Cold weather and big diesels ,

[George Ackley]

Any of you guys putting anything in your fuel ? if so, what. my old 7.3 is needing to be plugged in every night now and it only in the teens... if your using additives and they are working can you let me in on it,

thanks
George

[pitw]

Our fuel is rated for -45F and I don't add anything to it.  We do have to plug 'em in though as they have a tough time turning over if we don't.

[msmith]

George,

We are having similar problems with our 7.3s at work. The hydraulic injectors, after a few years, will start to sludge up and make starting in cold weather difficult. I don't know, but I would figure that a thinner winter grade oil would help. Otherwise, ours are getting injector jobs. In the two 7.3s that I had, I ran either stanadyne or the Power Service white bottle in the winter. Glowplugs are another issue. When a few of them go bad, our trucks get to where they start hard.

[George Ackley]

Power Service i tryed and it didnt help i am think glow plugs also..

will the truck run good other then starting with a bad glow plug ???she runs fine once she is up and going

[weedwalker]

Use FPPF anti-gel fuel treatment. It's worked in my semi-tractors the last 30 years. It should work in a P/U truck too.

[pitw]

Yes it will run well when running George.  Diesel ignites just from the pressure it is under and in a running engine the only way to kill it is to either shut off the fuel or oxygen supply.  The glow plug is just a preheater to aid the fuel in the ignition process.

[msmith]

George,

Could be glow plug relay too. I had that issue with my '97 and my '02  PowerStrokes.

[weedwalker]

George,
Do you have a block heater on it to plug in?

[George Ackley]

thanks guys i am getting new ball joints and wheel barring on both sides and shocks all around i will look into the relay and i think i will replace the glow plug..
thanks again

[HaMeR]

I think each cylinder has it's own glow plug.