im a dodge man but the lady is a ford girl. everything seems to be working correctly(glow plugs,batteries good,) this thing will not start if its below 35 and its not plugged in

 

Try it plugged in. It is there for a reason

 

How do you know glow plugs are good? How bout the relay? What happens if you turn the key to the on position for 30 seconds and then try to start.

 

What have you checked/tested to see if the glow plugs are not working?

I'm betting the relay is dead.

 

I changed my starter, and that solved the cold start problem. Spins faster than the other one.

 

my truck is the same way. i just plug it in. had #8 injector bad, replaced it thinking that may have been the issue but same way. my relay is working, and the glow plugs were tested and they are working but my buddy said that they might be working but not putting out enough to start it when its cold. check the relay 1st when its cold, then go from there.

 

Hello All,
I'm a newbie to this forum.

I have a 2000 F-350 with a 7.3l, 149k
It don't like the cold, ( I live in Western New York), anytime under 35 degrees, won't start. I'll get a little putt out of one cylinder, then hit the gp's again for another putt. But it fires right up when plugged in. I bought the truck in Aug. of '10 with 128k. Don't know if gp's where ever changed. Also started missing real bad and the s.e.s light comes on. Seems like running on only 4 cylinders. I found another forum, several people had same problem ( loose plug inside valve cover) So I figure great, I'll pull the valve covers, fix the loose plug & replace the gp's. Well I pulled both VC's off, both plugs were tight. Changed out the gp's and in the process of putting the rest together.
My question is where is the gp relay and how do you test it ? I haven't fired it up yet, but I think my bad miss will still be there, any ideas ???? I pulled batteries out so I can't get any codes yet. Also where (is this dealer only item?) can I get the rubber o-ring/gaskets for the crank case vent ? mine is quite rusty, possibly replace it ?
Thanks for any input!
It's my first Diesel Truck.

Curbman....

 

^^ welcome. well when you had the VC's off, did you make sure the plugs going to the injectors were on tight as well as the GP's? the GPR is located pn the passenger side of the engine, about center of the oil rail. if you have a AIH, it is the relay that's closest to the turbo. put a test light on it. i'm betting this is your cold start problem. GP's don't go out near as often as everyone thinks they do.

 

yep what he said. it looks like a starter relay. should have hot going in all the time, and when cold, turn key on w/o starting and the 2nd big terminal should be hot. if not, no juice to glow plugs.

 

if the relay is bad, use a nut driver to tighten the nuts for the terminals. it is very easy to over tighten and break the relay. i speak from experience.