Well the temperatures dropped below zero degrees (F) and the old 1999 F-250 (build date 12/98) will not start. Nothing unusual about that.


Cranks but will not fire.
Block heater plugged in constantly.
Fuel bowl shows no gelling and fuel drains when the lever is opened.
Winter Diesel Blend with 16 ounces of Diesel 911 White.
Glow Plug relay replaced last winter.
30 Amp Fuse in under dash block is fine. Bowl heater?

Now here is the mystery.
These start failures only occur the morning after I fill the tank.
When the fuel level is down some, it starts when cold.


I cannot see if there is white smoke while cranking, my neck is not long enough :-) and I do not like to keep on cranking if it will not fire.


When it does start in cold conditions there is abundant white smoke until warmed up.


I am guessing the following:


Glow plus are old and could be weak.
or
there is water in the tank and a full fuel level aggravates this.
or
Some senor is not doing what needs be done.


Now, when the temperature gets around 30 degrees, it will start.


Solution:
Build an insulated space for it in the tractor shed and add a heater. Keeping it warm may solve a lot of cold start problems.


Any other thoughts?

 

• Is your block heater working (is the engine hot?)
• Are you running Rotella T6 or some synthetic oil?
• Regardless of your glow plug relay, are your glow plugs working? (does battery voltage take a big hit when you first turn the ignition on, indicating a strong current draw from the glow plugs)

 

remove fuel caps on tanks and see if it starts next time


You might have vapor lock in the tank which wont allow fuel to be pumped

 

If there is vapor lock, wouldn't that suggest that the fuel tank vent is plugged and needs to be cleaned?

 

The only time I have seen anything similar to vapor lock was on a chassis cab with the laminated tank after a friend ran it ran out of fuel. We poured a few gallons in and the fuel pump wouldn't prime the fuel bowl until you removed the cap from the fuel tank and the cap on the fuel bowl simultaneously. Probably could have opened the fuel bowl drain valve in lieu of removing the fuel bowl cap.

Could that instance and this one be due to a weak fuel pump? and/or as F250 pointed out a clogged vent?

Do you have a way of measuring fuel pressure?

 

Block heater working. Engine is warm but not hot It is about 12 degrees here and will drop to -15 degrees tonight.


Affirmative on the T-6


When ignition is switched on Voltage gauge needle is at about 10 indicating a draw, I guess.


Tried starting with the fuel filler cap off. No apparent vapor lock.

 

You can tell if the glow plugs are coming on by the cab light dimming. You do know they stay on for up to 2 mins right? You can let them glow a while longer after the WTS light goes off. I wonder if some of them are burned out. Also are you getting decent RPM while cranking? Sure doesn't make sense though that it won't start even plugged in. I would probably install a fuel pressure gauge just so you'll know if that is a problem, or not. These trucks, especially at their age, need the FP gauge that Ford forgot. I hate being in the dark about what my fuel is doing.

Sounds pretty cold up there, are you in Mora County by chance?

 

Thanks for reminding me the glow plugs stay lit for longer than the dash light indicates. I recall that to be true. It is possible some of them are weak with age. They are old. Fuel pressure gauge might be a worth while addition.













North of Mora County, Taos County on the border with Colorado. 7,778 feet. So, it gets cold enough.

 

If you have 10V at key on you either have glow plugs on or a weak battery. What voltage do you have with key off?

 

I love it up there, my ancestors arrived in Santa Fe around 1600. My great grandparents had 200 acres in Chacon (9,000 feet) and founded the Presbyterian church there in 1879, which still stands today. My great grandfather hauled freight over the Raton pass from Trinidad with horse and wagon before the rail road came.

 

Your people arrived just in time for the Taos Revolt, 1680. Lucky they got through that. The history of this area is certainly interesting and it took some mighty tough people to settle northern NM.


The old wagon road from Cimarron to our location, Costilla, is still intact but is now a Forest Service Road. When I moved here in '98, there was still one old timer, the last of the Vermejo Park cowboys who remembered the livestock drives from the rail head in Raton to here and vice versa.