I just picked this truck up 3 days ago, drove the 120 miles home with no issues. It has 190,000 miles on it and was used HARD by a large construction company. Mud and dirt are everywhere in this thing. The day I got it I started and shut it off about 10 times that day without a hint of a problem. The next morning, no starty. Battery is good, no voltage at solenoid when key is turned. I did a bunch of research and am suspecting the BCM or the key. After an hour of messing around with wires and what not, it just started. Shut it off and it started again. It did this for two days and seemed I could get it to start by disconnecting and reconnecting plugs at the BCM.
Now I'm thinking that was a fluke b/c I haven't been able to start it since yesterday afternoon. One big piece of information I should share is I completely disassembled the dash. Removed instrument cluster, both air bags, radio, heater/AC controls, etc. Everything that was electronic I simply unplugged. About half way through disassembly, I started it just to make sure it still would. A few things were still connected, including the air bags. Will these trucks still start with the air bags disconnected? I've thought about plugging things back in one at a time and trying it, but since the problem started before disassembly I could be shooting in the dark. What do you guys think, should I start with a new BCM or a new programmed key? Any other ideas?

 

Update: The truck started after work today. I tried all night Sunday, monday morning & monday night and got nothing. First try turning the key and it started right up.
So, now I know... my f250 will start with absolutely no electronics in the dash connected...

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I think I'm leaning toward the BCM, going to buy one unless one of you stops me

 

What diagnostic tests have you done? Measured drop-voltage in the starting system? How’s the condition of the grounds and their mounting points? Throwing parts at a problem usually just causes frustration, as well as a lighter wallet.

In my experience, an intermittent is always an electrical problem. Green krusties on wiring connection points, or on the back of the fuse box is a common find. As is poor connector pin fitment, bad ground connection and horrible corrosion underneath starting cable/battery cable sheath.

Often it’s a simple, cheap fix. Only way to find it is using your test light or multimeter.

— Dave

 

Thanks for the advice Dave. You're probably right about corrosion, I have a feeling they pressure washed the inside of this truck out by all the mud I've found in cracks and crevices. The fuse panel is near the floor on the passenger side and there's a good chance water sat around it. I'll start there. I've already checked the battery terminals and have wiggled a bunch of wires while trying to start. I guess I don't know which harnesses do what so I probably should narrow that down first.