Hi folks. I've got a 99 Ford F350 SD w/7.3. Been having some wierd problems over the past several months. I think possible CPS but I am to new at this diesel stuff. Truck has 152k and has been running like a swiss watch for five years (bought used). Last summer it had occassions to stall or miss at times but would straighten out and run for days or week before it did it again. One time I parked and left it running and it died, started it right up and it died again. Started again and it has not done it again. Now it is getting cold and it's getting hard to start, dieing, stalling etc. It usually corresponded with new fuel so I thought maybe water so I changed filters and inspected everything in fuel service, nothing there. I replaced the glow plug relay and it didn't help. When I try to start I would lose power on the glow plug side of relay. Still have power on all other connectors of relay. When I get power on the glow plug side it starts. Have done draw down test on batteries and they are good. Only two years old with a seven year warraity. When I connect a battery charger on it for a few minutes it starts right up. Plugged it in this afternoon to worm it up and just went out to try it and it did not start. Running out of Ideas and manuals are worthless. I also checked the tack and get no movement when cranking. Any more Ideas? Advice? Thanks, Dale

 

I know all the sensors hafta be ok and send the OK signal b4 it will start.................Ford gurus please check in

 

bump for Ford guys

 

Have you scanned for codes?

Could it be alternator?

 

Yea Dr. Evil, I keep scanning for the codes but nothing shows up. Alternator? Well , the alternator is charging at about 14.23v. I'm beginning to think "Short?". I realized today that it is not a "cold start" situation although that may add to the problem. I was working on it today and it started right up yesterday morning, 25 deg. temp. Let it sit all night without warmup and it started right up again this morning, again 25 deg. This afternoon after running it to full temp. I shut the truck off after three or four starts and stops and the next time I tried it would not start. The glow plug side of the GPR had no power in start position and the engine would not fire. Tried this several times until the batteries got sluggish. Put the charger on the batt. until they reached 13.0v tried to start and the glow plug light came on and stayed on and the truck fired right up with no hesitation. I don't have much hair left Somebody HELP!!!

 

CPS failures were usually more evident with warm engines.

What color is your CPS? There's some debate about the blue or the gray bein preferable, but in any case, black is bad, and carry an extra. They aren't expensive, and I'd start there.

 

Updates??

 

Well, I broke down today and had Ford Dealer change the CPS. Process of elimination I suppose. I told the service writer that I wanted the old one (black w/152k) back and he said no problem. After they got it changed the mech. said they had to turn in the old one for proof of change out. Sounds like a BS to me. Oh well, got an extra for the glove box. Have no Idea if this will help the problem but have to try. Updates for what Wildbill??

 

I think it is your CPS givin you grief. Why'd you ask for the black one?

 

because you can do a resistance test on the black one to see if it was actually bad.

but that deff. sounds like the CPS, i had the same problem a while ago until the put the grey CPS in, its been good ever since. But usually when it shut off on me it would start back up. the only time it ever shut off on me and wouldnt start back up was when i had a sensor in the tranny go bad.