At least mine is. its only 39* out, and the damn thing wont run I sat there for 30 freaking minutes and I swear I had to have turned on those glow plugs at LEAST 65 times!!!

And the SOB still wont run!

 

Sounds like you either have bad batteries, or bad glows...
Any smoke when you crank it over?

 

If its running right it will start all the way to -10 without a block heater. Cold starting seems to be a big problem on the older PSD's I think Ford messed up or something becasue a ton of them have failing glowplugs or failing glowplug relays. I have been lucky so far no problems with cold starting yet.

 

give it a shot of ether!!! it will fire right up!!! its not like the older idi's, you can give psd's more ether because they have less compression ratio. you will never need glowplugs or block heaters again. give her a good 1'second snort (but not much more) and she'll pop off better than a gasser

 

No no no no no no.... Ether in our DI diesels will certainly lead to an early engine burial! You're way better off finding the problem, then just band-aid'n it by using ether.
__________________
2002 F-350 XLT 4x4 PSD 6spd SC SB SRW
2001 400ex SportTrax
1990 F-150 Lariat 4x4 I-6 5spd RC SB
---Also in Family---
2003 F-250 XLT FX4 6.0PSD TSA SC SB
2001 F-150 XLT 4x4 5.4 AT SC SB

 

You sir are an idiot. A PSD still has glow plugs, ether is stil a VERY bad idea unless they are disabled, and even then, it's still a less than desirable starting method on this engine. And, at 39 degrees, it should fire up even without the glows. It won't like it, and it'll smoke like hell, but, it should start.

However, if his batteries are the problem, it would still not start unless he kept it running on ether long enough for it to put some charge into the batteries.
A powerstroke needs a minimum of 10 volts to fire the injectors. At 9.9 volts, it will spin over all day, but never deliver any fuel.

 

i have ran powerstrokes off straight ether before(but not for very long) i know the limits of it. i know its not the best thing in the world to do to any engine, it has the same effects on gasolines as to diesels. we use ether as a starting aid in my grandpa's d-8 bulldozers and they run for 10 or more years before they are so worn out they they burn 3-4 gallons of oil a day and it has never hurt the dozer motor. its just all the meat-heads that dont know how to use it, if you dont use too much at a time, its perfectly fine. the diesel fuel has enough lube to compensate after the ether dries out the cylinders i know. i bet these guys have never even TRIED ether because they are scared of it. if they were talking from experience, they would agree with me and i dont like people calling me sir and idiot in the same sentance. better be glad i have enough self controll not to drive all the way to yankeeland ontario and use ether to blow your truck up (i can very easily do that too)

 

Assumptions, assumptions.

 

I would have to agree with cgl. I had the same problem with starting and found I had 3 bad glow plugs and a glow plug relay out. After swapping the glow plugs and relay fires up just fine. Stranded up in the Uinta's and new to diesel I gave it a shot of starter fluid. When I got back to town I talked to my mechanic He said "DO NOT ever try that again, you're lucky to still have an engine!'

 

Ooh boy, personal threats now, I'm starting to wonder if I shouldn't have called you son, your level of maturity has me wondering...
Yankeeland Ontario? That's to my south east. Up here, it's colder than hell, and I'm north of MN, take a look at a map...
A D-8 engine is NOT a T444E, never has, never will be, and I'm betting that it has an ether start system to start with.
I'll have you know that I have lots of experience with ether start engines like the DT 466, and the 4 cylinder case in my '61 D21, and experience with them in REAL cold. I'm talking -50 before windchill.

I have used ether on a T444E before. If you know what you are doing, it is a relatively safe practice, but I see no reason to do it unless it absolutley has to be started and there is no diagnosing it's starting system where it is, as, if it is the batterys being under voltage, there is NO FUEL being injected. This is not a mechanical engine that will inject fuel so long as it'll rotate. If the IDM does not see 10 volts, it WILL NOT fire the injectors. PERIOD
It certainly isn't something you just recommend doing to someone that you do not know or have any real idea as to their level of skills or understanding of what you tell them to do. And, telling someone to use ether on a glow plug engine without first telling them to disable the glows is pure idiocy.
And reccomending the use of ether over a block heater? That's pure genious. Lets accelerate engine wear even more by making an engine who'se cylinders are so cold that it will barely start run on fuel with no lubrication value...
At -40, the block heaters are the difference between my 460 starting on the second turn, and having to hook up the second battery so it will turn over. With a diesel, this effect is only accelerated.

 

Just say no to ether. The air intake heater will ignite ether instantaneously and ruin your day...not to mention your truck.

Mustangfreak, are those the original batteries in your '97 PSD? If so, that's the most likely culprit. But like 82F100SWB said, if the IDM doesnt see at least 10 volts, you'll sit there a-crankin' but not a-startin'.

Another possibility is the CPS is shot.

 

i used to have an old school 7.3 idi n/a and i rigged up a can of ether to the cab of the truck with a tube running throught the ac vent. originally i used it to help it start, but i quickly discovered that it is a real power booster, kinda like nitrous or propane, floor the old ford and run that ether in and it will either spin the tires or slip the clutch, i sold that truck 5 years ago and i still see it running around town. the motor has never blew up to my knowledge.

 

Ether is a no no I don't care how well versed you are in using it....extremely flammable liquid and red hot glow plugs DO NOT MIX period end of story!

Mustangfreak I'll bet your glow plug relay is shot. Spend the $42.00 and get a Stancor, the NAPA gpr-109/110 are junk mine lasted about 6 months. To test your GPR short the two big terminals with a jumper cable clamp or insulated pliers for about 20 seconds then light it up. You can meter the gp's thru the valve cover connectors the 2 outside pins to ground should be between 1-5 ohms.

Start with the simple GPR and go from there, let us know how you do with it.


John

 

i'v got the same problem as mustangfreak, (have another thread on here somewhere past few days) and the GPR is fairly new....now i did get it from autozone, so i don't know if its any good, its all i could get at the time. if i cycle the plugs enough times it will start. it was about 58 degrees this mornin and i had to cycle probably 15 times or so....and even then this afternoon at work maybe 10 times ot start, and its close to 80. i'm just gonna go ahead and change the plugs as soon as i have time....

 

Ijust changed the gp's in my 99 250 SD. Not all that hard if you take your time. Took me about 4 hrs. Mine was kinda doing the same thing at the same temps. I found if i gave it a bit of throttle while i was turning it over it would start. Smoked like crazy though and idled ruff until it got some heat in it. But after the new plugs man what a differance! No probs. Had about 30* here the other morning. I reached in and it fired right up. I will still plug it in as it is easier on the motor but i wanted to make sure it worked. The relay for my heated intake needs to be replaced so i'm sure i'll have no probs. this winter. Good luck with your truck! P.S I seen a buddie blow a brand new muffler wide open by using ether! Not a pretty site. I would stay away from it! Only my 2 cents!