Help Truck Will Not Start????
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Junior User
Joined: Mar 2009
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Help Truck Will Not Start????
Well i have a 99 f-250 it has 167000 miles on it.I got up Saturday morning to try to start it. It was in the low 20's but it was plugged in all night. I have trouble staring it and after 15 minutes the truck started and ran fine.I took it on a 7 hour trip and it wooked just fine. I didnt start it at all Sunday and plugged it in that night. This morning i got up to go to work and it did not start. I tried for like 20 minutes to the point that my battery light was staying on. Ths truck did not start and i had to drive my wifes car to work. What could it be? Also on a side note, my truck is not 4x4 and i want to intall some rear shacles to lower the rear a little and level it off, would this hurt the towing capabilities?
Senior User
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 109
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From: Chicago
Glow plug relay comes to mind, but with it plugged in all night I would think it would still fire up, well the first thing I would check is if the glow plugs are cylcling on by watching the volt guage it should drop the voltage quite a bit when the light is on. Also look at your temp guage I know even in sub zero weather if I plug in my temp is up a little on my guage, sometimes the plug can get dirty and plugging in does nothing as I found out 2 years ago. Cleaned the ends up with some steel wool and it worked great.
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Junior User
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I can hear everything cycling when i turn the key. The one thing that i did not notice was the the temp needle was all the way down. I think that maybe the heater is not getting power and maybe it is dead? How do i replace it or can i replace? I am very new to the diesels so i need as much help as i can get. Thanks
Lead Driver
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 7,404
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From: Wheatland, Mo
When you plug it in...stop and listen. after a few seconds, you should be able to hear what sounds like boiling water...kind of a crackling sound. (Head down near bumper while listening. This will tell you if your heater is getting power).
If you don't hear anything, then start tracing back the wiring from the plug end to make sure that there isn't a break or wire chafed through. I had to replace my plug end about a year ago as the wire broke near the end. The constant change in weather, road dirt, etc will cause it to wear. Also check fuses... both under dash and under hood.
It sounds like it could be a cord problem with your heater. Even at 0 the temp needle will rise a little. If it doesn't move then your heater isn't working or it is 20 below or worse. Mine even came up a little when we were at 19 below with the windchill at -24.
If you don't hear anything, then start tracing back the wiring from the plug end to make sure that there isn't a break or wire chafed through. I had to replace my plug end about a year ago as the wire broke near the end. The constant change in weather, road dirt, etc will cause it to wear. Also check fuses... both under dash and under hood.
It sounds like it could be a cord problem with your heater. Even at 0 the temp needle will rise a little. If it doesn't move then your heater isn't working or it is 20 below or worse. Mine even came up a little when we were at 19 below with the windchill at -24.
Laughing Gas
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 870
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From: Carbondale, CO
How old are the batteries? They sound like they need a charge, but you may want to have them load tested at auto parts house. Can you measure the voltage at the batteries? Is the "Wait to Start" light on when key is turned? Is there any smoke when cranking? Engine oil level is OK?
Senior User
Joined: Nov 2009
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From: Dayton MD
The heater is right next to the oil filter. If you plug it in and wait a few minuets it should feel warm next to the block. My truck would turn over fine but not want to start for lack of one battery. I replaced both and started fine. GPR is another good place to look. A Curtis
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Junior User
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Everything come on when i turn the key. I also let the glow plugs get warm for awhile like a minutes after the light come off. I think that it is the block heater. I will plug it in when i get home and check it.
Also do you guys that i will hurt the towing capabilities if i lower the rear of the truck with some shackles?
Also do you guys that i will hurt the towing capabilities if i lower the rear of the truck with some shackles?
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Lead Driver
Joined: Jan 2007
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From: Kiowa CO
Glad you got it figured out.
Reminds me of an former neighbor who had intermitted issues with his truck and swore that his block heater was broke. He replaced the cord end, heater, checked the outlet and couldn't figure it out. Come to find out, he plugged the extension cord into an outlet in his garage that was ran to a switch in the house. His wife would flip the switch, thinking it controlled a light out back and cut the power to the cord and truck. This went on for months until one late night while
in his garage and his wife happened to mention it. I still poke fun at him for that one.
Reminds me of an former neighbor who had intermitted issues with his truck and swore that his block heater was broke. He replaced the cord end, heater, checked the outlet and couldn't figure it out. Come to find out, he plugged the extension cord into an outlet in his garage that was ran to a switch in the house. His wife would flip the switch, thinking it controlled a light out back and cut the power to the cord and truck. This went on for months until one late night while
in his garage and his wife happened to mention it. I still poke fun at him for that one.
Lead Driver
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 7,404
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From: Wheatland, Mo
Glad you got it figured out.
Reminds me of an former neighbor who had intermitted issues with his truck and swore that his block heater was broke. He replaced the cord end, heater, checked the outlet and couldn't figure it out. Come to find out, he plugged the extension cord into an outlet in his garage that was ran to a switch in the house. His wife would flip the switch, thinking it controlled a light out back and cut the power to the cord and truck. This went on for months until one late night while in his garage and his wife happened to mention it. I still poke fun at him for that one.
Reminds me of an former neighbor who had intermitted issues with his truck and swore that his block heater was broke. He replaced the cord end, heater, checked the outlet and couldn't figure it out. Come to find out, he plugged the extension cord into an outlet in his garage that was ran to a switch in the house. His wife would flip the switch, thinking it controlled a light out back and cut the power to the cord and truck. This went on for months until one late night while
in his garage and his wife happened to mention it. I still poke fun at him for that one.LMAO! My folks did that at Christmas... I got to their place and they asked if I would check out the coffee maker. Wasn't working. They said they thought it might be the circuit breaker so I went outside...nope not the breaker...came back in and moved the coffee maker to find the cord went under the toaster...they saw something plugged in and thought it was the coffee maker....nope. HA! They were without coffee for 3 days because of that.
