02 7.3 Hard Start

[Mark]

I've had my 02 F-250 since 2004. It has been as still is a great truck. I've always been unimpressed with it's starting but am now even more so after purchasing a 93 Dodge 12 valve 5.9. Hit the key on the dodge and it fires up immediately....even in below zero temps in eastern Washington. The F-250 however has always started as I call similar to a gas engine. The engine turns over several times before firing up. Both trucks also have remote start for winter warming. Again, the dodge will fire first time. My beloved F-250 will go through 3 cycles of remote start and still not fire up. I have to start it manually. The timer on the F-250 for remote start is set for 45 seconds which is more than enough time for the glow plugs to kick in. Does anyone else have a similar issue with their ford? Does anyone know of a fix?

 

[DaveBen]

Check your glow plugs with an ohm meter. ground one cable and touch the other cable to each glow plug tip. you should see something like 1 - 10 ohms if they are good. ~ (infinity) means bad.

 

[EK410]

Also your starter and or batteries may be getting tired. The old 6.9 thru 7.3's needed to really spin to start well. I experienced that with my 7.3 and a new started solved my problem. Just an idea.

 

[Mark]

Thanks for the replies. Since I have a new starter and two new batteries I'll have the glow plugs checked and post the results. Thanks again.

 

[RSG]

Over the years I've had your same concern, but still have original starter and every time I get concerned enough to check the glow plugs are still ok. Just batteries, fully charged, seems to make a difference. Oh...and I use that block heater whenever I can below 20-30F or so. Really cold, like other side of -10...well I work up a sweat wonder if it will fire, but it always has...

 

[john griffin]

Changeing out that direct drive starter to a gear reduction one will cure all the slow start issues on a 7.3.It will zing it over twice as fast while drawing less power.

 

[E.Marquez]

I've had my 02 F-250 since 2004. It has been as still is a great truck. I've always been unimpressed with it's starting but am now even more so after purchasing a 93 Dodge 12 valve 5.9. Hit the key on the dodge and it fires up immediately....even in below zero temps in eastern Washington. The F-250 however has always started as I call similar to a gas engine. The engine turns over several times before firing up. Both trucks also have remote start for winter warming. Again, the dodge will fire first time. My beloved F-250 will go through 3 cycles of remote start and still not fire up. I have to start it manually. The timer on the F-250 for remote start is set for 45 seconds which is more than enough time for the glow plugs to kick in. Does anyone else have a similar issue with their ford? Does anyone know of a fix?

Check that the glow plug relay is getting GOOD power, and that power is leaving it when activated.
Check that each glow plug is getting power.
Check each glow plug resistance.

 

[Marcottemw]

Well, I finally got the truck into my local dealer and had the glow plugs checked but everything checked out OK. I'm not familiar with the difference between a direct drive and gear drive starter but I'll try that as well. I use a block heater as soon as the temp drops below 32 since that's when the hard cold start begins. Both batteries are brand new (maybe 90 days now) and show 14.1 amps on my Edge CTS display. Frustrating to invest in remote start and not be able to use it.

Also, I'd like to add the remarks you guys have at the bottom of your post to list the mods on my truck, Where/how do you add that in your profile?

 

[Marcottemw]

OK. Disregard the stupid question about including mods in post. Forgot I already did it. My wife say's I have Sometimers....which she say's is my beginning stages of Alzheimer's.

 

[RSG]

One thing I noticed very recently, opened my eyes a bit, regarding batteries:

A week ago I was "up north" (for me) in northern Minnesota, checking on my parents and it got down to around -22 to - 26 for several nights after it was in the teens earlier as I drove up there. Much of my remaining load of Illinois biodiesel (with white PSD additive) drained from the Aux tank into the main tank, and it gelled up everything from the tank to fuel bowl atop the engine. Think green slushy with TOO long fuel lines from ice block to a cold engine....mounted to cold steel frame....

Some 80 oz of diesel 911, and about 6-8h of a kerosene burner at 35k BTUh, finally got the fuel lines and tank thawed enough to keep fuel flow to the engine and have it running.

BUT...before (and during) all that I hooked up a seriously stout battery charger, one that we use on old military equipment with 6V/12V/24V options and slow/start and fast charge options and with a 1h timer too, and this thing made some serious magic to my batteries. I thought the batteries were in great shape (they were) but my gosh this truck is turning over about 2x from normal still a full week later. Starts so fast I'm surprised.

Why? I don't know, other than the batteries were on trickle, or high, charge for much of 3 full days in cold temperatures. (but these batteries get a trickle charge regularly). Engine crank rate is slowing down now, after a week in these milder temps, but it was a curious experience to note.

I wonder if anybody here has some wisdom on this.