I need help, i'm pulling my hair out on this one. It's a 97 F250HD with 149k miles since new.
The story so far:
A month ago during a cold spell (9 degrees out) my truck wouldn't start, so I plugged it in for a couple hours. Got it started, went to the movies, came out 10:00pm and it wouldn't start again. We caught an Uber home, came back the next day and finally got it to start on starting fluid and got it home to the shop.
Since then i've read 500 threads, followed a repair decision tree, and replaced a BUNCH of parts. It's still back where I started.
No smoke when cranking, so I started working on it. The tach shows 100-200 rpm when cranking plus it already has the grey CPS from the recall. Replaced the GPR, tested all glow plugs and found one that is questionable. Did not replace it yet. I replaced the ICP sensor, and both new batteries. Got an app and dongle so I could monitor the engine when cranking. App showed 167 ICP pressure and 54% IPR effort, but no start. Replaced the IPR No start. Replaced the HPOP with an Adrenaline HPOP, new fuel lift pump, replaced all fuel hoses, new fuel heater plate, rebuilt the filter housing with new rebuild kit, rebuilt the fuel pressure regulator plus new screens. All parts are FoMoCo except the Adrenaline HPOP. New IPR pigtail. I put it all together and it started.
But... I've driven it a couple hundred miles, readings are perfect. When it runs it's great, but it won't reliably start. It may or may not start, and when it doesn't start it still shows low ICP around 200-280psi. Just like it was a month and $2,000 bucks ago.
I might walk off and come back 4 hrs later and it fires right up, runs perfect, idles at 580 psi ICP. Today I put another CPS just for the heck of it, whats another 35 bucks after throwing 2k at it. Nope the CPS didn't help, but I have one for the glove box now.
I consider the injector o rings as a loss of ICP pressure, but can't reconcile that they would heal themselves on one start, leak on the next.
I'm considering the Injection Control computer but not sure it these symptoms are aligned with a failure of that box.
Any advice is appreciated.
Tom

 

No smoke when cranking when it's cold says the injectors aren't firing. What kind of voltage reading are you getting while cranking? You said you installed 2 new batteries, did you check the connections at the other ends of your cables? The ground wires especially? Do you have any other electrical gremlins going on with your truck?

 

The cables are good, voltage is not a problem. It's got 2 new 850cca batteries, 12.4 drops to 11.3 during cranking. One guy suggested a broken check ball in the HPOP, but I can't reconcile that it would be the same problem on both pumps (old & new).
Also i'll add that it has new oil, HPOP reservoir is 3/4 from the top at all times. So I don't think it's the LPOP.

 

 

Lo HPOP pressure could be Low oil level,IPR sticking, LPOP sucking air, bad injector oring

add in 2 quarts and does it start better? this will rule out low oil and LPOP suckin air

remove VC and see if an injector is bubbling oil around the base for a bad oring

IPR sticking would seem odd since it runs well once started but then again weird things happen.

 

My app doesn't show rpm during cranking, I just read it off the dash tach. It shows 100-200 during cranking. It is full to the dipstick mark of new oil. The IPR is a FoMoCo factory part. I borrowed a engine scanner today I plan to hook up and see what I can learn.
My next step is pull the valve covers and see what's going on in there.
thanks

 

Sounds like you checked the glow plugs with a meter? Just now removing the valve covers?

 

I'm a little more informed this evening. I borrowed a scan tool and it showed a P1283 IPR continuity failure. I separated the connector at the fuel filter bowl and ohm tested the IPR solenoid, which was good. I checked continuity from the connector to the PCM relay and it was good. I couldn't go further since i don't have a breakout box as recommended by Ford diagnostics. But after I reconnected everything and clearing codes it started and idled.
I'll try it again tomorrow and watch it on the scanner.

 

Hope it was just a connection, but if the problem comes back try the newer CPS (dark gray with purple o-ring). The grey CPS "from the Ford recall" never did work very well and caused similar problems. Don't overlook it and keep dumping money down the tube as it's the heartbeat of the engine.

 

It seems the standard test for the CPS is to see if it shows RPM when cranking, which is did with the prior CPS and with the new one. What am I missing?

 

 

depends on the flashed version of PCM, mine will fire at slow cranking speeds

 

It cranks at 165rpm.
I keep seeing the P1283 IPR circuit fault code. Everything i read about this code says its a wiring or IPR issue. Today it would start with the ICP plug removed from the new sender. It would run for about 10 seconds then shut off. The code points me at the IPR or IPR wiring problem, and the start-with-ICP-unplugged tells me the IPR is not working. I suppose the new HPOP could be defective with a bad check ball or something, but unlikely.
I pulled the fuel filter housing, removed the lower harness, cleaned and inspected it. The coil on the new IPR ohms out at 10 ohms, which sounds correct to me. I pulled the harness apart at the 42 pin connector and removed the loom cover and inspected the harness, and verified continuity from end to end on the two IPR wires.
The P1283 code persists so I pulled the filter bowl and removed the lower harness and inspected and tested it. I pulled the new IPR and cleaned it and checked for damage or contamination. I reinstalled the harness onto the IPR and the code persists.
I can't find anything wrong with the IPR wiring or IPR, should I be looking at the PCM?
thanks

 

Hi Tom, at this point, it seems like you have replaced most of the "low hanging" fruit (in quotes because you've done a LOT of work to this truck), so I think PCM or injector o-rings could be logical next things to look at. The trouble with a bad PCM is that if it has failed internally, you can't really take the codes or anything as gospel (since they come from the PCM). I've heard of trucks trucks act like they have a failed transmission, or a bunch of other bizarre symptoms and it ends up being the PCM.

That said, if you haven't been under the valve covers yet, I would suggest that before you spend the money on another PCM. You'll be looking for 2 things specifically - 1 burned wiring connections and 2 oil bubbling out between an injector and the head. These are free things to check, so I think it would be worth the trouble.

Another thing you could try is the next time it doesn't start, give it a huff of starting fluid. Generally, I wouldn't counsel anyone toward using starting fluid on a PSD because of the glow plug system, but there is a safe way to do this. The safe way to do this is to leave the key in the run position, with the trans in P (or neutral if its a 5 speed), then go under the hood, jump across the 2 large terminals of the starter relay with a big screwdriver and once it starts cranking, shoot the go juice into the filter. The reason I suggest this is that if you DO have an HPO leak under the covers somewhere, oftentimes getting the engine to kick over on starting fluid will spin the HPOP fast enough that it will build the necessary HPO pressure at the ICP for the IDM to fire the injectors and start the truck. If it starts and runs that way, using your scanner see what the IPR duty cycle is at idle. It will be higher than normal if you're bypassing HPO through blown o-rings.

Hopefully these things help.

 

That's sound advice, and I appreciate you taking the time to respond. I can add that after I replaced all the parts and it ran right for a couple hundred miles it seemed normal. I monitored it closely with my app, and it appeared fixed. For a short time it did everything perfect, start quickly, idle smooth, acceleration, etc. Then it would start, not start the next time. and 3 hours later start again with normal readings. When it refused to start the ICP was 190-240psi consistently. Then later the same day i'd crank it and watch it start at 580-600 psi ICP. At that time I figured bad injector O rings would be consistently bad. plus i didn't relish the thought of pulling the valve covers unless i had to lol. I'll add that i've buzz tested the injectors a couple times through this and they pass.
During the time i was running again I collected some readings at different RPMs;
579 psi IPR 12.94%
712 psi IPR 13.3%
780 IPR 14.12%
584psi IPR 11.76%
804psi IPR 12.94%
1497psi IPR 23.14%