Another cold start issue

[94Powerstroke]

I am new to this forum and to the diesel world in general. I just bought a 1994.5 Powerstroke, 4x4, 5speed, cclb this fall and it was starting fine when I got. now that it has gotten cold it has been having trouble starting. If I plug it in then it will start and run fine but if I don't then it will sputter while it cranks like it is about to start but it wont hold. If I have been driving it and it sits for like <45 minutes it will start up fine but any longer and it displays the same symptoms. I just replaced the starter because it was going bad but the problem continues. I have also replaced one of the batteries because it was bad and I replaced the glow plugs because I initially thought they were the problem. When I checked the glow plug relay it was putting out the appropriate voltage when the "wait to start" light was on. I checked the Hpop oil level and it was fine. I did start it with starting fluid once because I was stranded and needed to get home but even then it ran fine once it was started.

I have spent hours searching the web trying to find an answer to my problem but I can't find anything.
Is there anything else I should check or should I start going back over stuff to see if I missed something?

I appreciate any help that you guys can give me.

Thanks

 

[lindstromjd]

1. What weight and style of oil are you using
2. When was your last oil change
3. How long do you wait for the GP's to warm up before you try to crank it

Those are the easy questions / diagnostics.

 

[94Powerstroke]

I am currently using 15w-40 which I changed around 200 miles ago. I just wait for the wait to start light to go off before starting it.

 

[lindstromjd]

I am currently using 15w-40 which I changed around 200 miles ago. I just wait for the wait to start light to go off before starting it.

Give it another 20-30 seconds after the WTS light goes out, and see what happens. That thing is just an idiot light to stop you from turning the engine over with cold glow plugs. The GP's actually stay on for about 2-3 minutes. Just because the WTS light is out, doesn't mean that the GP's aren't glowing. They are. You'll be able to tell by looking at your volt meter. It'll drop down to 12-14 volts because GP's are a huge load on the system.

 

[94Powerstroke]

I gave that a try and it did the same thing. What would be the likely hood of it being the other battery or a bad ground? I only replaced one battery because when I had autozone check them only 1 was really bad but the other wasn't 100% but I only had money for 1.

 

[lindstromjd]

Depends on how fast it's actually turning over. Mine turns over so fast you can't count the revolutions, which is what it's supposed to be. How many miles are on the truck? I wonder how old the injector o-rings are and if the cold is making them shrink and not hold pressure like they're supposed to.

 

[94Powerstroke]

its turning over fast but I've seen a youtube video of a guy trying to start his truck and its turning over fast but it only started when he hooked up some jumper cables. the truck has 150,000 miles on it. Would injector O-rings make it run bad because it runs great once it is started.

 

[lindstromjd]

Youtube videos of idiots trying to start their trucks by doing horrendous things to them are usually just that... idiots trying to start their trucks and doing horrendous things to them.

Bad injector o-rings can do a number of things. First and foremost, your engine will start eating it's own oil as fuel. But that's just the most common side effect. Hard o-rings can let the high pressure oil that's needed to actually fire the injector leak down and your engine won't start. Once it warms up though, those o-rings can expand a little and hold pressure better. Another symptom could be a perceived "misfire" in whatever cylinder the o-rings are bad.

In my opinion, it wouldn't hurt to check them. You can pull a single one out and see what they look like. There is an updated version of them, and if yours has the stock ones on it from the factory, it's not hurting you one bit to change them to the updated ones. It is a relatively simple job that can be done in a single day, provided you have the tools and motivation to do it. Do it yourself, and it's an $80 fix. Pay a shop to do it, and it's a couple $100's worth.

 

[79jasper]

Lindstrom, what's updated? O-ring's?



Even though you replaced the glowplugs, and the relay is working as it should, those won't do any good if the uvch or outer harnesses are bad.

Mine has some outer harness pin problems on the glowplugs.
Wouldn't start at 17°F earlier, til I plugged it in for a bit.

Sent from my USCC-C6721 using Tapatalk

 

[lindstromjd]

Lindstrom, what's updated? O-ring's?

They're made out of better material now, and in the middle of the injector, if you look at a stock set, there's two small o-rings right next to each other; the updated sets have one single big o-ring there.

 

[OLDBULL8]

Requirments to start a PSD.
Cranking speed at least 150 - 200 RPM.
HPOP pressure 450 PSI.
Fuel pressure at least 40 PSI.
His problem is his batteries, not enough cranking speed. Never change only one battery, the old battery will drag down the new one.
When was the last time the fuel filter was changed?
Has the fuel bowl ever been cleaned out?
Did you ever clean the FPR?
Is the fuel filter heater operative? IH has the new style for $29, easy to replace.
Did you ever drain the water out of the filter?
You can cycle the GP's two three times, with no wait between cycles, they stay hotter, I do all the time, no problem.
Where can you get a shop to change the O'rings for less than a thousand? To check the O'rings, pull the valve covers and look for the oil spitting, no spit, then they should be changed. The exhaust blowing blue smoke is an indication also.

Here is a lot of info on how to.
http://www.dieselorings.com/instruction-sheets-and-information.html