level/mileage on it? When it fails to crank, is the hpop reservoir full?

 

will do ... I am in PA

 

255000 miles , as for the oil ... it's oil that's all I know and the level looks fine , don't know what a hpop reervoir is or how to check it , but I will try to find out .

 

 

Take the hpop plug out (under powerstroke plastic if its still there ) and see if there is oil about an inch down below it. Also, check to see if tin nut is tight on the ipr solenoid.