Dead 7.3 IDI Diagnosis

[Jesus Freak]

Turn the key to the on position, then go to the engine and unplug the connector on top of the injector pump and plug it in a couple times and listen for the click of the solinoid to make sure its turning on and off.

Then, take a screw driver or players and jump the starter solinoid on the firewall while really wiggling the battery cables close to the battery terminal and see if it doesn't start spinning like 2 batteries instead of just one battery...... proceed with caution, wear a helmet, googles, knee pads, athletic support, and steel toed boots..... make sure your grounded as well.

You got this, but ill give it an 87.5% certainty that its a bad battery cable..... your engine is spinning fine, but it takes a BUNCH OF UMPH to spin 21.5/1 compression fast!

 

[Jackson Fronsdahl]

Turn the key to the on position, then go to the engine and unplug the connector on top of the injector pump and plug it in a couple times and listen for the click of the solinoid to make sure its turning on and off.

Then, take a screw driver or players and jump the starter solinoid on the firewall while really wiggling the battery cables close to the battery terminal and see if it doesn't start spinning like 2 batteries instead of just one battery...... proceed with caution, wear a helmet, googles, knee pads, athletic support, and steel toed boots..... make sure your grounded as well.

You got this, but ill give it an 87.5% certainty that its a bad battery cable..... your engine is spinning fine, but it takes a BUNCH OF UMPH to spin 21.5/1 compression fast!

Will do all of this after work! Thank you, I appreciate all the advice. Keeping me from taking this truck into the woods and blowing it sky high

 

[ihc1470]

12.4 volts is a battery that is around 50% charged. 12.7-12.8 is full charge. First place I would start is getting the batteries charged back up. If you still have issues at that point since it appears you have a volt meter I would do some voltage drop test on cables and connections. How old are the batteries? Maybe take them someplace and have them load tested. One other way to test battery connections is to turn on a few loads for a couple of minutes and then start touching cables if you find heat you have found an issue.

 

[Jackson Fronsdahl]

12.4 volts is a battery that is around 50% charged. 12.7-12.8 is full charge. First place I would start is getting the batteries charged back up. If you still have issues at that point since it appears you have a volt meter I would do some voltage drop test on cables and connections. How old are the batteries? Maybe take them someplace and have them load tested. One other way to test battery connections is to turn on a few loads for a couple of minutes and then start touching cables if you find heat you have found an issue.

Both batteries are new, I bought them 2 months ago. I'll add voltage drop tests to the list of other tests Im doing when I get home. Both the pos/neg posts on he battery get slightly warm themselves when after cranking and doing tests yesterday but that's about all I felt get warm becides the starter itself.

 

[DaveBen]

The posts getting warm/hot is from resistance at the post connections. Clean then real good! It is the little stuff like this that causes or contributes to bad starts!

 

[Jackson Fronsdahl]

Turn the key to the on position, then go to the engine and unplug the connector on top of the injector pump and plug it in a couple times and listen for the click of the solinoid to make sure its turning on and off.

Then, take a screw driver or players and jump the starter solinoid on the firewall while really wiggling the battery cables close to the battery terminal and see if it doesn't start spinning like 2 batteries instead of just one battery...... proceed with caution, wear a helmet, googles, knee pads, athletic support, and steel toed boots..... make sure your grounded as well.

You got this, but ill give it an 87.5% certainty that its a bad battery cable..... your engine is spinning fine, but it takes a BUNCH OF UMPH to spin 21.5/1 compression fast!

Welp...

 

[Jesus Freak]

Welp...

....there's yer sign.....

 

[IDIBRONCO]

Getting closer.

 

[Jackson Fronsdahl]

....there's yer sign.....

Now I gota figure out where to go from here lol

 

[Jackson Fronsdahl]

Getting closer.

So close yet so far lol

 

[rreegg]

Welp...

Looks mint!

That’s the positive and the negative is good? I’ve wondered what is the best vendor for the pos cables have only needed to replace my neg

 

[Jesus Freak]

Make yer own.....

 

[rreegg]

Make yer own.....

Yeah fair! The two way T union post fitting is something I haven’t seen around? Maybe online would have it but never looked

 

[ihc1470]

Think I got mine from a Federated Auto parts store. I replaced with the cable for a 95 power stroke as they were just a couple inches longer. I needed the extra length as I had replaced the starter and the battery terminal was in a bit different location. Makiing your own is also a good way to go.

 

[mf7lakes]

NAPA has new positive cable made up for these trucks -- about $200