plug it in for a few hours and try again your glow plugs may need to be replaced just have them checked out

plugging it in if you dont know warms the engine for easier starting and youre ready to go the glow plugs are cold and do a ton of work if its not plugged in

 

Ahhhhhhh yes it should be plugged in. Your fuel may have geled. Try to spray some lubricated ether in the air cleaner. NOT A-LOT, just a quick squirt or two. If this doesn't work plug it in for a couple of hours. Another thing start adding anti gel stuff to your fuel, you can get it at Gas stations, auto stores, etc. Hope this helps you.

 

My guess would be either the glow plug relay or your cam shaft position sensor.

 

just try plugging it in for a while first then well see if theres problems

 

just got it started after 2 hours of plugging it in...thanks all...so should i plan on plugging it in all the time or is there a certain temperature i should plug in at?

 

Mods I hope this is ok to post. There are some links here to a site related to diesel enging repair and mods.

This is all info I found searching the web when my truck had problems in the cold. I hope it can help you guys out, it saved me a bunch of money.

This if for the 7.3 Powerstroke engine but they have stuff for all engines there

Cold Sart / No Start problems in the winter. Here is what you should do first.

1. New fuel filter
2. New air filter
3. load test batteries, even if the engin cranks check the batteries
4. New oil and filter, you can even run a 5w40 in the winter as long as ouside temp doesn't get above 80 deg. ( I didn't I just put 10w40 in because I have a couple of 55 gal drums I picked up at an auction.)

If all of this doesn't fix your problem here is how to check out the glow plug relay and the glow plugs.

How to check Glow Plug System by Klhansen Eagle River, Alaska (TheDieselStop.Com)

To check the Glow Plug Relay (GPR)
· Be sure the engine is cold, so that the PCM will tell the GPR to turn on. If the engine is hot, you won't have as much time to check.

· Locate the GPR - Its behind the fuel filter on top of the engine, a little bit toward the passenger side of the valley. There may be two relays there. If so, the rear one is the GPR. It will have two fairly large wires (yellow and brown) connected to one of the large posts.

· With your multitmeter set to DC volts, and 15 V range (if not autoranging), clip the positive (red) lead to the output terminal (with yellow and brown wires connected), and the negative (black) lead to a good ground point (like the battery ground terminal or someplace metal directly on the engine block.)

· Turn the key to ON (do not start)

· If your GPR is good, it should click, and you'll see 11 volts or so on your meter, then, depending on temperature, it will click off up to 2 minutes later. You should do this a couple of times to make sure it consistently makes the connection.

· If you don't get voltage with this test, confirm by retesting as follows.

· Remove the two small wires from the smaller two of the four GPR terminals.

· With jumper wires, apply voltage from the battery across the two small terminals.If your voltmeter now reads voltage on the output terminal, your GPR is OK, and your problem is in the PCM circuit that tells the GPR to activate.

To check Glow Plugs.

· Remove the electrical connector on the inboard side of valve cover at the gasket. Press down on the top of the connector latch and pry gently with a screwdriver.

· There will be 9 pins on the valve cover gasket where you removed the connector. The two pins furthest forward and the two pins furthest back are for your glow plugs.

· With your multimeter set to resistance (ohms) and low range (single digits) if not autoranging, clip the negative (black) lead to a good ground point.

· Probe each of the 4 outer pins individually with the positive (red) lead, noting the resistance. Good glow plugs will have a resistance between 0.6 and 2 ohms. If you get infinite resistance on any glow plug, that one is either bad or the connector under the valve cover has come loose.

Here is the link to a pdf file of the directions along with illustrations. It's from the same site but another poster from NV.
http://www.streamload.com/nlemerise/Ford/gpr.pdf

I hope this can help others out, I know it helped me. I love that site as much as I do this one. There is a lot of great info there.

Pat

 

Glow plug relay, because even if 4 glow plugs were burnt out it should still start, not well but start.

It could be the lift pump also. Is it a 7.3L or a 6.0L?

 

The plugs are there for a reason, to take the stress out of everything needed to start in cold weather. WHy not plug it in, if you have access to an outlet. If you were going to run a 5k you would probably stretch before you run.xysport

 

I wont not advise spraying starting fluid into the intake glow plugs and intake heaters dont get along well with Ethier.

 

I don't think you have a problem now. Just plug it in. Deisel are ment to be ran warm (40-50 degrees) , thats why there are glow plugs. Also you see trucks with there grills covered some times, this allows more heat to stay in the engine compartment.

 

I would plug it in whenever it is supposed to be below 35 degrees. That's what I do.

 

I still think you have a problem. What if you dont have a place to plug it in? Some times my diesels stay unplugged and I need to start them in 5 degree weather, it takes a while but they eventually start. Dont get me wrong its always better to have them plugged in but I would look into it.

 

It should have started! You said it was in the 20s. Sounds like you may have a fuel issue! Try diesel additive and also when did you change fuel filter last? Mine are usually plugged in temps in teens but I have started both my trucks stone cold below zero, ran rough at first but they fired up.

 

Also in colder weather let the glow plug work for a minute. Turn key forward to turn the glow plug's on, wait till they turn off. sometimes they will turn off but they will turn back on for a couple of seconds. Just take your time when its that cold. The fuel filter would be a good thing to check though, didn't even think of that. Also the water seperator.

 

thanks all...i will be using the fuel additive and will be plugging in from now on, when i can...i just bot the truck last month, i think the filters were all replaced before i bot it...not sure though

 

I would make sure of that for sure. That will leave you on the side of the road for sure.

 

What year and engine is it?

7.3 it's probably the glow plug relay. You should be able to start it without being plugged in as well in 20* or colder. Might have to cycle the glow plugs a couple times, but it should start. One of my 7.3's lost the GPR and it would also start after being plugged in, but not without. Before, it would start at 0*. I try to leave all mine plugged in when it starts getting cold, every little bit of extra help can't hurt, IMO.

You should not be having gel issues at 20*. If you are, find a better fuel supplier.

 

Befor you get crazy with replacing things. CHECK THE BATTERIES.
The Ford diesels are very sensitive to voltage drop. Even if it will crank, if the voltage is below 10v durring the crank it will not fire. The IDM (injector driver module) requires a tremendous amount of voltage from a battery to convert it to the 110-120v output to fire the electronic part of the HUEI injector. After that check the glow plug relay for operation.

 

I agree with nevrnf and Mark at 20 degrees even with untreated fuel you should not be having any fuel issues. Especially as far north as Boston you are well into the winter blend fuel season. Make certain you always buy your fuel at a high volume station such as truck stops. The only time I have ever had fuel issues is when I got bad fuel at small low volume "mom & pop" type stations. I personally do not treat any of my fuel, albeit I do carry some 911 type anti gel in case I get a bad batch. I have never had any fuel gelling problems on my personal trucks or any in the fleet I worked on (150+ trucks), and none of them ever got any fuel additive. Only two GP's not working will make a PSD real hard to start, three will make it almost impossible. With all GP's working properly the PSD will start @ -20*F. I don't plug mine in until 0*F, this season it has only got down to -5*F and it still started just fine unplugged. But I admit I should have, I had no place to be the next AM so I decided to test my truck to see how it would do. Nevrnf makes a good point about the cranking voltage going to the IDM. The truck will sound like it is cranking just fine, but if there isn't enough voltage the IDM will not even fire the HEUI injectors.
As far as using either in a diesel equipped with a intake grid heater or glow plugs (any Ford, Dodge, or GM light duty truck).
DO NOT DO IT!!!!!!!!! Period.
Nothing personal here, telling someone to do this, especially a novice is the worst possible advice. Done wrong it could have possibly killed the person let alone damaged the engine. I will not even get into the ways it can be done since it could still possibly go wrong.

 

When its cold jusr cycle your glow plugs 2 or 3 times.

J

 

Cycling your glow plugs two or three times is useless. The glow plugs stay on for 2 minutes anyway, even if the wait to start light is off. Look at your voltage guage. It takes awhile to come up to normal when you first start the truck. that is because the glow plugs are still cycling. your truck should have started in that cold. Replace your GPR and it probably wouldn't hurt to replace the glow plugs too.

 

IIRC the computer will shut off the glow plugs if there is a no start condition. If the engine does start it will cycle the glow plugs on/off for the first few minutes to help with cold temp combustion. So in the case of a no start due to bad glow plugs it just might help to cycle the glow plugs a time or two in order to really build up some heat in the cylinders with working GP's. That way they have a better chance of firing. If you see smoke from the tailpipe while cranking, your injectors are firing. Then check the GP relay (farthest forward relay of the two on top of engine) if it is OK then check GP's at the harness plug with an ohm meter.