Cold Start, what do you do?

[bigo1966]

So im heading skiing and camping in the parking lot tomorrow night. Skiing the next day. The problem is the 20 min it takes to get my truck started when its that cold. Any suggestions? Im pretty sure i need new glow plugs, but for the mean time should i use starting fluid to help her out starting? Any help and advice would be greatly appericated.

Orion

[99bigred]

dont shut it off?
ive heard your not suppose to use starter fluid but my neighbor has done it. you just have to use a very small amount or it will rev like crazy when it starts
good luck

[99bigred]

one thing i left off....that was in a big rig cummins
dont know if that changes anything...all diesels are the same right?

[monster energy]

do not use starter fluid in your power stroke what ever you do it will ruin it there are no lubricants in it. it will cost you a set of injectors possibly

[99bigred]

just curious how would starter fluid ruin injectors if you sprayed it through the intake? it doesnt go through them right?

[99bigred]

you could always use WD-40 as starter fluid. never heard anything against that.

[bigo1966]

So a few shots of wd-40 might help? Anyone know how much the current draw is on the plug in, could i use a power inverter and heat it up on my one juice?

[dieselcrawler]

Originally Posted by bigo1966

So a few shots of wd-40 might help? Anyone know how much the current draw is on the plug in, could i use a power inverter and heat it up on my one juice?

As posted earlier, just leave it run... it will keep it warm, and the little fuel you'll use will far offset the cost of the damage you'd possibly do useing ether, and using a power converter to run your block heater will drain your batteries to the point of not starting your truck...
I have also heard of using WD-40... won't harm the truck, and is safe around glow plugs, won't pre-ingnite as badly as ether/starting fluid.
I've been told that it's the glow plugs igniteing the ether back thru the intake that does damage as well... glowing hot, as soon as the intake valve opens, the ether ignites instantly, flashes back thru the intake, turbo, air cleaner, etc... Just a good idea to NEVER USE ETHER.
Have fun on your ski trip... been years since I've been out...

[Kyle_1724]

you might want to check your glow plug relay. I had the same problem you have with my powerstroke. Thought it was my glow plugs also. I whent to change my glow plugs and decited to change my glow plug realy first. It was a very easy fix and only costed $70 from napa. Did the trick. Truck starts every time when its cold. I would try that first.

Let me know

Kyle

[NCHornet]

You should go to the maintenance section and follow the instructions on troubleshooting your GP system. If it is working properly your trust should start unassisted to 20 below. If it is colder than that, you shouldn't be sking!!

Here I saved you the trouble of getting lost.

How to check Glow Plug System

To check the Glow Plug Relay (GPR)
· Be sure the engine is cold, so that the PCM will tell the GPR to turn on. If the engine is hot, you won’t have as much time to check.
· Locate the GPR – Its behind the fuel filter on top of the engine, a little bit toward the passenger side of the valley. There may be two relays there. If so, the rear one is the GPR. It will have two fairly large wires (yellow and brown) connected to one of the large posts.
· With your multitmeter set to DC volts, and 15 V range (if not autoranging), clip the positive (red) lead to the output terminal (with yellow and brown wires connected), and the negative (black) lead to a good ground point (like the battery ground terminal or someplace metal directly on the engine block.)
· Turn the key to ON (do not start)
· If your GPR is good, it should click, and you’ll see 11 volts or so on your meter, then, depending on temperature, it will click off up to 2 minutes later. You should do this a couple of times to make sure it consistently makes the connection.
· If you don’t get voltage with this test, confirm by retesting as follows.
· Remove the two small wires from the smaller two of the four GPR terminals.
· With jumper wires, apply voltage from the battery across the two small terminals. If your voltmeter now reads voltage on the output terminal, your GPR is OK, and your problem is in the PCM circuit that tells the GPR to activate.

If your GPR is bad you can use the factory replacement for around $75, Napa's GP110 is close to this price maybe $10 cheaper. But you can get a GPR 109 from Napa for around $22.00 This is the same exact relay as the GP110 except the mounting holes are rotated 180 degrees, which is no big deal as the wires stretch just fine.
Now if you are tired of replacing your GPR and want a H.D. alternative may I suggest the Stancor 586-902. This is a large relay and it can truly handle the large AMP draw our trucks call for at start up. Gopher Electronics has these for under $40. I know several folks that live way up North (Alaska, Canada) where they know about serious cold starts and they all swear by the Stancor. I am very happy with mine, I believe I have pics of mine installed in my webshots.

To check Glow Plugs.
· Remove the electrical connector on the inboard side of valve cover at the gasket. Press down on the top of the connector latch and pry gently with a screwdriver. Photo of disconnecting one and another Photo of it loose.
· There will be 9 pins on the valve cover gasket where you removed the connector. The two pins furthest forward and the two pins furthest back are for your glow plugs.
· With your multimeter set to resistance (ohms) and low range (single digits) if not autoranging, clip the negative (black) lead to a good ground point.
· Probe each of the 4 outer pins individually with the positive (red) lead, noting the resistance. Good glow plugs will have a resistance between 0.6 and 2 ohms. If you get infinite resistance on any glow plug, that one is either bad or the connector under the valve cover has come loose.
Take Care
Kevin

Also let me add, that if your GPR does test pad you can use a Napa model #109, their book will call for the #110 but the 110 is around $60+ where the 109 is low $20's. They are the same exact sensor spec wise, the only difference is the mounting tabs are rotated 180 degrees, don't worry the wires make it fine. However if you really want a HD relay and one you won't have to change yearly, you should replace it with the HD Stancor unit, the model # is 586-902 and it is made to handle the 200 amp draw, whereas the others are made very cheaply. You can see photos of this relay in my webshots.