MY '89 F350 7.3L is giving me trouble starting. It does start but very hard. What would be an easy troubleshoot for this issue? Or is there one???? What can I look for that might be obvious? I'm going to start with a new fuel filter.

 

Thats a good starting point,new air filter wouldnt hurt,,does it run OK when it gets going??

 

First off do a Glow Plug test.

*** Glow Plug Test. ***
Test light test of the glow plugs:

1. Unplug the Glow Plugs.
2. Attach one end of a test light to 12v+ battery.
3. Touch the other end to the terminal on the end of the Glow Plug (where you unplugged the harness)
   Does it light up?
   • Yes, Chances are it's good.
   • No, Replace with Motorcraft/Beru ZD1A for 83-86, ZD9 for 87-94.5.
   This test is susceptible to miss diagnoses and should only be used for a quick reference.
   To do a positive test use a volt/ohm meter and test the ohms between the terminal and base. Should be .5 to 1 ohm resistance.

If the current Glow Plugs are NOT Motorcraft Beru, You would be very wise to replace them with Motorcraft Beru... Other brands tend to break off in the motor thus needing heads removed to remove the tips.

Does it start then die as well ???
If it does, let it set over night (or all day), then pull the fuel filter, is the fuel filter completely full??
If not, Install a Injector Installation Kit

Many prefer to toss the o-rings in the kit and use these Viton Return O-Rings - McMaster-Carr Item 9464K24, Viton is impervious to Diesel.

For the Injector Installation Kit installation You can follow Starmilts Humorous Fuel Return Replacement Procedure, I like to cut the 6 pieces between the Injectors to 4-1/16", Use a sharp razor blade to cut the hose and Vaseline to lubricate the o-rings.

For proper fuel system bleeding you can use steps 1 through 4 and 13 through 15 of the Fuel Filter Replacement.

Are BOTH the batteries in good shape??
Are all the battery cables in good shape?? (Feel all battery terminals while trying to start, if they get HOT you have issues)

Diesels take between 100 and 200 RPM's to start, so if it's not turning over fast enough it'll be hard starting if at all!
You should not be able to count the revolutions of the motor while cranking!

-Enjoy
fh : )_~

 

YEA,,What he said!

 

man Festus always has the best replies. I need to copy them down in a word document so they can just be collected into a sticky.

 

what i think is the very first thing to start with, with these older.....scratch that....these more mature rigs ..... is the starting system,and with high mileage,a compression test.

often,po's neglect to keep things clean,like battery terminals and all grounds (both ends.)
diesel's start by using compression -no spark.
so its very important to have two 850 CCA (minimum.at least 1000 CCA is recommended) batteries in good condition,along with good clean cables,and corrosion free.
once you fix everything so the engine spins (turns over) very,very fast,that's when you then need to be sure of the second important thing.....heat.-your complete glow plug system.
after that,you then need fuel.

meanwhile,while working on fixing a hard start condition,remember crank the starter a max of 20 seconds and stop.let the starter cool down for at least 2 full minutes before your next attempt.
if your starter is working good,you don't want to have an extra few hundred in your repair quest by burning it up.

in the end,with fully working repaired systems (good compression/fuel delivery/starting and GP systems) you can expect an IDI to COLD start well inside 5 seconds (without block heater assist,) with tempts into the single digits,and pretty much instantly when warm.

not every "more mature" IDI rig is worth the several hundred for tip top repairs though,so owners need to weigh the costs/budget etc and don't be afraid to use a block heater to help your starter live longer if need be.but cleaning cable terminals and ground blocks is free maintenance,and shouldn't be overlooked.