How long is the check engine light supposed to stay on?

ac3496 · Jul 9, 2016

My 7.3 cranks but won't start. My check engine light only turns on for a fraction of a second before turning off when the key is turned. Is there a problem with the computer? Any help would be appreciated

ghohouston · Jul 9, 2016

That is normal. It is advised to hook up to a scanner to diagnose your no start problem. There are a few things you can do without it though. Check engine oil level, because it wont start if it gets low enough. Unplug the icp sensor and try to start, also, if you find oil in the connector, the sensor and the pigtail need to be replaced. You can also check all fuses.

ac3496 · Jul 10, 2016

ghohouston said:
That is normal. It is advised to hook up to a scanner to diagnose your no start problem. There are a few things you can do without it though. Check engine oil level, because it wont start if it gets low enough. Unplug the icp sensor and try to start, also, if you find oil in the connector, the sensor and the pigtail need to be replaced. You can also check all fuses.

I unplugged the sensor and wouldn't start either. The connector has no oil in it whatsoever. The dipstick oil level on the truck is just a little below the square where it says "add oil". The oil does not seem too dirty but I believe it is years old since the truck hasn't been used much for the past couple of years. Would that be a contributing factor?

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ac3496 · Jul 10, 2016

All fuses have been checked as well

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ac3496 · Jul 10, 2016

It's a 1996 if that makes a difference

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6.0 Tech · Jul 10, 2016

Got fuel in the fuel filter housing?

ac3496 · Jul 10, 2016

Yeah when I take off the fuel bowl cover and crank it several times it rises with fuel fast

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6.0 Tech · Jul 10, 2016

I cant remember off hand, is there a tach in the truck? Does it rise while cranking? May have to crank for 10-15 sec to get the cluster to wake up.

ac3496 · Jul 10, 2016

Yeah it does and it gets up to about 180 rpm while cranking. I've cranked the heck out of it and it doesn't smoke or fire at all

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psduser1 · Jul 10, 2016

Cps and wiring look decent?

ac3496 · Jul 10, 2016

How do you check if the CPS is working properly?

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6.0 Tech · Jul 10, 2016

If the tach is reading it should be ok, but the only real way to know is with a scanner. You will need to get one to get this figured out most likely as ghohouston said.

Bugman · Jul 10, 2016

Where it says to add oil you are 2 quarts low, so I would top it off. You also might want to check the oil level in the High Pressure Oil Pump. If you have been cranking it for a while and it hasn't started it might be low.

dieselmandustin · Jul 11, 2016

You said it has not been run much for several years. Ipr could be hung open. Gonna have to get a scanner on it. Can you hear the injectors clicking when cranking? Do a buzz test on it to make sure the injectors are firing. And see what icp is while cranking.

ac3496 · Jul 12, 2016

I scanned it with a live data scanner but the only information that I could see was the rpms. It is a 1996 7.3. Could the computer be messed up? Or is it normal for these old trucks to not give out that much info since they're older?

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Bugman · Jul 12, 2016

What scanner are you using? These trucks are particular on what can be used on them.

ac3496 · Jul 12, 2016

Bugman said:
What scanner are you using? These trucks are particular on what can be used on them.

I'm using an innova 3130 e scanner

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Bugman · Jul 12, 2016

I'm surprised that it would show you the RPM's.

Most and I will say 99% of the code readers out there will not read the data from the Powerstroke engines PCM even if there is a problem.

Most will use AutoEnginuity and a laptop, and there are some that are using their smart phones with a app and a cable to attach to the OBD II port.

79jasper · Jul 13, 2016

Looks to be near the same as the loaner from orielly. I've used one to pull codes on my brothers truck. Was surprised it actually worked. It did run a cylinder contribution test, just didn't give out the values. Lol

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