Help needed starting my truck?
 

I have a 1984 f-250 with a 6.9L and all my glow plugs test good and the controller works fine, I just re did the fuel lines so they don't leak anymore but it won't start without a little starting fluid. Does anyone know why it's not wanting to start?
P.s. It was setting in a feild not started for almost 8 years but it runs great once it starts
Thanks for any help

How does it run as it cold starts? (Smooth or Rough)
What color is the smoke as it's cold starting?
How long does the WTS light stay on for a cold start?
How did you test the Glow Plugs?

-Enjoy
fh : )_~

Medium grey to black and it runs smooth. The WTS light stays in for no more than 30 seconds and we used a test light on the glow plugs. It's been upper 80s to low 100s around where I live and it still has trouble

are you getting power to the glow plugs?

Strange my truck starts without glow plugs cold, when the ambient temp is above 15 degrees of celsius. Try to make marks on the timing and advance it. If it does not help, I would make compression check and injector spray pattern and pop presure test. If your glow plugs work, either the compression is low, or the spray pattern sucks. Plus is it spinning fast or slow?

That pretty much leaves three things ...
Slow Cranking RPM, needs to be > ~200 RPM
Compression
Leaky (or bad) injectors

Sounds like a bottle baby ... To much ether!

Because I have a compression gauge that would be my next move providing it is turning over fast enough ... If that checks out I would start pulling the injectors and see if they are leaking, it's basically free!

WTS on for 30 seconds ... There is something wrong here, they should be on ~10 seconds.
30 seconds very likely will burn the glow plugs out. Never tried to burn one out!

-Enjoy
fh : )_~

It's got a brand new starter, and I have a flatbed on it so I have to use a funnel to fill it up so it takes about 20 minutes to fill up but after I fill it up it starts right up real quick and it's still cold because I only drive it about 1 mile before I get to the gas station

It was setting in a feild for years with a bad starter and glow plugs but after I put a new starter and new glow plugs in it it started just fine for about a month and that was after using a little ether to start it every little bit for a few months... And now all it takes is .00001 seconds of pressing the nozzle on the can of ether before it will start

Glow plugs is your problem.
Check that they aren't burned. If they were Autolites, they are shot.
Test one (in the engine) using a piece of wire from the battery + terminal and touch it to the glow plug terminal. You should get little sparks when you touch it.
If one seems suspect(no sparks), pull it and test it by using the same test wire to touch the tip, but hold the body of the glow plug on the negative terminal of the battery.
(i.e. complete a circuit from battery to glow plug). It should heat up and start glowing within a couple of seconds. Once it starts glowing red, disconnect it so as not to overheat it.
But that'll tell you 100% whether it is good or not. I've heard of test-lights showing one as being good when it was bad(probably high resistance but not broken internally), but this method won't be confused that way.

exactly. i have seen way too many glow plugs "test" good but not light up.
when i come across a no start situation, the very first thing i do is check for power at the glow plugs. i never ever trust the WTS light. if i have power to the glow plugs, then i change them.
if no power to the plugs, then i go back along the line into the system until i find the problem.

Post 8 says it all ... A Month, Whats that say ...

Autolights or Bosch!
We all know where that leads ...

EDIT
Especially with 30 second WTS ...

-Enjoy
fh : )_~

I used motocraft glow plugs and they are all the glow plugs are working fine

Are you getting power to the glow plugs?
You might try rigging up a push-button override on the relay; hold it for 8 seconds and see if she starts.

I'm impressed and relieved!

Don't know if you know this but new glow plugs a month old and the truck won't start ... is scary, then add the old school controller on top of that is horrifying!
That typically means Autolights or Bosch and they swell and break off in the head, unlike the Motorcraft/Beru glow plugs.

You say you used Motorcraft and I'll say THANK YOU for doing so! :)

So with that said ...
You tested them with a test light, that is not a definitive method ... Pull them and test them on a battery ... Remember they get hot so hold them by the hex with vice grips!
Use something like Jumper cables for power source so the wire don't burn ya if it's too small. Obviously body to ground, connector tip to positive. No longer then 10 seconds and only until you see them getting red.

I would do this before Compression testing, Injector pulling because it is easier ...

-Enjoy
fh : )_~

Oh, Yea, I keep forgetting about this being an 84, It has the connector between the RF fender and motor that overheats and fries!

Check that connector to see if it's getting hot or damaged, that connector will cause voltage tests to pass, but not drop tests!

-Enjoy
fh : )_~

It originally was starter, glow plugs, and air leaks but all that should have been fixed by now. It started on its own for a month but it had the glow plugs for 1-2 months before it would do that. Thanks for the help... Is there any cheap way to temporarily get it to start on its own I'm trying to save money right now so I can pull and do a full rebuild on the motor.

Not without doing the diagnostics and eliminating one thing at a time positively.

What makes you think you need a full rebuild?

-Enjoy
fh : )_~

The part the plugs into the glow plug controller it looks like is missing one of the 6 metal conductors that connect to the controller could that be part of the problem?

No, That's normal.

-Enjoy
fh : )_~

Thanks just wanted to make sure since I'm still kinda new to the truck

Yup, No problem, We don't mind questions!

-Enjoy
fh : )_~

never be afraid to ask, the only stupid question is the one you do not ask.
we were all new to these trucks at one time or another. some of us have just been at it with the for a long long time.

I just want to bring up that if it starts with anything less than a full second shot of ether... the engine is just fine. If you really had a massive loss of compression(enough to keep it from starting), it would require a ton of ether to get it going.
I had a pretty wore out motor that did require a rebuild; the cylinder walls had actually worn .020 out(.010 ridge at the top); bearings were very worn, and it ticked a bit.
The day I pulled the engine, it fired right up with glow plugs only.

When I bought it(5 years before), the PO had been using a decent amount of ether to get it to start. Got the glow plug system working correctly, and it had no trouble firing with just that, even in mid winter.

So, honestly, don't worry a rebuild yet. Chances are, there's no need. Worry about making the glow plug system work /correctly/ first; if needed, you can always setup a manual push-button system.

I tend to agree ...

-Enjoy
fh : )_~

It was a farm truck and I'm the second owner of it but it was beat up by dirt roads pastures and kicked by several cows so it's a little rough but it only has 145420 miles on it. Before it got parked it had to be pull started every time (but the glow plugs and starter were bad) and it was pulled to where it set by a tractor because it shattered the rear axle. I only want to rebuild the motor because I'm putting parts from R&D IDI performance on it including a turbo and I figured it would be easier to pull the motor and make sure I wouldn't blow my heads or anything else with the turbo. I'm kinda going for a useable/reliable daily driver that's showroom quality (it will be 6 months to a year before I have the money for the motor so right now I'm fixing things as they break or start to act weird)

at 145k miles that thing is probably gonna look like new inside when you get it apart.
i have seen 6.9's with 400k+ on them that looked like new inside when pulle dfor resealing. new gaskets and they were good to go.

I don't want to bash R&D - Justin's a great guy -- but considering it is a 6.9 and you are limited in the maximum boost you can handle without blowing the gaskets(*with* studs) -- you might be better off looking for a used Wastegated Banks Sidewinder kit. They'll make 12 PSI quite nicely(adjustable via wastegate), and if you can find a kit in the $500 range, that's a *lot* cheaper than a new turbo kit.
I got 240-ish RWHP out of one of these, which is a /major/ boost over stock.
You'd still want studs, but that's a lot of money you might be able to save.

If you are looking for more power than that, you might want to go with a 7.3, for the bigger stud clamping pressure.

Im going to get head studs and I was looking for a banks kit but I can't find any used ones. I talked to Justin at R&D and he said he will throw in what I need to use the ATS 088 turbo that I have.

Yeah, if you have to buy new, he's the guy.

if the glows were working your starting fluid would ignite when you sprayed it in... you need to find the problem the glows are not getting hot....

I don't spray it directly into the motor I spray it barely into the intake hat so it has to go through the air filter

And one of these times it's going to go KABOOOOOOM and you will then regret you used ether!

-Enjoy
fh : )_~

your year truck the controller does not (see ) the heated glow plugs like the later year trucks do.. your wait to start light is not a indicator of heating the glows...you have no power to the glows or they are all burned out...there is two circuit's of power to the glows one for the low current controller and one high current, to heat the glows...if your glows were heating it would blow off your air cleaner...the high current comes from the start solenoid and is switched buy the glow plug relay that is switched buy the controller, this system has a fault....or it would start....as we know, the engine runs...

I try starting it without every time but normally it won't do then I put the either in after the glow plugs have been off

this has been asked a few times, but you never answered the question. have you tested to see if power is going to the glow plugs recently? because it really really sounds like the glow plugs are not getting power, or are bad.

As said, still risky. If it gets into the chambers where it needs to be, and the glow plugs are working, the glow plugs will ignite the starting fluid.

I've checked the glow plugs several times and they all work. And I usually spray the either after the glow plugs have been off for a second

You did a test light test of the Glow Plugs ...

Just so you know, BOTH of these Glow Plugs PASS a test light test!
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.for...f199372058.jpg

But not an Ohms test or I suspect a burn test for I didn't even try to burn test them.

-Enjoy
fh : )_~

your glows are not working....and you are not listening... and its still broken, and your complaining and you don't understand, we are trying to help you...just because the timer in the controller is working, and the wait to start lite is on...that doesn't mean the glows are getting hot. you must verify that you have a good connection, one that will flow 30 amps, to the high current connection on the glow relay...read the stickys at the top of the page.....

you tested the glow plugs. not to see if they are getting power. good glow plugs do nothing if they are not getting power.