Truck did not want to start this morning...

[Duanesz]

Well the temp on the mirror said 6deg this morning when I tried to start my 2000 SD. It took 3 cycles of the key for it to finally start and ran pretty rough for about a minute and smoked alot. Truck has new stancor relay and about 128,000mi. I did not have the truck plugged in and it has been 3 days since it ran last. What temp should the truck start unassisted at? I have to check the glow plugs and see if I have some bad ones.

Duane

[dieselcrawler]

With a good GP system, they should start down to 0 with no problem, they just might not like it. Sounds like yours is in good shape. I don't even try... mine is plugged in below 30-35 degrees. Helps the truck with everything being warm, easier starts, less wear and tear on stuff, and nearly instant heat.

[maddogv21]

You should just plug it in. But new glow plugs wouldnt hurt...

[07powerstrokebosss]

yeah my advice is keeep her plugged in prob nothing wrong with it powerstrokes start alot harder in cold than a cummins or duramax ... ive got an 07 6.0 and i keep it plugged in at work and any where it sits for long enough to get cold... if i dont itll still start buy it shakes rattles and rolls the gray smoke for a min till it blood gets pumpin

[ScottyP5947]

Are you running synth or dino oil? I found that with the 15-40 it would start much harder than with a 5-40 at temps like that. If it was that cold a lot, I would be plugging it in, too... faster heat!!

Scott

[NCHornet]

First of all a 7.3 should start without being plugged in at negative 20 degrees. Will plugging it in help? Of course. If it get's that cold where you live you should also switch to a lighter weight oil, this in itself makes a huge difference. You need to ohm your glow plugs to see which ones are bad, if any. I have a write up at the top of this section on how to troubleshoot your GP system.
PM me if you need any help.
NCH

[99PSD-White]

yeah my truck hated starting yesterday morning. It was -4 degrees.

[Duanesz]

Thanks for the input. I just changed the oil and used dino 15 40. I dont drive the truck on a regular basis so its not realistic to plug it in for days at a time. How long does it take to warm the truck up with the block heater. If I plugged it in like 2 hrs before I started it would that be enough?

Thanks
Duane