Help With Cold Start Issues

[redoil]

I did lots of stuff to my 2000 Excursion a few months ago -- 4" TB Exhaust, DP Chip , gauges and now that it's cold out I am having a hard time starting it -- unless I keep the block heater plugged in every night -- even when the temps are above freezing. When I start it cold (when the block heater was not plugged in) -- it revs up and down for about 15 seconds -- and smokes like crazy -- and usually requires me to re-start it 2 or 3 times until it smoothes out.

[bamaboy473]

This might have nothing to do with your mods, but have you had the batteries load tested? My truck and hard starting were caused by a battery that tested at 12.3 volts, but a load test showed only 159 CCA instead of 850

[NCHornet]

here you go


Troubleshooting GPR & GP's

[redoil]

I just bought the about a month ago -- at Tri State Battery and they are correct ones for my truck -- but I'll go back and have them check it out.
Don

[broncobuyer]

everyone i know has the powerstroke cold start lope, because of this i assume its normal.

[bamaboy473]

Mine doesn't lope ever. I wonder whether this is cold weather thing; something my truck never sees.

[Hades212]

my 7.3 has done the same thing whenever the temp drops below 30 I just have to make sure its plugged in. I got stuck in northern Arizona one day because of this when I first got the truck.

[redoil]

Well this is new for mine. I have 80,000 miles on it and it never did it in past winters -- I hope to get the relay by UPS mid week. I'll let you know if it works. Today it was in the low 30's and I experimented this morning and started it without waiting at all for glow plug heat -- and it started the same way -- lope lope lope lope -- smooth. So I'm sure I am not getting any power to the plugs. I have two new batteries so that's probably why I can start cold without the glow plugs working. I do not however have any "codes" that have come up.

[NCHornet]

FOLLOW THE PROPER TROUBLESHOOTING IN THE LINK I PROVIDED ABOVE!!

A proper working GP system will not lope, period!!! If yours is loping you have issues and I have showed you how to find them easily. I will say my GP's never worked so well until I used the Stancor Relay, if you have ever torn apart the cheap relay that Ferd uses you would see why it candle handle a 200 amp draw for very long.

NCH

[redoil]

I DID. I DID. Get off the shift key -- it sounds like you're yelling. As I said -- I ordered the Stancor relay.