Won't start when cold, intermittantly
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New User
Joined: Oct 2006
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Won't start when cold, intermittantly
Here is a tough one. My 1996 7.3L normally starts within seconds. But, once in a while, it just cranks. No colored smoke. I see the alternator recording a discharge.
After 15 seconds, I stop. Reset the key and wait again. Then it comes... a thud under the hood. Not the sound of a small relay, but something to make the engine shudder.
After that thud, I crank and it fires up right away. Nobody has been able to diagnose this on other sites. Everyone says it is the relay. I have had the original relay replaced before. I cannot check voltages as this is so intermittant and obviously knows when I am ready with the voltmeter to check the relay!
Any suggestions?
After 15 seconds, I stop. Reset the key and wait again. Then it comes... a thud under the hood. Not the sound of a small relay, but something to make the engine shudder.
After that thud, I crank and it fires up right away. Nobody has been able to diagnose this on other sites. Everyone says it is the relay. I have had the original relay replaced before. I cannot check voltages as this is so intermittant and obviously knows when I am ready with the voltmeter to check the relay!
Any suggestions?
Post Fiend
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 5,903
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From: MICHIGAN
That's going to be tough to diagnose unless you're willing to check everthing b4 every cold start-up. Yep, PSD's are mind readers. 
Get it scanned for codes, it may have stored one even though the MIL is not on.
Get it scanned for codes, it may have stored one even though the MIL is not on.
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New User
Joined: Oct 2006
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I did run a code check and found the truck has zero hits. Pretty good anyway. I wish it would just not start every cold morning and not be intermittant. It is like the fuel doesn't get to the engine until the clunk. If it were the gp relay, I would think not waiting for it to heat up after the clunk would cause it to not start right away. However, as soon as the clunk appears and I turn on the ignition and start immediately, it fires right up.
There must be some control that shuts off the fuel until it is released.
There must be some control that shuts off the fuel until it is released.
