hi,
I'm new to diesels and i just bought a 93 F350 7.3l with 291k on it, well im having problems with this cold weather starting, First my batteries were bad and i replaced both and still have to power to anything.... They are 2 interstate 850cca batters heavy duty so they should be good. Second question is is how do you start these dang things in cold, im so frustrated im ready to resell this truck, i love the truck but i need something depending thru all weather. Please HELP!!

 

the light stays on for 5-10secs. and yes there was clicking but now that there is no power to the whole truck it doesnt do it anymore. So i need the batteries to work to see if that helped. Also it doesnt help that its like -4 degrees where i live

 

did you check your battery posts and cables to make sure you have no corrosion?
double check to be sure your +/- are correct.(i know it sounds basic.but it could happen,especially if you where cold and in a hurry.)

 

i was thinking this is the connectors you wanted but now im not too sure now.but i decided to post on here anyway in case you wanted to inspect them anyway.

 

lol yeah yeah dave.i just kinda figured the 93+94's are kinda sparse around here so getting a pic would be a pain.by the way its also raining here now thats dedication

 

as far as the fraying and corrosion a quick fixed i have used is pepsi or coke poured on it will eat the corrosion and help some with a connection issue.and with the other wires see if you are getting power to them the should have power at all times if not that solenoid may be bad thats my guess.dave will be back to confirm in a second im sure.he is the lead wrench monkey around here

 

Now back to the orange black wire.
That is the main power feed into the truck cab and fuse box.
So a test light or multimeter to probe the wire and make sure power is making it from the battery to the power terminal on the starter relay then on through the fusible links to the orange black wire would be a good start on finding the trouble.

Also while you are looking at everything, the connector in the picture I posted above circled in red needs to be looked at.
Yours will be a different color and look a little different since the picture is an 86 and older truck.
What you are looking for is near the dip stick, where the chassis harness plugs into the engine harness.

One end of the connector on your truck will have two larger yellow or tan wires.
Inspect that connector on the end that has the big wires and look for signs it has been hot.
If not, try to seperate it and look for corrosion on the terminals for the large wires, which are glow plug relay power supply wires.
Caution, the terminals will be hot (have power) on the chassis side of the connector.

As a side thought, does the key switch feel right in the steering column?

Battery cables.
It is common for corrosion inside the cables and battery connectors to cause power problems.
The only way you can see it is cut them open, but that means replacement would be in order anyway.
The signs are cables that look like they have been hot, discolored insulation or swollen insulation a couple inches out from the clamps.

If you have any of the above signs, the cables need replaced, you getting stranded is close.
The positive cable is the worst affected with this problem, but the grounds are not exempt.

Also clean any ground wire connections, block, frame and body grounds.
15 plus years, corrosion does affect them after that long in any climate.

 

Ok well i am starting to get flustered. I charged the Batteries and had 100% so reinstalled them and still no power to truck. Now what. I took the starter solenoid wires off and the white and orange wires have a fusible link what do i look for to see if its bad also whats the best fix. After this i will check the grounds to make sure there are good connections. thanks for any input.

 

hey bro, so you are connecting the batts and no power at all to anything? If so then bad ground, trashed connections, or fusible link. If the link is bad, it will be melted and swolen. It is essentially smaller wire designed to burn apart to kill the connection. If it has a fuse which i have seen rigged up, check there too. Also do a once over of both fuse panels. Interior and under the hood. For me, i would pull every power connection and re seat/replace. A few hours labor and some clean connections can make an old truck seem new!

 

What year model are we working on.

 

i have a 93 f350 with 7.3 IDI it ran fine until 12-28 then it wouldnt start got a cold snap here of below zero weather.

 

The link above is not what you need that is the old style.
On the relay on your passenger side is kinda a power distribution point I am not sure what color wire it is but one of the large wires is a fusible link and is known to go bad and you lose power to everything.

 

Bigottis have you checked out the fusible links that rupe went out in the rain twice the other night and took pictures to show you. is this the same problem you had on the HELP thread.

 

yes it is i see the wires but am still unsure about how to replace, cause there are 2 wires a big then little and the fuseable link i got is only 1 wire? So i have no clue on what to do electrical is not my strong point on vehicles.

 

well the black and orange wire is one solid wire that goes into 2 white wires does this mean i have to have 2 fuseable links tied together?or can i just use 1 fusebale link wire and call it good, it looks like im going from no. 12 wire to 6 wire i think which would make it harder to connect. Maybe im over anaylizing this too.