Hey everybody I am brand new to this sight and in neecd of some help. My 2000 F250 was running fine until I tried to leave for work friday morning. When i turn my key to let the glow plugs warm up everything seems normal. After about 1 second the battery guage drops very low, the interior lights go out and the wipers come on. When i try to crank it it acts like the batteries are dead. When I turn the key off, i turn the headlights on and they are bright. I even tried to boost it off with the same results. I am a novice to say the least when it comes to mechanical issues and any input would be greatly appreciated.

 

The glow plugs draw a lot of amperage, like close to 80A or more if they are in good condition. I'd take the batteries in and get them tested, sounds like there just isn't enough left in them to crank it over.

 

sounds like possibly a ground issue but would test the batteries also

 

I thought about the batteries, would they cause it not to start even when i tried to boost it.

 

on my 02 it did the same thing and there is a ground wire under the hood on the drivers side firewall that came loose. right near the master cylinder.

 

It take a lot to turn these engines over, if they are weak, a booster would have to be capable of over 600A or so. Both batteries are in parallel, each one is supposed to be from stock 750 cold cranking amps. Granted it doesn't take 1500A to turn it over, but I bet it is close to 1000 when cold.

 

i agree takes a lot of juice

 

I hadn't heard of the ground wire to the firewall coming loose and causing similar problems before. If it were me, I'd check all the connections first, corrosion at the terminals can lead to the same symptoms as well.

 

mine did and thats what it was. however my truck came with a plow and the silenoid for the plow was attached to that ground bolt so they might have F'd it up when installing it.

 

hey just wanted to let everyone know that i replaced both batteries and the truck fired right up. Thanks for everyones input

 

glad to help u