03 f350 will not start

[mac2720]

Alright so first I am new to this site but definitely looks like there is a lot of good advice I can get from it. I just bought an 03 f350 crew cab short bed with 107,000 miles. Its got head studs, a bigger fuel pump, injectors and a Garrett turbo, not exactly sure of the sizes and is on a predator tuner street tune. I drove it 3 hours home on Friday in which it drove and ran absolutely perfect. I stopped a few times and it started right back up everytime. The guy I bought it from had said that he had to spray starter fluid in the intake a few times over the last year that he had it and that he had to do that on Friday to start it after it had sat for a week.

So, I got it back home perfectly fine, NO problems at all. I went out the next morning to start it and it would not start. I tried using starter fluid and after cranking on it, it would fire up as you spray the starter fluid in it. However it would run very rough and would seemingly cut off within 20 seconds of adding the fluid (im guessing it would just run til it burnt it up). It is not throwing a check engine light so I am kinda stuck on whats wrong with it.

I was told that he had replaced the ICP 8 months ago. So I started checking other possible causes. Both batteries are only 4 months old and pulling plenty of power. I did a voltage test on the FICM and it stays right around 47 when the key is on and when its being cranked. I also replaced the cam sensor hoping that it would fix the problem. The fuel pump is cutting on like it should. I checked all fuses and they are all good.

This is my first 6.0 and I honestly don't know a whole lot about them but I would like to either fix or at least figure out the problem before I take it to the shop. I am guessing that it is a cold start problem since it was fine the day I got it and it was already warmed up. I am just stuck as to what it could be thats causing it not to start up and stay running. I'm not sure whether it could be glow plugs, sensors, egr. Im just hoping that its something small that I have overlooked or something. Any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I don't want to start my experience with my 6.0 off in a bad foot.

 

[Atsah]

There are so many things it could be.. IPR, fuel pressure related, high pressure oil issue.. First thing I would do is check fuel pressure.. Did you try to put the stock tunning back in?

 

[Countryboy07]

Sounds like the FICM to me...

 

[Atsah]

Sounds like the FICM to me...

Could be...

 

[Gary]

To diagnose a no start you need to do some testing. What codes do you have? What is your fuel pressure? What is your ICP? FICM voltage while cranking. One of those should send you in the rite direction, guessing gets expensive.

 

[mac2720]

Alright so I gave in and took it to the shop on Monday. I spoke to the head diesel mechanic and told him everything that went on. He hooked his computer up to it and he said that everything was as it should be. Fuel pressure, oil pressure, FICM were all good. so he threw 2 new batteries in it and got it to fire up after cranking on it for a while. So I had all 8 glow plugs replaced.

Just picked it up from the shop yesterday and that didnt seem to fix the problem completely. In the morning it will fire up after a few cranks but will run really rough and seem to wanna cut off for about 5 minutes. I started it up throughout the day and it normally starts up on the first or second crank but still runs a little rough for a few minutes until it warms up.

I spoke to the mechanic about the problem and he is thinking that it could be something in the turbo because when you start it up the turbo doesnt seem to kick in until it warms up after that 5 minutes and then it runs perfect. For that first 5 minutes all you hear is diesel motor but then you can hear the turbo whistle kick in once its running for a few minutes and the rough idle clears up. He said that using ether could have caused some compression issues in that turbo and therefore its not kicking in when you start the truck up until it warms up and opens.

I don't know much about this kinda stuff but it seems like this could be a good explanation to the problem. Do you all know if this seems right and if the turbo itself would be causing these rough starts? Any advice or info would be very helpful as im trying to figure out this problem for good. Once the truck warms up and the turbo kicks in, then it runs perfectly fine but it seems to take a little while for that turbo to kick in everytime you start it, especially first thing in the morning.

 

[Atsah]

I don't believe the turbo is causeing a rough cold start in a 6.0.. Maybe I missed it, did he power balance the injectors? As far as the turbo whisle, I only noticed it when my truck was in high idle cold..

 

[mortal798]

Turbo is not the problem. You need a scanner. We need to know numbers on fuel pressure, high pressure oil, ipr, ficm voltage, and injector balance. I am guessing based on what I've read, that you have a hp oil issue.

 

[Apcdiesel]

Needs high pressure pump.....also clear all codes after repairs and verify VGT LE is at 7 after repairs

 

[Atsah]

Needs high pressure pump.....also clear all codes after repairs and verify VGT LE is at 7 after repairs

Why does it need a HPOP and what brought you to that conclusion? The truck runs fine hot, that tells me the HPOP is working.. This truck probably has a problem with injector spool valve or the communication to them from the FICM..

OP, the FICM is what you need to make sure is working properly, you also need to power balance your injectors when the engine is cold.. I think you will find something in that circuit needs replacing..

 

[mac2720]

I cant get the numbers on everything because he did it all at the shop while I was working. He just thought the ether may have caused some problems in the turbbo which cause it not to kick in until it warms up.

And yeah from what i've read the HPOP problem is rough starting when its hot and up to this point it will start up first crank when already warm but it still has that rough idle until the turbo kicks in and then its fine. I checked the FICM before I took it to the shop and it never dropped below 47. I havent heard of power balancing the injectors so that may be something I need to mention to the mechanic.

However, I still don't understand why the turbo isn't seeming to kick in until it warms up for a few minutes. When this truck is warm, you can hear that 03 turbo whistle everytime you hit the gas and it sounds amazing. It just doesnt seem to come into play until you get it running for a few minutes.

 

[mortal798]

Without numbers, there's not a lot anyone on here can do for you. 50 different people can say it needs 'this' or 'that,' but if you want to fix it - and not shotgun it with parts, you need a scanner, or somebody with a scanner to get the info we need.

That may be a run on sentence... :redspotdance:

 

[mac2720]

Without numbers, there's not a lot anyone on here can do for you. 50 different people can say it needs 'this' or 'that,' but if you want to fix it - and not shotgun it with parts, you need a scanner, or somebody with a scanner to get the info we need.

That may be a run on sentence... :redspotdance:

Yeah that seems to be the best thing with these trucks. So I drove it around today and got home and let it sit for a few hours. Went back out this evening and it wont start again. It cranks better than ever but it wont even try to fire up. Once it warms up the truck runs absolutely great, absolutely no problems. However it seems like it never wants to start now.

Like I said before, I was told by the mechanic that everything was working perfect on the scanner (fuel pressure, oil pressure, FICM, glow plug control module, etc.) The only thing that I really have in mind would be the glow plug control module, when you put 8 new glow plugs in the truck, could and would it cause that module to burn up or go bad?

Yeah i know theres not really many conclusion that can be drawn without actual numbers but that is the only thing that comes to my mind.

Either way, the mechanic that worked on it will be here tomorrow evening with his scanner and all to check it out and see whats going on with it. I had heard all of these bad stories about the 6.0, but I was one of the believers in that once you fix the few problems then the motor is great. However, these starting problems are starting to make me second my decision about buying an 03 6.0. Any insight or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Atsah]

How many milles on your truck by the way? You may want to find a mechanic that knows more about these engines then the guy that said your problem is turbo related.

I would have a power balance test done on the injectors for starters to see if you may have a few with spool valves that aren't working when the truck is cold.. If you have to, pay the dealer the hours labor to test the truck to see what's causing your problem..

 

[mac2720]

The truck has 107,xxx miles on it. Yeah i'm beginning to think I need to talk to a different mechanic. The only reason I chose to take it here is because I work out of town and know a few guys that have lived here their whole life and said this guy is a very good diesel mechanic. However, I havent seen it yet.

So after doing a little research, I am leaning towards the oil pressure system. As I was cranking this evening, I noticed that that the truck does not smoke at all when it is cranking which means the injectors are not firing at all? The oil level may be a little low, I am going to change it this weekend. Today was the first no start problem after it had already been driven that day. I drove it for about 2 hours and let it sit for like 2 or 3 hours and then it would not start again.

If it were indeed a high oil pressure problem, would it be causing the truck to run really rough when you first start it up? Like I mentioned before, it seems like the turbo is not kicking in at all for a good 3 or 4 minutes. And you can tell once it kicks in because the truck idle clears up and you can hear the turbo whistle exiting the exhaust. After that, the truck runs great.

I am no mechanic and I'm tired of dealing with this problem right off the bat. I'm not trying to drop thousands of more dollars just to get this thing to start right. I already spent $1,100 for 2 new batteries and all new glow plugs less than a week ago.

 

[mac2720]

I just went and and tried to crank it. It will crank and crank but will get absolutely no fire. From what I read online, if the oil gauge goes up as your cranking then it is a low pressure oil problem. I checked the oil gauge and it does not go up at all as I am cranking on the truck. Could this mean that the HPOP could be the problem?

Again, with no numbers its kinda hard to diagnose but im just trying to get an idea before he comes out with the scanner.

 

[Atsah]

If you don't find someone to diagnose your problem, you will hate your truck so get someone that knows what there doing.. Oil may be a little low?.. My 03turbo also took a little bit to hear the whistle so I wouldn't let that lead you in the wrong direction..

Let me give you a little information about your 6.0..

The correct amount and quality of oil is one of the most important things for your truck to run right.. Clean Motorcraft or Racor fuel filters are also very important. What oil are your going to use?

 

[Atsah]

I just went and and tried to crank it. It will crank and crank but will get absolutely no fire. From what I read online, if the oil gauge goes up as your cranking then it is a low pressure oil problem. I checked the oil gauge and it does not go up at all as I am cranking on the truck. Could this mean that the HPOP could be the problem?

Again, with no numbers its kinda hard to diagnose but im just trying to get an idea before he comes out with the scanner.

My 03 never showed oil pressure on the dash gauge until the truck was running..

 

[mac2720]

If you don't find someone to diagnose your problem, you will hate your truck so get someone that knows what there doing.. Oil may be a little low?.. My 03turbo also took a little bit to hear the whistle so I wouldn't let that lead you in the wrong direction..

Let me give you a little information about your 6.0..

The correct amount and quality of oil is one of the most important things for your truck to run right.. Clean Motorcraft or Racor fuel filters are also very important. What oil are your going to use?

Yeah the truck is beginning to irritate me quite a bit. But yeah I don't mind waiting a few minutes after the truck starts up to clear the idle up and the turbo kick in. I mean it seems kinda weird but at least once it warms up a bit the truck clears up and runs perfect. So if that was all I had to worry about at this point, I would be fine with that.

I checked the oil and yes it is a little low and smells just like burnt oil as soon as I pull the dipstick out. I planned on changing the oil and all filters this weekend once I have a day off. However, I never thought that could cause the truck not to fire up. Although I don't know much about these 6.0 motors so that could be one of the major problems. The dipstick doesnt seem to have much oil on it at all and it is kinda hard to tell. Again, I am no mechanic and don't know a lot about these motors so please any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

[mac2720]

Also while we are on the subject of changing the oil. What is the best oil to use, the best filter, the best fuel filter? Don't know if these 6.0's seem to like a certain brand of oil and how much do these things hold?