'97 7.3 Wont start, NEED HELP!!!!

[dwest97]

Truck died on me about a week ago and would not start...after checking everything found that I had a blown fuse (engine compartment #22). Since i kept blowning fuses I took it to a friend who put a glow plug relay in it and it ran good for about a week. Yesterdaymorning i got in it and it would not start. Same thing...the "wait to start light" didnt come on. I check under the hood and the same fuse is blown. So, i call and get another relay and that doesnt appear to be the problem. That fuse, i believe, goes to the glowplug relay and the fuel line heater. with the the relay, heater, and glow pluggs unplugged it still blows the fuse when the key is turned on. I guess i have a dead short some where (nicked wire)...I am stuck and need help. Is there anything i am missing???

thanks

[StrokedCoastie]

Start tracing the wiring, check your glow plug harnesses. Trust me, it will be something so stupid that it will piss you off to no end.

[DUK TRUK]

do you know if your 97' has a fuel bowl heater? It is a small element in the bottom of my 99' that would continu to blow a fuse that had a lot of other items on it. I was able to unplug mine and repalcde it when I got a chance to get to it. Unplugging it will get you back on the road!

[dwest97]

where would the fuel bowl heater be?

[CHUCK]

its in the fuel bowl...there is a plug that connects to a harness on the fuel bowl itself. unplug it. It shouldnt blow anymore fuses. The soider that holds the wire heat element most likly has broke and the wire is close to the inside edge of the bowl. If it vibrates just right, it hits the fuel bowl and causes the short, blowing the fuse. Depending on how cold it gets, you can leave it unplugged, replace it with o.e., or upgrade it to a S.D. fuel bowl heater. Theres a thread around here somewhere that has pics and good info on how to do it.

[dwest97]

theres 2 plugs on the side of the fuel bowl, I can get the bottom one off but not the top one. Is there a trick to getting the top one off?

[CHUCK]

No, not that I know of.....
Have you turned teh ignition on with 1 unplugged? If it dosent blow a fuse, you unplugged the correct one.