Hi everyone, im new to this forum and diesels, even though im only 15, i know alot about vehicles, mostly gas and i want to start learning about diesels because i am getting my neighbors 2001 f-250 supercab auto lariat with 115,000 miles on it, and i was really impressed on how it moves. But my first question is, he has a 2002 f-250 w/the diesel and in about 25 degree weather, it would not start no matter what, until we plugged it in for a few minutes, now why would it do this? and are all like this? second, what are you talking about when you say the start up light, i never saw that showing on the dash when i start it up. Is there any other things i should know about, like anything that goes bad? ive been reading about people replacing alot of cam positioning sensors, now what do those do? and we go up to our house in the adirondacs and it gets cold up there, now do i have to add diesel treatment EVERY tank so it doesnt gel and for easy starts or no? any comments are greatly appreciated as it will help me with this beast. and why do they hold so much oil? my jaw dropped when i saw that they hold 15 qts compared to 6qts that goes into my dads 5.4L. once again any help is appreciated and i look forward to hearing the responces from you and mostly getting my truck!

 

Welcome...

Don't know why plugging it in for a couple of minutes would have helped.. normal warming on the block heater would take a couple of hours minimum.

The wait to start light is probably what you are reading about. Glow plugs are the heating elements for each cylinder and the computer reads the temperature sensors and controls the glow plug cycle time. When the wait to start light goes out, you should be able to start it up.

Search this site and absorb all you can! Folks here are not only intelligent, they're pretty smart too!

Take good care of that truck, my first truck was 22 years old, ran on two of the eight cylinders and had no upholstery on the seat. But I was really happy..

 

Welcome!

That's a nice truck to get as a first vehicle. My first one was a Bronco, and had to rebuild the engine to get it running. Good learning experience, and it made me appreciate what I had a little better. I'll answer your questions in order:

Cold weather starting: If it's not starting, check glow plugs and/or wiring harness for the glow plug relay. Glow plugs preheat the cylinders before cranking. You have to remember that there are no spark plugs, so you need lots of compression and some heat to ignite the fuel and get her running. Also, most folks run a thinner oil in the winter to help it crank better when cold. Thick oil becomes extremely thick in cold weather, and the injectors on diesels actually run off high pressure oil lines. If it cranks after plugging it into the block heater, I would suspect the glow plugs and/or relay first.

The startup light: This is a light on the dash that comes on when the key is in the on position, letting you know the glow plugs are warming up. When this light goes out, it means the truck is ready to start. You don't have to crank it the instant the light goes out. The glow plugs will continue to heat for about 2 minutes, and in cold weather, you might want to let them cycle for a bit to make cranking easier. My '02 has a (for a lack of better explaination) squiggly loop line that indicates the glow plug relay. I think the '01 has that as well, older trucks had a light that says "wait to start".

Cam Position Sensor: Some folks have had problems, others have not. This sensor is located at the front of the engine slightly to the passenger side. Symptoms of this going out are intermittent loss of power and or sudden engine shutdown. This sensor does what it says, it checks the position of the cam.

Diesel treatment: There are different brands, check them out. Most do almost the same thing. I run Diesel Kleen in mine, and it helps a bit with cold weather starting. Also I notice less white smoke in the morning when I'm using it. Some say it helps quiet the engine a bit and smooth out the idle. I personally notice no difference. Milage never really changed with it either, but I like the easier starting on cold mornings.

Oil: Yes they take a lot of oil. It's a big engine, and the injectors as well as the turbo require engine oil to function and/or lubricate properly. The good thing is that most people don't have to change oil every 3,000 miles. I change mine every 5-6K, but I don't do much heavy towing, just hauling stuff from time to time, and lots of town and highway driving. The type of oil MUST be rated for diesel engines. Most popular is Shell Rotella-T, or for synthetic, Mobil Delvac. These oils have the neccessary additives to prevent foaming, which is bad for your injectors.

Main thing for you is proper maintenance. Being new to diesels there is a lot to learn, but if you take care of it, it will last a long long time. Change your oil, air filter, and fuel filter on a regular basis. It is extremely easy to change them, so don't relax and let them go too long. You'll pay dearly in the long run. Change your fuel filter every 15K miles, and check the air filter regularly at every oil change. Other than that, follow the manual for regular coolant, transmission, differential, and other maintenance that any other vehicle would require.

Good luck, and have fun with your truck.

Oh, I just realized. You keep reading these forums, you are seriously going to get the "mod bug". Watch out, your parents might not appreciate you doing burnouts and smoke outs down the neighborhood street!

 

Thanks alot guys, you helped alot, now i heard to change the fuel filter every oil change, so at 15k miles, will it harm the engine or no?

 

I change mine every 15K miles. The only exception is when I got 2 tanks of bad diesel in one month (from 2 different stations). My fuel filter clogged fast and my truck ran like a slug. I changed the filter after only about 6K miles on it, put a bunch of Diesel Kleen in the tank, and was good to go again.

Just pay attention to how your truck is running. If it starts running sluggish, usually the easiest solution is fuel filter first.

 

I agree with Pocket on the length of time between fuel filters. Just my 2 cents: Change the filter as soon as you get your truck and then check it at about 8000 miles. Depending on where you get your fuel will determine to some extent on the time you can go between changing it.

 

how can you tell when the filters dirty? is it just like an air filter? or does it just get black in it