Cannot have a single good day

[BrianX128]

Went to go to work this morning, 6.9 already dead in driveway with likely bent connecting rod. Get in my considerably nicer 7.3 and push my glow plugs and nothing. I have them wired manually with the ground method to a push button, my wts light flashes so I know the relay is getting the signal and I hear a click but nothing happens. I also have a led light wired to a glow plug wire in the cab and the plugs aren't getting power. I try to jump the two big terminals when I get home from work and nothing. Check voltage from yellow feed wires and it's there. So I take the relay out and confused I run a big wire from positive battery terminal to the squiggly metal post that outputs to the relay and the plugs and it sparks like the plugs are glowing.

How did jumping the two big terminals not work? I have the relay from my 6.9 sitting in the driveway but I have no idea if they're the same. I'm seriously about done with these things. Can't get one damn thing to work suddenly and **** breaking for no reason.

 

[tradergem]

Sounds like the starter to me, or the solenoid on the starter. My truck just refused to turnover and it turned out to be the solenoid on the starter.

 

[BrianX128]

I'm talking about the glow plug relay not starter relay.

 

[BrianX128]

Just switched the relay from my 6.9 and nothing. Jump big terminals and nothing. Relay clicks every time I press the button. It's like the 12v at the battery plus of the relay is fake. Honest to god this is unreal.

 

[chillman88]

I'm guessing your getting voltage but not amperage. Check your feed wires carefully. I'd try a jumper cable to the relay and see if it works then.

 

[Laine D]

You’ll get it man

 

[BrianX128]

I'm guessing your getting voltage but not amperage. Check your feed wires carefully. I'd try a jumper cable to the relay and see if it works then.

Correct. I actually just read a super old thread where two of our members who sadly are no longer with us helped someone with this exact issue. Had an old tractor starter cable and it works normally.

I guess I need to find a mega fuse instead of leaving this right on the positive battery terminal, what was the factory fusible link rated at? I should probably go slightly hire as it's a known issue but not overkill.

 

[chillman88]

I guess I need to find a mega fuse instead of leaving this right on the positive battery terminal, what was the factory fusible link rated at? I should probably go slightly hire as it's a known issue but not overkill

I THINK it was a 150amp that I blew on mine. I'm probably running a 200amp right now. I can check tomorrow if you want. I'm just running 4ga battery cable from the parts store.

 

[BrianX128]

150 amp was the factory fusible link? Man that seems like a lot to blow up lol

 

[IDIBRONCO]

The glow pugs draw A LOT of amperage. They spike when they are first activated and the draw fewer amps as they warm up. That's if I remember reading right.

 

[Big Bart]

Sounds like your fusible links have burnt up or the links have a connection issue.

So the relay works, but it sounds like there is no power from the battery to the relay. So no power to pass from one post to the other post and on to the glow plugs.

Also you may need to lower your expectations about reliability on these trucks. They are old and will have issues. Keep in mind age and mileage kill parts. Most or these idi’s have +/- 30 years and 200k plus miles.

A new diesel truck is $65,000-75,000, so figure $900 a month unless you put a sizable amount down. Plan on paying much more for maintenance, insurance, and if a state like CA 7x for registration.

Parts for our older trucks are cheap. Not so for a new one. You can work on these older trucks but plan on only doing oil and brakes on a new one.

So if you are well off then you could just buy a new one every 7 years or 70,000 miles. Spend more time with family and doing your hobbies. But if you want to spend far less money and do some work from time to time, these are good trucks.

 

[Philip1]

Correct. I actually just read a super old thread where two of our members who sadly are no longer with us helped someone with this exact issue. Had an old tractor starter cable and it works normally.

I guess I need to find a mega fuse instead of leaving this right on the positive battery terminal, what was the factory fusible link rated at? I should probably go slightly hire as it's a known issue but not overkill.

When I wired the glowplug relay supply on my truck, I first used 6 gauge battery cable straight from the battery and a 250amp breaker and it worked good in warm weather however once it got cold, it would pop the breaker every cycle. After that I replaced it with a 300amp breaker and haven't had issues since.

 

[chillman88]

150 amp was the factory fusible link? Man that seems like a lot to blow up lol

I don't know what the fusible link was. 150amp is what I had for a m a x i fuse that blew. I then put a slightly higher amperage fuse in and it has been fine since.

 

[IDIBRONCO]

Also you may need to lower your expectations about reliability on these trucks. They are old and will have issues. Keep in mind age and mileage kill parts. Most or these idi’s have +/- 30 years and 200k plus miles.

A new diesel truck is $65,000-75,000, so figure $900 a month unless you put a sizable amount down. Plan on paying much more for maintenance, insurance, and if a state like CA 7x for registration.

Parts for our older trucks are cheap. Not so for a new one. You can work on these older trucks but plan on only doing oil and brakes on a new one.

So if you are well off then you could just buy a new one every 7 years or 70,000 miles. Spend more time with family and doing your hobbies. But if you want to spend far less money and do some work from time time, these are good trucks.

Well said Bart.

 

[BrianX128]

I'm just disappointed in the time frame of everything. Just get done fixing things up on the 6.9 [long list of things] just to throw a rod for seemingly no reason. Not like I turned up the fuel and beat the egts with it or anything, I'm fine with stuff breaking its just disappointing when it's stuff that's over my head that makes it feel all for not. I've done now seemingly every repair in the idi land now and don't really mind if I have to do them again, I'd do 4 water pumps in a row to not have to deal with the rod issue on the other truck.

This has just been the icing on the cake for an awful month. Fuel oil tank cracks for our furnace, central air blew up, zero turn mower blew up, 6.9 blew up, tree fell on side of the house [thankfully minimum damage], and I'm busier than imaginable at work. I put a new fuel tank in, fixed the ac myself with a new capacitor and contactor, rebuilt the kohler for the zero turn, cut the tree down, and tore a good ways into the 6.9. I just need a week of not having things go to hell I guess. These old things have always been reliable and it's just been frustrating seeing one die and the other screw me a day I needed it for work. I wasn't about to spray the 7.3 with ether the same week the 6.9 died either lol..

Of course there's no other old iron for sale in my area that isn't 12k or 90% rust from people who "know what they got" either ha..