crank/ no start. Running out of ideas
 

Vehicle is '03 f-250 and will not start. Ran ok one day, next day it would not start. Cranks good. Sounds like it wants to start and I've got a little white smoke and sometimes a little black smoke while cranking. When I first started my diagnosis I got no smoke and it never "tried" to start. I noticed the oil filter cap wasn't screwed on all the way. Tightened that down and that's when I started to get a little smoke and it wanted to start. It's not consistant smoke though. Sometimes it smokes, sometimes not. Here's what I have for #'s (using a snap-on MODIS):
No codes in computer
Cranking RPMs - 120-130
ICP - 1500-1600 psi (starts at 0 and goes up like its supposed to)
Fuel pressure @ upper filter - 55psi per actual guage
FICM volts while cranking - 47-47.5v
FICM feed voltages stay consistant with batt.v
Low oil pressure comes up while cranking
Buzz test passes
Glow plugs are good and getting power for avg. 60 sec. They measure .5 ohms ea. and are getting batt.v when requested
Batt. v. while cranking - 10-10.5v
Oil level is correct
Im running out of ideas. I've had a couple of people tell me it's the FICM but it doesn't seem like that's it since there are no codes it passes buzz test and my voltages are where they should be????? Any help would be appreciated.
Thx,
Josh

If the oil cap was loose then you probably emptied the oil resivoir for the high pressure oil pump, it can take alot of cranking to get it to refill and fire up. You do have a stock oil filter cap on it right? some of the aftermarket ones have caused issues. Take the filter off the cap and just hold the filter down with your hand and have someone crank the truck to make sure the filter housing is filling with oil, if it does then reinstall filter into cap and reinstall then crank it over/might have to put a battery charger on it because it will about kill the batteries to get the air out of the system.
If the oil filter housing doesn't fill with oil then repost back here and we will help you with that.

are you getting fuel to the injectors?

ok. couple things. Filter cap may or may not be oem?!?! I know its the normal height and not one of those goofy tall ones. No FoMoCo under it or a ford p/n so idk. I let oil drain out of filter housing and put filter back in and cranked. Filled up in a couple seconds. Seems ok. If my ICP is reading 1500+, doesn't that mean i'm getting oil to the HPOP? Or will air give me a reading like that? I have cranked this thing way more than any other one i've worked and still won't run. It wants to start sooo bad. it's so close. I believe I am getting fuel to the injectors since im getting smoke. The first couple of times I cranked it this am, I got black smoke. Then after a few more cranks it started going white. When it blows black, that's when it sounds the closest to starting. I did notice on the scan tool, that while cranking, it shows Eng Load @ 99-100%. Is that ok? IPR duty cycle goes to %55 @ 1700psi while cranking which is good.

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Also, I have been monitoring FICM volts while cranking with the scan tool. It fluctuates (47-48v) so I know it's reading it. Could this be a false reading? Should I verify at the FICM itself or not?

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just cranked it a few more times and it seems like it may be getting better. But I noticed that its spewing actual soot from the exhaust. I've never seen it like this. It looks like the soot from acetylene torch. Good? Bad?

Are you reading desired ICP or actual? You need to compare the two of them. What's IPR duty cycle doing?

Is the low pressure oil gauge on the dash coming up after you crank for a little bit, indicating you have low pressure oil too?

ICP values are actual, not desired. It follows desired. IPR duty cycle hovers around %55 while cranking. oil pressure needle goes up while cranking. Im waiting for oem filter and cap. I think a/m oil filter and cap are letting all the oil out of the housing. Filling system with air everytime i try to start it.

Well if it's still making high pressure oil then I wouldn't think the oil cap would be an issue. Try pulling the intercooler tube at the intake elbow connection apart. Then try restarting, might be an air restriction.

Is it possible to get those high of pressures with aerated oil in the HP lines? I'll give that a whirl in a bit. The thing about this truck is it ran fine one day, no prior issues, parked it for the night and wouldn't start the following morning.

Just noticed you said IPR is 55%. Does it start lower than that or is it at 55% right away? Might be bleeding enough pressure off to not fire. Usually it starts lower, and slowly increments up that way. Might not hurt to pull the IPR and inspect it.

I would still try pulling the intercooler tube. Mine did the same thing once, and it was the turbo seized. Caused it to not start and I wasn't even getting smoke although everything else checked out.

IPR duty cycle starts at %15 and goes up to around %55 when trying to start. tried oem oil filter and cap. Thought that was the fix since a/m one was almost 2mm shorter! Nope. No change. Pulled I/C tube and tried starting that way, no change. I am noticing INJ_PW of 5.9ms while trying to start. Does that seem ok? ENG_LOAD is %99-100. Going to check fuel flow. I have pressure, but maybe not enough volume?

Ya know, I had a crank, no start issue with my 2003, it was a damn fuse in the interior fuse panel. A little red one between to relays about the middle, kinda by itself. I have no idea how it popped, but after trying MANY things that didn't work, that fuse was the issue.

I will look for that in the morning. Doesn't make any sense but I'm running out of things to check! I'm crossing my fingers!

Does your truck by chance have the butterfly valve in/under the intake elbow, check to make sure it's not closed, this has happened quite a few times. I don't think 03's had it, but we've learned around here to ask, we've seen it on trucks that should not have had it.

Ok, checked that fuse and checked for the butterfly valve and there is not one on this truck. Had a local tech tell us they have seen several 6.0's with seemingly correct ICP readings (1500psi) but failed HPOP. This doesn't make much sense to me, has anybody else seen this?

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he also said said a good way to verify this is give a quick shot of starting fluid and if it runs on that, it's the HPOP? Tried that and with a really quick shot of starting fluid and it just seemed to slow the cranking speed.

if you ever use starting fluid/which you shouldn't/ turn the key on for 2 minutes to make sure the glw plugs turn off because it can blow your intake off if the glowplugs are lit . If you have the ICP reading that you show thenthe truck should start if it is getting fuel and air providing the FICM is telling the injectors to fire.
We know a stuck turbo can cause a no start, did you remove the airfilter assembly and spin the turbo?

Turbo spins good. When we shot it with ether it just started to turn over slower. I'm stumped!:scare2:

Ether will make it turn over slower, stop spraying it with ether, you're going to do serious engine damage.

Ok, if the turbo spins freely and you have no boost, there is a major disconnect between the heads and the turbo, the exhaust manifolds come off the head, feed the up-pipes, to the y-pipe to the turbo, something in between is most likely blown.

We only gave an ultra fast spritz of ether. Don't worry, I know that can be catastrophic. Should there be enough exhaust pressure while just cranking to spin the turbo a little bit? Because it doesn't move while cranking. I just turned the impeller with my fingers to check it.

I don't think you'll see it spin until it fires. Does it spin free and easy? If the engine is cranking slower, it got more than a small dose of ether.

got it fixed!!!!!!!!!!! Took the belt off and fired instantly! Seized a/c compressor. Cranking RPM was above the "required" speed but apparently not enough.

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Thanks to everybody for your help and input. I really appreciate it.
:tu:

Anothr AC compressor,,,,thats 3 of them now that caused a no start:argh::argh::argh:

Wow... I wonder what caused the big "pop" while you were driving though... I'd think if it seized like that you'd have scattered some parts while the engine was running. Or destroyed the front cover. Interesting.