Hard/no start - Diesel Forum

probear · 11-21-2012, 02:16 PM

1999 F-350 7.3 (early, Oct 98) Truck started and drove fine to work, then 5 hours later, would not start. Truck would turn over, but did not fire. No 'smoke' or white cloud from tail pipe, so I assumed that the injectors were not firing.
I checked the HPOP and it had oil (once before, after sitting for a couple of weeks, it drained down and had to be manually filled). Topped it off and still would not start. Left it sit overnight, and came back the next day.
Day 2, decided to hook the batteries up to another vehicle to charge for about an hour. Meanwhile, checked the glow plug relay, and it was fine. Unplugged the fuel bowl heater, and double checked all the fuses. Nothing blown at all.
Tried to start and it spun over but just did not catch.
At this point, got the wife to spin it over while I sprayed brake cleaner in the intake. After a couple of sputters, and a couple more sprays, it cranked. After a second or two, settled down to a smooth idle. Drove home (38 miles) and it did not miss a beat.
Drove to a local PSD shop and cut it off. The first time trying to restart (after 30 seconds off), it almost started, but did not 'catch'. Waited a minute and it cranked right up.
So, the shop guy and I talked and he thought it might be a bad injector o-ring, but, hesitated because it should have cranked easier cold, and not easily hot. We are going to put a scanner on it either today or Mon to check the oil pressures, but wanted to know if anyone else has had a similar problem.

tinman13kup · 11-21-2012, 04:22 PM

Sounds like that shop has a plan. The o-ring remark is spot on, as well as getting a scanner on it to check first. When you check it, try to get a KOER, KOEO, and buzz test

probear · 11-24-2012, 02:05 PM

I think I found the problem. I was just not convinced that it was a HPOP or o-ring problem, so I decided to go have the batteries checked. Sure enough, one came up bad. It apparently was not bad enough to kill the other battery, but bad enough to slow the cranking speed up just enough.
Hope that did solve it, since tonight is going below freezing. Guess I'll find out real quick.