Hey guys, sometime next month i will be moving to a new apartment, and they dont have an outlet for me to plug my truck in at night. Ive been expecting this, so in the last month ive replaced both batteries w/ 750cca group 31 batteries, redid all cable ends w/ new crimp/solder terminals, and replaced all 8 glow plugs w/ berus. The PO said he put a new starter in the truck recently, and i believe him, its one of the few shiney parts under there lol.

My problem is that it will not start in the morning now w/out being plugged in. The WTS light stays on for roughly 10 sec (i keep forgetting to actually time it) and it turns over plenty fast, but i have yet to get it to start w/out a quick shot of starting fluid. got any ideas on what else i should be checking/replacing, or should i just put in a push button and run the GP a little longer? thanks for any help!

 

The wait to start light doesnt actually display the full length of when the glow plugs are on. Theyr're actually on for much longer after the light turns off.

 

I doubt that. as soon as the light goes out the draw on the batteries lessens substantially. thats when they begin cycling on and off, and i cant see the point in waiting through all that also, things must be cooling down

 

Yeah, I don't know where that came from, the same circuit that energizes the GPs powers the light.

 

Nope.

I'll second this.
My truck glows for a couple more seconds after the WTS light goes out.

I use the battery gauge to see when the glow plugs are hot.

 

At what temperature will it fail to start?

How does it start above that temp? Does it start on the first quick spin, or what?

When you say, "won't start," how many spins do you give it before deciding it won't start?

 

Yeah, I guess I could have tried to actually help instead of.... " ME TOO!! "

Does the cold advance and high idle work?
If so, can you hear the difference in the "crackle" of the engine when it kicks off?

Advancing timing can help cold starts and drivability..

 

Sorry guys i didnt see what forum i was in. I know that on the 7.3 PSD the glow plugs stay on for a while after the wts light. It actually makes the headlights dim for bout a minute after the truck starts until the gp's turn off. Im not sure if the IDI is the same or not.

 

I have experienced your problem exactly in the past. After checking all the normal stuff I replaced the injectors and my truck would start right away all the time without being plugged in. I had the same issue with being at an apartment. check this thread
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...injectors.html

I also know that my IP needs replacement, or the timing adjusted, or both. This would make that last bit of improvement I need to have a strong cold starting truck. But the injectors are an easy fix to get you by. At least it worked for me.

 

Its hard to say at what temps exactly, as ive just recently done all this work. Before if it was below about 45* i HAD to plug it in, or it would not start again after an 8 hr shift at work.
It did start in ~30* weather yesterday after not being plugged in for 8 hrs, so that is an improvement. It coughed, spit, and sputtered for about 15 sec, but it did start.
BUT this morning, after temps dipped into the low 20s for the night, it would not start. I let it crank for 15 sec or so, cycled the GPs twice, tried cranking again. Not even a pop. hit it w/ 2 quick squirts of starting fluid, and she started right up.
If its warm, or has been driven in the last 3-4 hrs, it starts right up, almost no cranking.

I have no idea how many miles are on the truck, the odo reads 155k but the whole cluster is out of a gasser. in the drivers door jamb are a bunch of 6 digit numbers, im betting oil change intervals before the cluster crapped out. highest number there is 190k. No idea about cold advance or high idle, how do i check those? listening to it idle when warm id say it idles a bit fast, but my tach doesnt currently work either, so i cant say for sure.

Sorry for the long post, i am very grateful for all the help!

 

I have to agree with Johnny...this could easily have nothing to do with the length of glo plug cycles...but, rather, a general Diesel performance issue. Like Uber-old injectors or IP.

I have read these injectors and IPs are often ready for rebuild at 100k. Is that right? Anyone out there happy with their truck which has, say, 200k injectors and IP in them?

Toy

 

Y'know, I had this problem before - in any cold, it /would not/ start, at least not without practically running down the batteries.

I added new glow plugs(manually controlled), and that didn't help much.
What did, strangely enough, was when I added my turbo. Part of doing that was that I upped the fuel in the pump(because the engine could now handle it) beyond what was before the 'black smoke while floored' point, and now it starts right up, even in -10F weather... But it does give me a bit of a cloud of smoke, and /smells/ like a diesel, which it didn't really before.

Not sure entirely why, whether the turbo, even while cranking, is helping slightly, or just /more fuel while cranking/, but it made a huge difference.

 

How are your return lines? Air intrusion will make cold starting harder. 20* is nothing for these trucks. Both mine fire right up all the way down to about 5-10 below without the block heater.

 

Your wait to start light is a ground signal from the controller...Next time you can just listen to the relay and you should here it cycle on and off about the same time the light goes out...When you are starting it make sure to hit the throttle once to set the High idle...You should also check to see if your High idle solenoid is working...I also agree you might have air intrusion causing fuel to drain out of the system causing hard starts...Or park outside your bedroom window and drop a cord down to your Truck..LOL

 

i will second the needs injectors and possibly injector pump.
injectors are the best $400 you will ever throw at a truck with unknown miles.
i am on my third set, but need new ones again.