got a 97 powerstroke turbo diesel with 300k. truck wont start on its own, but if u hit it with a little starting fluid she'll hesitate but run on her own. i know starting fluid is bad for the motor but the truck was givin to me, and i just wanted to see what shed do. if u have the have the pedal flored it wont reach over 2,000 rpm. she dont smoke or burn any oil. please help a man in need out. thanks again guys

 

check the oil level. does the truck have a block heater plug in the front? it will look like an extension cord and it should be somewhere around the grill or the front bumper. also the glow plug relay might be bad. it is located under the black plastic lid that says powerstroke diesel under the hood. it looks like a ford starter selenoid and is located to the right of the fuel bowl.

-Brian

 

These motors should start up in 10* weather with the glow plugs in working order. It kinda sounds like a fuel problem if you cant get it to go over 2k rpms. Change out the fuel filter and also clean the screen in the fuel pressure regulator.

Also when you do use the starting fluid make sure the glow plugs are not on

 

Check glow plug relay for for broken wires. the truck won't go over 2000 rpms if the ebpv is working when it cold needs to warm up.

 

When you hit the key from of to the on position, do you hear the relay engage in the motor compartment? Have you checked all fuses in your panel int he truck as well as the panel under the hood? It sounds like a glow plug problem. Does it run after you hit it with SF, or does it die? Have you had a chance to get it warm yet? You may have the EBV still pluggede in, and mine wont run in park over 2 k if that is plugged in.

 

hey todd, i do hear the relay enguage in the motor compartment, and i have checked all fuses inside the cab and under the hood. and after i use the sf she will run on her own but idle real rough. ive had her idle like the for about 20 mintues until the motor was at normal operating temp. would that still be a glowplug issue? really appriciate all the help guys big pat on the back

 

Do you have access to a scan tool that can read data? I am going to guess an Injector pressure regulator (IPR) o-ring issue, injector o-ring or HPOP problem.

 

Check the two large posts on the glow plug relay,, the voltage should be close to battery voltage on each....Make sure the batteries are up to it & the motor is spinning over as it should....

 

Given to you? You lucky dog! Don't worry about the mileage, it should have that much more still in it. You should notice that your voltmeter drops way down when the glowplugs turn on, and comes back up when they turn off. Just for a quick easy check, while the glow plugs are on, short together the 2 large terminals on the glow plug relay. If you get no arc, that means they are already connected internally and the relay is working, or all the glow plugs or the wiring going to them is bad. If you do get an arc, then you probably have a bad glow plug relay and at least some good glow plugs. The wiring that goes to the glow plugs and to the injectors runs through the valve cover gaskets and to the top of the cylinder heads. The UVC (Under Valve Cover) harness could cause the hard start and the rough running. Don't forget that the valve cover gasket is also part of the electrical system and to inspect it closely on both sides. I am willing to bet that for not much money, you can bring this truck back to life pretty easily. NO MORE STARTING FLUID!! You might turn a small problem into a big problem. Good luck with it and let us know what you find, and welcome to FTE.

 

Guys, think your all missig wha he posted, except for tj. If the truck was ran for 20 mins and was still a rough idle, I doubt it would be glow plug ANYTHING. In that amount of time, the rest of he motor should have built up enough heat to Jumpstart the dead cylinder. The only things that I would check if you dont have a scan tool would be fuel filter, and FPR screen. Otherwise, your going to need a scanner to se what code your getting. Is it REAL rough idle, or does it sound like it has a big cam type idle, like built v8 gasser. I wonder if he could have a dead pin in the VCWH??

 

This is what I responded to.......

 

hey todd i changed the fuel filter, air filter and checked the fpr screen. the fpr screen was caked with gunk. i cleaned it best i could, but the weekend im gonna take it all the way out for a proper cleaning. now get this, after replacing/cleaning what i described, the truck will at least start on her own. hesitant, but will start. and the idle is about like a big cam, but its not "romping". you know how all diesels have that diesel knock to them, well it seems to be louder, not like a bent valve or something but just that diesel knock is louder. thanks again guys

 

Do you have any leaking fuel? Is it still loping after it runs for a bit? You may want to unplug the mapsensor to see if it helps. I cant remember exactly how it works. I think if its bad and you unplug it, there is no diffeence, but if its good, when you unplug it, you should hear a different idle. You might want to PM TJ or Coon about that one. I always get it confused. Its the only thing that I can think of besides bad glow plugs that would make you a hesitant start. What happens if you plug the block heater in for a couple hours and try to start? Thats the key. If it starts like a dream then, spend the 30 bucks and go get a set of glow plugs and be on your way. Just be careful getting them out. Spray them one evening with PB Break Loose, and then try to remove them the next day. You always hear of people twisting them off.

 

How many times have you sprayed it with starting fluid and how much each time!

 

hey todd, no leaking fuel, and yea after its warm it still lobes, ill try the map sensor, and plugin the block heater in i'll holler back at ya w/ what she does
walton - not much man just a spray or 2. cuz i know how bad it is on the motor. thanks again guys for the help im gettin closer to gettin this baby runnin right