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From DogRidesInBack: "What is the air temperature and how cold is the engine when it does not start versus when it does start? If the problem only happens when the engine is cold, I would want to make sure the glow plug relay and glow plugs are good."
That is what I was thinking at one point but then I came to realize that these spurts of really long starts were ONLY in the evenings. Usually after work, sitting in the parking garage and thinking, "Man, there is no wrecker big enough to haul out my vehicle from inside this parking garage. Going to have to put this in neutral and have a friend pull it out of the garage with a tow strap just to get to wrecker to haul it off." After those thoughts and a few more negative ones, it starts up!
But, ironically, it has never done this in the mornings through two winters of driving it. It has started strong in the mornings, even after multiple days of 20-30 degree weather.
Strange, huh?
So, yesterday being a federal holiday and me being in the Army, I threw in the towel and took it in to Alamo Diesel Service. I have an extra vehicle so he can keep it a while. He said he will start it three times a day, all while being monitored with the tester, hoping to eventually induce the prolonged start.
Also to answer DogRidesInBack, I think you are right about the 14V advice. I said that but I said it in error. I have never watched my guages during the prolonged starts. When I said that I have good batteries, I meant that much more simply. They sound good but I got worried about that being the mystery issue and took it to O-Reilly and their tester said both were good. I mentioned the 14+V reading because whenever I look at the guages (when driving), both Excursions always read in the 14V - 14.3V range.
If the mechanic calls me in a week or two and says, "Hey, brother, I can't find any issues. Starts like a beast every time," do you have an opinion on which tester/diagnostics kit I should buy? I was thinking to just go ahead and buy one because it looks like I'll have these two Excursions for a while. Got them both at 150,000 miles and they hold my family while pulling a big RV. Love them (except for this issue). Figure if I buy the kit, I get the door opener codes from them (x2) and almost recover the cost rather than paying Ford for the codes and then have a good diagnostic kit for the future. But, as I research, there are a number of these kits out there and I hate to spend $400 without advice.
I will come back here to post any answers I receive from the mechanic.
Also, just to give all of you tough diesel lovers a good laugh this evening, it is a very weird feeling to go from driving through base security for a long time in nice, throaty sounding, tuned Excursion with a 7.3 to this morning when I drove to work in a 2004 Honda Pilot. Same shape of vehicle but, in comparison, I felt like I was driving a circus clown-sized electric vehicle...
Did you REMOVE the batteries to test them? Testing in the truck connected to each other can give you false readings. I'd call the shop and have them start with removing the batteries and have them load tested. Then check the Alternator and clean all the connections. Keep your wallet in your pocket until you absolutely have to pull it out. s
I left the truck at the mechanic for two weeks. He said he would start it three times each day while hooked up to the diagnostic tool. Whaddaya know, after almost two weeks, not a single mis-start. Perfect starts three times a day.
Finally, I needed both Excursions for a family trip to go camping - we needed to leave in shifts because of some school commitments, etc. I wanted my wife to drive the Excursion since she'd be driving at night, even if with the starting issue. I figure that at night a deer plus Excursion is always better than a deer plus Honda Pilot...
For the first three days, no starting issues. Fourth day, I was driving it and 3 different times it went through the same issues as I've described before: 5-10 minutes for each start. Fifth day, no issues. Today was day six, no issue this morning but this afternoon following work, same problem. I figured that, since the trouble usually runs in spurts, I would go ahead and run it by the mechanic, turn it off, and see if the problem would occur in front of him with the monitor plugged in. No usual bad start (of course, mechanic watching...) but it did sputter just enough to throw off an error code! Finally, something. Error code was "P1260 - THEFT." He then asked me if "when you have trouble starting it, is the red THEFT word flashing?" And, ironically, this is one of the few things I noticed this afternoon following work. At the time, it didn't trigger in my mind that this was odd but, yes, I remembered that. He smiled and said he would research this tomorrow and call me.
Later tonight, took one of my kids out for a special night, it happened again but this time I was ready to watch the dash warnings more carefully. EVERY time it would not start, the red THEFT word was flashing. I turned the key on and off a number of times and the THEFT word stopped flashing. The truck started immediately! Next time I needed to start it tonight, same thing. So I might have the answer.
Have any of you experienced this issue before and do you have any ideas on issues that might cause that error code?
The excursion uses thr PATS system, which means a key with a chip embedded in it... therefore, your problem lies within the pats module, the key reader, the key or the wiring. Easiest thing would be to try your extra key if you have one. Next thing would be to pull the plastic loose around the steering column and check for chafed wiring (it's common with these trucks)
It should be noted, the code you got from your mechanic is a generic theft code. Within the PATS module will be a more specific code as to what is going on with the PATS system when it won't start. The list of PATS codes is in the above photos.
I have the complete 2001 Ford Super Duty/Excursion shop manuals, wiring diagrams and the 7.3L Powertrain Emissions and Control book. Same ones they use at the dealership...or used to before everything went to software.
Well seeing as your truck is no longer “stock” we need to get it as close as possible, to do that we need to pull the chip (your tuner) and see if the issue still persists to rule out your aftermarket chip
if it aint PATS related you might try looking at your starter solenoid. If the positive post is starting to fail or is loosening in the housing it will give similar symptoms.
Since I received that error code and @Nicmike posted those great photocopies, I have turned the key forward for the "wait" process and watched very carefully for the "THEFT" light. If it was on, I have not tried to start. It has started perfectly ever since. So my question is, I wonder why the THEFT light was coming on erratically and stopping my starts?
02-20-2018, 08:59 PM
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