2003 F250 7.3 156k miles , Im fixing for a family member who just bought this truck from a farmer ( so unsure of maintenance before ) but truck will not start in any temperature unless plugged in for at least an hour or more and will kill batteries trying to start if not plugged in . Thinking possible IDM or Injector Failure at this point ?? CEL is on and will come on and off alot when idling or driving and will never stay on fully but the code is for p1316 which is IDM Fault detected but I have no other codes at this time. When truck does not start it will have white smoke coming from exhaust while cranking and will smoke some if it actually fires and runs for a little while , smoke is unburnt diesel not coolant. Ive also been using Forscan to monitor data and perform tests.

So far I've Done :

• Glow Plugs ( all 8 new from ford )
• Both Valve Cover Gaskets and Harness ( from ford )
• ICP and Pigtail ( had oil inside connector )
• Cleaned EBP Sensor and Pipe
• New 6.7 Starter
• 2 New Batteries
• New Alternator
• Glow Plug Relay tested good and is getting proper voltage to glow plugs
• HPOP Oil Level is Good
• Fresh Oil Change with Hotshots Stiction
• Hotshots Extreme added to fuel tank
• Fuel Filter is new and cleaned out bottom of bowl ( had some sand in the bottom )
• Injector Buzz Test comes back good and all 8 injectors buzz and sound good
• Cylinder Contribution test comes back with only cylinder 8 which ive heard was normal on these trucks
• KOER Test will sometimes give a ebp sensor code ( even after cleaning sensor and pipe , prob bad ) and sometimes the test is good with no codes.
• KOEO Test comes back clean
• When running i can wiggle 42 pin harness and does not change how the truck is running , none of the pins are burnt or damaged
• Sometimes when i get it started sounds and feels like truck is missing even though all exhaust ports on manifolds get hot
• After running for awhile truck idles smooth and if revved to 1.1k rpms you can feel a shake but goes away if you go any lower or higher in rpms

I have probably missed something but will chime in if someone brings it up

Thank you for any help !

 

That P1316 code indicates there are codes stored in the IDM. Running the buzz test as you did should have revealed a more specific code. Can you try it again?

What is the fuel tank level? Recommend getting a number on the fuel pressure.

Is the IPR nut tight on it's solenoid?

 

Check fuel pressure, however that will not typically cause hard starts, however prolonged low pressure will damage the injectors.

Unlikely an IDM, however the HVHF IDM works great, abet expensive.

I would suspect tired injectors, especially if it was run on farm fuel a lot. (not red fuel so much as old farm stored fuel)

 

Ive ran buzz test about 15 times now even after multiple starts and driving around town still no codes , fuel level is almost full maybe a little less than full , fuel pressure I have not checked ill have to grab my gauges from work but fuel does enter the bowl pretty good equal to a 6.0 , IPR nut is tight and when I get it to run the idle is 500psi or a little more and when starting it goes up to 2000 psi or more.

 

will get my gauges from work and test fuel pressure but fuel enters the bowl pretty good and does not look weak , and yeah im on track with injectors but im trying to avoid the possiblity of putting $2000 injectors in and the problem still persist

 

Are you doing the injector electrical self test when cold?

Injector armature plate clearance issues when cold will not cause an issue when warm.

Hard/no start when cold issues are typically left up to three things on these: low compression, non-functioning glow plugs, or worn-out injectors. Two will cause white smoke when cranking and worn injectors won't smoke (because they're not injecting fuel). I just (literally 15 minutes ago) had a 1999 F550 with 156K miles leave the shop. Exact symptoms - would not start when cold unless it was plugged in. Three injectors would buzz when it was cold (and it only had two functioning glow plugs to boot). 8 new Rosewood premium rebuilt ADs and 8 ZD-30s later it's a starting-in-the-morning machine.

 

Ive done it multiple different times hot and cold , plugged in overnight and not plugged in overnight , they all buzz normally and sound good , I’m leaning towards injectors but wanted to rule everything else out before that big purchase is made , also all glow plugs and both valve cover harnesses are both brand new

 

Do you have the means to test DC amp draw in the neighborhood of 200 amps? If so I'd I'd suggest checking how many amps are actually being used by the glow plugs during a morning start attempt. Having voltage at a pin doesn't necessarily mean it's getting used. On a cold morning the system can draw in excess of 200 amps, which immediately begins to drop as the plugs warm up. On just a cool morning, 40-50 degrees, you should still see something north of 100 amps. How long are you waiting from the time the ignition is switched to on to actually cranking the starter? When the WTS light goes off the plugs are still on for up to 2 minutes. You might try letting them simmer for half a minute or so before cranking to see if it makes any difference.

On another train of thought, what does the turbo compressor wheel look like? If it's original and the blades are dusted pretty bad that would suggest the engine has ingested a fair bit of unfiltered air.

 

I do not have a way of testing that large of amperage at this time but I’ve been keeping the battery chargers on the truck when I goto start when not having it plugged in and when I cycle key on for glow plugs to come on you hear the battery charger tone drop down like it’s got a good load on it and I’ve tried just waiting for the glow plug light to go out and start and I’ve tried waiting the full amount of time the relay has power and I’ve even tried cycling the full amount of time 5 times and it still will struggle to start unless plugged in , also I’m not trying in the mornings I’m trying closer to the afternoons after work probably around 4:30pm - 5pm and the weather here in North Carolina has been above 68 f every time I’ve tried to start when not plugged in , Turbo when I pulled the intake spider off looked good and the wheel felt fine with no play , it seemed like the air filter was changed pretty regularly surprisingly it was clean in the intake boot and under the valve covers looked very clean also

another note not sure if it matters this truck is equipped with the cold weather package and does have a intake air heater even though I know it doesn’t run with starting just figured I mention that also

 

Hmm, that sounds fairly convincing for the glow plugs working, as well as not having a sandbox in the cylinders.

 

Can you pull the driver side valve cover...easiest between the 2...and check the injector armature clearance? It's fairly easy in that you remove the 4 screws on top of the solenoid, then remove the solenoid and spacer. Slide a .002" feeler under all 4 corners, and if loose try a .003" to see if it's loose or tight. Oem spec is .004" so you're likely it won't fit...

 

So I had it running yesterday ( had to have plugged in for a hour or so before it would start ) and I let it sit and idle for maybe 30/45 mins and drove it for maybe 5 miles , it since then sat over night probably 24 hours the weather here is currently 67 f , got in truck let glow plugs fully cycle then started truck it spun over 3/4 times and fired up had a bad miss to it and did a little bit of white smoke so grabbed forscan while it was still missing and shaking pretty good ran a contribution test now I’m getting cylinder 7 and 8 , I’m wondering if cylinder 7 injector is possibly leaking

 

What do you consider glow plugs "fully cycle"?

Are you using the WTS light as an indicator?

 

Key on for about 2 mins , not the WTS light

 

Ok,

Good, many make the mistake of thinking the WTS light has anything to do with the glow plugs.