Got a new rig 88 7.3L F-250

[blackdog76]

Just picked up an 88 Ford F-250 7.3L truck for cheap. It was advertized with having a rebuilt engine with around 20K, a new injection pump, and a few new glow plugs. The previous owner said that something was wrong with the glow plugs and it wouldn't start. I brought it home and put two new batteries in it and tried cranking it and nothing. Some of the glow plugs look new like he said and some look old. Didn't pull them to see what brand. The wait to start light does not come on at all. No clicking at all. Replaced the controller relay and same issue. The truck does run, I did an ether start and it fired right up, didn't smoke much at all, and runs good. I'm guessing that the rest of the glow plug controller is dead, it needs all of the glow plugs to work, or the wiring is damaged?

I'm new to these pre stroke diesels and will be on this forum quite a bit in the near future so thanks in advance

 

[bbjordan]

Congrats on new acquisition! Welcome to the best forum on the internet for IDI Ford trucks. There is a wealth of good information and experience here. Make sure to check out the technical articles and the Hall of Shame.

It is not uncommon for the glow plug controller to fail, but before you replace it, check/clean the ground connection. Also check the connection that goes between the engine and the fender. This is common problem point on these trucks. There are two heavier yellow wires at the end of the connector. Check/clean or bypass this connector. Or replace the two yellow wires with one heavier wire. This is a common mod on these trucks. Another common mod is a manual glow plug override system.

A word of caution too. While ether can be your friend, make sure you glow plugs are disconnected, or you risk catastrophic engine failure.

Happy reading! Oh, add your truck specifics to your signature file. It'll save a lot of questions later.

 

[icanfixall]

Welcome to the forum. The above posting is correct. Many times the main engine wire harness plug corrodes and the two yellow wires feeding power to the controller fail. The plug gets hot and melts. Look closely at the plug found on the passenger side of the engine. It may not be able to properly power up the glow plug controller. About the plugs... Pull all of them and replace them with motorcraft breu zd9 plugs... Many other plugs work in these engines but they wont last long. Plenty of proof to that here. The messgae about ether is so true also. Becareful using it by not allowing the glow plugs any power...

 

[blackdog76]

Checked all the glow plugs again and they are all fine. Will replace them with another brand at a later date but I call them good for now. Checked the relay again. Checked all the harness plugs. They are all in bad shape, as well as the connector that goes to the main harness, and again I will replace the whole glow plug harness later. Looked a bunch of pics of controllers online because I was convinced it was that. As it turns out the previous owner put the controller ground in the wrong place while replacing the controller relay so I installed it under one of the mounting screws for the controller and presto. Wait to start light came on and after a short crank the thing fired up. Runs great and no more need for starting fluid but as far as the overall health of the truck, there is oil all over everything under the truck all the way back to the transmission, the tach and fuel gauge don't work, there is coolant leaking from the water pump area, and it's raining so water seeps in through rotted window seals turning the truck into a lake. Other than that shes a sweet truck. Still haven't driven it yet, so I will report back, possible after a new water pump.

 

[Hydro-idi]

Make sure that rain water is not collecting on top of the air filter as well. This can cause a hydrolock situation which is no good for engines.
Welcome to the forum!

 

[blackdog76]

You must be registered for see images attach

this is it btw

 

[blackdog76]

Ha, that's funny. Rainwater was collecting on the air filter housing. Put a plastic bag over it for now. Had to pick up something for work so I topped off the coolant and took it for a spin today. Transmission was slipping so I stopped and checked the fluid and it was low. I stopped by the parts store and it took 2 quarts and shifts fine now. The tach does work, just not until it goes in drive I guess. Tried to fill it with some diesel but could not get the pump to give it any. It just kept clicking off. The gas station pump or the truck??? Not sure what that was all about. Mannn this thing is super slow at freeway speed. And no overdrive is pretty strange, not really used to that. Other than that, when it finally warmed up it ran and drove great.

 

[Hydro-idi]

What kind of transmission is in it?

 

[towcat]

welcome!
where in kali are you at?

 

[icanfixall]

The E4OD auto trans was available in 89 but the C6 was still available then too. So If you have an auto trans its a C6 three speed trans. Also looking at the drivers side of the enjection pump you will see an electrical switch if its an E4OD trans and some vacuum hoses if its a C6...

 

[blackdog76]

What kind of transmission is in it?

don't know

 

[blackdog76]

bay area

 

[towcat]

bay area

i figured as much with the wet background. it's been damp around here this week.

 

[icanfixall]

If the trans is an auto and your not sure if its a C6 or E4OD do this... Look at the dash for an OD lite. If thats not there nor is there a switch for that I feel you have a three speed C6. The E4OD has 4 forward gears compared to the C6 with 3 forward gears.

 

[riotwarrior]

Welcome to OB, as mentioned the best place for info on these trucks and engines.

You have a nice looking ride there, and glad you got it running.

Take a few minutes, go into our FAQ's, Hall of Shame, and Tech articles, this will give you some base line information to work with and better understand things new to you. Also that hall of shame is explicit in where NOT to go for parts and service!

There is a water pump replacement article in the tech section, you may find helpfull.

I just wrote a tech 101 on rebuidling/modding my flat deck filler neck. Take a look at that, it may be helpful too. I was doing the squeeze click at the pump too, and was getting tired of it. I did the mod...Wide OPEN pump now!

Again welcome to Oil Burners

Al