I have a 97 F350 Dually 7.3 with 104,000 miles on it. Never had a single thing go wrong with truck until this morning. I was sitting at a red light waiting for it to turn green and the truck just cut off. Spins over good, just will not show any sign of trying to start. The "wait to start light" does not light up and the tach needle does not move as engine is turning over. A heavy diesel mechanic came by and stopped to try and help. He checked a few things and said it was most likely the cam sensor. Can anybody shed any light on this by what I have said. If it is cam sensor, how big of a job is that in terms of time and money. I have a couple of old cars and work on them a lot, but have never messed with my diesel other than change oil and coolant. Is this something a pretty good back yard mechanic with a good assortment of tools could do? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

 

No wait to start light is usually fuse 22. It powers the fuel bowl heater those wires will short out and blow the fuse. Fuse 22 also powers your pcm.
Check fuse 22. If it's blown unplug your fuel bowl heater and put a new fuse in.

No tach movement when cranking is associated with a cps issue usually. A cps is about $40 and is simple to change.

 

Check fuse 22 in the under hood power distribution center. I'm guessing it is blown. That fuse feeds power to both the relay for the PCM and to the fuel bowl heater. If the heater has broken loose from the plate it mounts to and shorted against the side of the bowl it will blow that fuse and kill the truck. You can just unplug the wire (the middle one) on the side of the fuel filter housing, replace the fuse and go. Some choose not to replace the heater at all, others upgrade to an updated design, but the fact that the Wait to Start light won't come on means there is no power to the PCM.

Edit: You beat me, Rick!

 

Thanks for the quick replies and good advice. One more question. Where is the under hood power distribution center and the fuel bowl heater located in the engine compartment. I know where the fuel filter housing is as I have changed the fuel filter before. Also, I have read the supplemental engine owners manual and it makes a important point about the absolute importance of keeping the coolant clean and changed and I have done this and I also used the PH charged Fleet antifreeze and also added several bottles of the 6oz Ford coolant additive, and I also bought some of the test strips to check the ph level of the coolant from NAPA. Is there a coolant filter on the truck anywhere that I could change? My wife and I recently both retired and we are using the truck to pull a 34 ft 5th wheel camper.

 

The under hood power distribution center is on the driver side inner fender and has a black plastic cover on it. Pop that cover off (it has a latch tab on the side nearest the engine) and check fuse 22. The fuel bowl heater is inside the fuel filter housing, but disconnecting the wire to it can be done without opening the housing. You can just unplug it, tape the wire up so it doesn't short out against anything and run it. Many, MANY of us in cold climates don't use them anymore. With the newer formulations of diesel with additives in them already, the heater is a lot less important than it was when these trucks were designed 20 years ago.

SCA maintenance is important for longevity, and it sounds like you're on the right track to monitoring that system. As for coolant filtration, there is no coolant filter on the engine from the factory, but it is a popular addition. You can either tap a filter base into the existing lines or install a water pump off a school bus with the same engine that has a filter base built into the pump. If you're interested in going that route, there are lots of step by step write-ups on how to do either method.

 

Got lucky guys. The problem was a shorted wire in the fuel bowl. Didn't need a sensor. Repaired the short, replaced the fuse, and all is well. Thanks very much for the right advise and help. You people are the best.

 

Do yourself a favor and keep a spare fuse and spare CPS in your glove box with a 10mm (I think) wrench.