Need a little help
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New User
Joined: Jan 2015
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Need a little help
Alright, so I am a mechanic in The Marines on LAVs (they run with a Detroit Diesel) but Im currently trying to help a friend get her 02 F350 up and running again. She had some issues getting it to start so she replaced the batteries, and plugged it in and it started up. Then some idiot said that she needed to replace the glow plugs as well, well she let him do it, but he replaced four then tried to start it. It wouldnt start at all, so he replaced the other four , now it cranks and acts like it wants to start but it wont. Ive replaced the fuel filter, flushed the fuel lines and replaced the air filter. Im not sure where to go from here....
Lead Driver
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 9,399
Likes: 188
From: Norco,CA
Well generally if you can plug it in and it starts it just the GPR. What year is the truck. If she plugs it in now will it start? If not he messed up the wiring or one of the other parts, IPR CPS wiring harnesses etc.. Check the fuses also, maybe he shorted something out.
Laughing Gas
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 804
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From: Staten Island,hamilton ny
search the forum for UVCH(under valve cover harness) there will be threads explaining how to test the wiring,also as bonanza said check the glow plug relay,there is a member here"Tugly who has links in his signature(at the bottom of his posts) to these and many more diagnostic threads,also find out what brand of glowplug the other mechanic put in,you only want motorcraft,other brands have proven problematic for many.Make sure all the sensors on top of the motor are plugged in correctly,click on almost any post on the main page and scroll down til you see the user "tugly" he also has a no/start hard start thread you can click on and refer to(he's got great info and is a tremendous help on hereto everyone)As you start to eliminate stuff keep us posted here and the guys here can steer you through anything
Hotshot
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 18,849
Likes: 179
From: Puget Sound
Wow... what an endorsement! Now I'd better not screw up.
Ughhh.... So the truck's starting fine and a friend feels the glowplugs need to be swapped out. I can see doing it as a preventative measure if you're already in there for something else, but to pop the tops without cause? That's Murphy's favorite recipe. He'll come-a-callin' to lay down the law.
As mentioned before, make sure nothing has come unplugged. If you are unsure of what to look for on a 7.3L PS, take pictures from different angles and post them here.
The UVCH link in my signature is an easy test, and I suspect your woes are in or near the VCs. You may even discover the 42-pin connector is loose, you never know. Are there any trouble lights on the dash? I realize it's not running yet, but some things may yield a clue.
Once you're past the easy and obvious stuff, the last link in my signature is just for things like this - but it's best with a scan tool/gauge. I would also look in the trash for the GP boxes. If they are Autolites, it's emergency surgery to extract those. They swell up and get stuck in the heads.
Ughhh.... So the truck's starting fine and a friend feels the glowplugs need to be swapped out. I can see doing it as a preventative measure if you're already in there for something else, but to pop the tops without cause? That's Murphy's favorite recipe. He'll come-a-callin' to lay down the law.
As mentioned before, make sure nothing has come unplugged. If you are unsure of what to look for on a 7.3L PS, take pictures from different angles and post them here.
The UVCH link in my signature is an easy test, and I suspect your woes are in or near the VCs. You may even discover the 42-pin connector is loose, you never know. Are there any trouble lights on the dash? I realize it's not running yet, but some things may yield a clue.
Once you're past the easy and obvious stuff, the last link in my signature is just for things like this - but it's best with a scan tool/gauge. I would also look in the trash for the GP boxes. If they are Autolites, it's emergency surgery to extract those. They swell up and get stuck in the heads.
Lead Driver
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 9,399
Likes: 188
From: Norco,CA
You are pretty much covered with the input above. Please report back to let us know how your doing.
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Postmaster
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 2,951
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From: Gary,Indiana
I do believe these guys touched everything that will get it running. I'm going to take a guess here that if this lady has guys lining up to work on her truck that "She is a pretty one." 
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Joined: Jan 2015
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Alright, I haven't gotten a chance to work on it since I posted last, but I'm getting ready to start. Bonanza, I was misinformed earlier, she has not tried to start it with it plugged in, that will be the first thing I try tonight. Jgilrfr and tugly thanks for the pointers, Ill check what brand the glow plugs as well. The whole reason this issue is happening is the female owner of the truck broke up with the idiot that was working on it, who actually had no clue what he was doing and purposely broke something so it wouldnt start
Senior User
Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 269
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From: Huntington WV
With the key on see with a test light if there is power across the GP relay. If you don't get power across the GP large terminals, you can take a short piece of No# 8 or larger wire and jump the GP large studs for 20 sec and see if it starts.
Hotshot
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 18,849
Likes: 179
From: Puget Sound
Oh crap. Saddle up men... this could be a reference thread.
File this under "I wouldn't try it with out one" - Scan tool/gauge. We can help with some meter readings and a lot of back-an-forth - but sabotage can be as harmless as something unplugged, or as nefarious as something broke off - and we need the engine to tell us where it hurts.
Do you have anything available, or at least a portable device?
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jonnymac
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Jan 27, 2008 08:30 PM