Starting Issues

Recently, since the temp has fallen below 50 (30 degree nights) in new england, i have been having a serious issue starting my 1999 F250.

it takes about 3 15-20 sec cranks to start, cycling the glow-plugs a few times does nothing

on the third crank it starts fine but just blows white smoke for about 5min, it also blows white smoke
(i believe it is diesel, its does not have a blue tint) while cranking

when i turn the key i do hear the glow plug "click",

i do have a couple general question also

would low oil level, cause low oil pressure, which would cause the injectors to not have enough power to atomize the fuel correctly?
would a 15w-40 be a problem, and if so would it be to thick to again give enough push to the injectors.

one is starts it runs like a champ and hauls, the turbo spools up fine, i do not think it is a gate problem

i did have one issue were i could not get it to start at all one day, it just puked white smoke, slightly attempted to start, then just died



i had no problems this summer when i bought the truck

thanks in advance!

if relevant 221000 miles  

White smoke means the you don't have enough heat to burn the fuel, so you've got several bad glow plugs.

Pull them one at a time and test them by using a small piece of heavy gauge wire with alligator clips on each end.  Clip one end to the glow plug, the other to the ground on the battery, and close the circuit by putting it to the hot post on the battery.

If you do this, the glow plug should almost immediately get hot.  Do a "3 count" and if its not hot, it's bad.

Once you determine how many are bad, buy them and use the good ones first in the cylinders firing order.  This helps cold starts and you won't need to buy a complete set.  Just remember which ones you didn't replace (using the engine firing order) and replace them as they go bad, probably next year or so.


Kris  
2006 Dodge Ram 2500 QC 5.9L - No Mods Yet
2008 Dodge Ram 3500 QC 6.7L - Titan Fuel Tank Owner

I have the same problem in my '97 F250, and my father says its the starter.
I honsetly don't know if that is true.
A quick trick to get it going is to feather the gas pedal when it "attempts" to start  

plug it in at night  do you have a block heater  

yes i have a block heater and dont have problmes starting in the moring when i plug, its when i leave work at 11 after having the truck sit for 8 hours it becomes a problem, least to say i fill the hospital parking lot with nice healthy white smoke.    

It's not the starter.  The starter simply turns the engine over until combustion takes over and keeps it running.

You need new glow plugs, so follow the instructions I gave earlier in this thread and it will help you out with both faster starts and running when it's cold.



Kris  
2006 Dodge Ram 2500 QC 5.9L - No Mods Yet
2008 Dodge Ram 3500 QC 6.7L - Titan Fuel Tank Owner

when its cold out and you try to start it does it try to start and barks a few times then die or just cranks and doesnt fire at all?  

i dont want to say it barks, but it try to do something while starting, its more like a a short lived purrr  

If you are going to do it replace all of the glow plugs at the same time.  They are located underneath the valve covers, by the time you're that far just replace them all and save time later. JMHO  

I ve been driving a diesel for well over twenty  years , Big trucks to  now a custom  suburban with  a 5.9 cummins  for a daily driver . My suggestion is to  switch  to  any synthetic  engine  oil  I am a fan of amsoil  see this months article in Diesel power . As the power stroke uses oil pressure to operate the injectors  its even more important on cold starts  of course check  your glows  but my diesel  doesnt even have glow plugs  I hope this helps  

iidowntoearthii:
Recently, since the temp has fallen below 50 (30 degree nights) in new england, i have been having a serious issue starting my 1999 F250.

it takes about 3 15-20 sec cranks to start, cycling the glow-plugs a few times does nothing

on the third crank it starts fine but just blows white smoke for about 5min, it also blows white smoke
(i believe it is diesel, its does not have a blue tint) while cranking

when i turn the key i do hear the glow plug "click",

i do have a couple general question also

would low oil level, cause low oil pressure, which would cause the injectors to not have enough power to atomize the fuel correctly?
would a 15w-40 be a problem, and if so would it be to thick to again give enough push to the injectors.

one is starts it runs like a champ and hauls, the turbo spools up fine, i do not think it is a gate problem

i did have one issue were i could not get it to start at all one day, it just puked white smoke, slightly attempted to start, then just died



i had no problems this summer when i bought the truck

thanks in advance!

if relevant 221000 miles

Ive had this problem with my 2003 6.0L PSD for the last two weeks here in MI. It turned out to be bad batteries. The ones the previous owner had put in were pieces of *** They registered well below the acceptable energy level to start the motor when tested. BTW, the dealer had the truck for a week testing and checking things so it was definitely the batteries.

I would check the batteries for proper voltage to turn over the engine, run the electical control systems, and start the motor at the same time. Couldnt hurt.

Like MarineOne said its probably bad glow plugs that arent heating the combustion chamber properly.

Hope it resolves itself quickly    

:
..... but my diesel  doesnt even have glow plugs  I hope this helps



Maybe because the Cummins uses a grid heater?

Maybe?



For the white smoke/hard cold start problem, we had the same problem with all the 6.2L engines my folks run for the family business.  It's easy to replace them, but very time consuming due to where you need to get at them.  Go slow and be patient and you'll have them done in no time.





Kris  
2006 Dodge Ram 2500 QC 5.9L - No Mods Yet
2008 Dodge Ram 3500 QC 6.7L - Titan Fuel Tank Owner

i got everything solved, it turned out to be two bad glow plugs, 6, and 8, but the harness was also shot so replaced all three items (may punch self in face for not doing all 8 plugs) now i just need another 30 degree day to see how well it starts

back to the oil change, i have been using motor-craft 15w 40 for a while now,

if you thinking using a mobile-one synthetic 5w-40 for cold-weather application is a bad idea say something i have had multiple suggestions of yes its fine, and no's

i checked out amsol because the previous owner of the truck said he used that in all lubrication application, but, thats not cheap oil  

I always run delo 15-40.  It's kinda whatever your truck seems to like best. What works for one guy doesn't for another.  

If you're using the block heater and the overnight temps aren't dropping below 0 degrees F then 15w40 is fine.  If you're not using the block heater and temps drop to 15 degrees F or lower, I'd consider switching to 5w40.

Both oils should be synthetic for the added protection they provide.


Kris  
2006 Dodge Ram 2500 QC 5.9L - No Mods Yet
2008 Dodge Ram 3500 QC 6.7L - Titan Fuel Tank Owner