first cold start fail... ??

[smokeless_6.4]

so my truck starts fine plugged in of course however still puts out the cloud of white smoke on start up. Truck runs little rough (mild miss) while driving it until the temp gauge gets up about 1/4 of the way then runs perfect. So my truck sat at work yesterday for 12 hours. Well this being the coldest day we have had so far (20 degrees) i went to leave work from not being plugged in and she refused to start.... ended up having to jump it with my patrol car, (took about 30 mins and a shot of ether). Once she started up and warmed up, she didnt miss a beat. What would cause this issue among the most common? glowplugs, relay, injector o-rings?
My truck also has a fuel leak. I have ben trying to find it. I have replaced the fuel pump, lines, and new o-rings in the drain valve. Im suspecting the WIF sensor is leaking. would this also be causing my hard to star problems.... thanks in advance

[backwoodsboy]

I'd look at your batteries first if you needed a jump to get it started.
From there, check and replace the GPR and GP's.
You can test the GPR and GP's individually with a multi-meter.
Let me know if you need a write-up on the procedure for that.

[smokeless_6.4]

Well the batteries were fine. After about 10 mins of trying to get her to start they went down too far to crank it fast enough. i have heard a couple ways to test the glowplugs, which way is the fastest? thanks

[backwoodsboy]

This should get you started diagnosing the glowplugs and relay.
http://www.dfuser.com/Install%20Guid...ug%20Relay.pdf
If you need new glowplugs, only use OEM Motocraft or Berut. Other brands have a tendency to swell the tips and get stuck in the heads.
If you need a new relay, check out the Western Plow 56131K. Cheap and lasts longer than OEM.
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Just a tip for the future, ether is bad news for these engines. If you absolutely have to use it, disable the glowplugs to prevent pre-combustion and the damage that can cause.

[smokeless_6.4]

thanks backwoods

[crazy_canadian]

On cold days, my truck will shoot a little black smoke, then it'll be white/blue-ish for a minute. Then just cold white smoke.
FYI, cold days means under -20°F. It's like that for 3 days now, 4 more to go.
This morning the truck was plugged in for 2 hours and started with my remote starter and it was -31°. I do not worry with smoke at startup. It runs fine, pulls fine and take 2 to 3 quart of oil in 6500 miles.