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2000 7.3 Hard Start

bgaidan

bgaidan

Red Skull Member
Joined
Jul 18, 2020
Member Number
2322
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3,169
Loc
NC Triad
Recently got a pretty decent deal on a 2000 7.3 Excursion. Wasn't really what I was looking for, but the price was right and it'll likely be a stop gap so I can get rid of my current truck and until can find the right 7.3 or 12v 1 ton. ~380k miles. Supposedly had injectors and glow plugs done less than 20k ago.

I drove it home over a month ago and got completely swamped and hadn't touched it since. Finally got it tagged and insured and starting to go through it to see what it needs.

One thing I'm noticing now, that I don't think it was doing when I bought it, it seems to take way too long to start once you start turning it over. Looking at the timestamps in this vid, it's like 5-6 seconds from when it starts turning to when it first fires.

Some brief googling says possibly the cam (or crank?) position sensor. Also seen some mention of a missing or malfunctioning check valve on the high pressure pump.

This being my first dive in to the 7.3 world, and not wanting to just start throwing parts at it, where to the IBB experts suggest I start?

 
How old are the batteries? They do not like slow cranking. Just because it's spinning, doesn't mean it's spinning fast enough.

Not the cam sensor, when it goes, it stays dead.
 
bdkw1 said:
How old are the batteries? They do not like slow cranking. Just because it's spinning, doesn't mean it's spinning fast enough.

Not the cam sensor, when it goes, it stays dead.
Click to expand...
Haven't checked actual battery health, but that vid was after a full overnight charge on a good charger. Guess I need to pull the terminals and load test them.
 
bgaidan said:
Haven't checked actual battery health, but that vid was after a full overnight charge on a good charger. Guess I need to pull the terminals and load test them.
Click to expand...
Checking voltage drop across the cables wouldn't hurt either. Good battery and a good starter don't mean dick if the link between them is eating up juice. It sounds like it's cranking slow to me in the video which will delay building high pressure oil.
 
I thought the glow plugs on mine were taking a shit, long cranking when cold. The batteries were 6 years old. Swapped to new ones and it fired as soon as you turned the key. I was using the block heater below 50. New batteries and it will start down to zero without plugging in. It's not happy sounding, but it does it.
 
CarterKraft said:
Lots of causes.
Slow to build HPOP/ICP pressure would be a common one.

Log some parameters with Torque app.
Click to expand...
Came to say this .

Start with a full service with good filters and fluids check batteries then report back .
 
Its amazing how much a new starter, cable and batteries affect the start.

Oil level is critical, not full to low but if its low enough it will not want to start.

Significant Turbo leaks will also slow the start up. It may drive ok but starting get shitty.


My truck doesnt give a fuck about temp, if it not plugged in it does not want to start. My dad had glow plug system redone about a year before i bought it from him and it only last about 2 before it shit again.
 
CarterKraft said:
Lots of causes.
Slow to build HPOP/ICP pressure would be a common one.

Log some parameters with Torque app.
Click to expand...
What parameters am I looking for?



Good info all around. It does have some signs of an oil leak. I'm assuming valve covers, but could also be turbo related. It's not leaving any noticeable drips when parked, but there enough around and under the engine to tell me it's there.

It was a few quarts low when I checked it after I got it home. Level was good when I shot the video.

Was planning on doing a full service on it, but was planning on troubleshooting this problem first. Guess I'll get some filters ordered and get on it. Very well good have clogged or shitty fuel filters.

What oil do these like? Anything wrong with using my bulk 15w40 tractor oil?


The good news is, I only have about $4500 in to this thing so far. Needs some heavy interior cleaning, but other than a good dent on one rear corner, the frame and body are in really good shape (except hood and roof paint like all of them). Anything comparable runs $10k+ around here so I've got a bit of a cushion to get some bugs worked out and get it cleaned up.
 
I dont know that you have an issue, that is turning over aweful slow, which leads to slow to start.

examples

- denso starter and batts few yrs old


- rode hard put away wet 7.3 cold start with 6.7 starter and new batts

I removed the hpop check valves from my 01', it starts pretty quick
 
ICP - Psi and %
Rpm
Fipw
Battery voltage

Id setup a dash with all the pertinent 7.3 shit, there isn't really a bunch of them so it's not a big task.
 
Don't forget fuel pressure, or flow. This is often overlooked with a history of ICP oil pump problems.

Agree oil change is a good start and even pull the plug on the HP reservoir after it sits and make sure there is oil in it before cranking.
 
Agreed on all said above. 7.3s like fast cranking so check batteries, cables,etc.
fuel pressure, HPOP pressure is important, it wont start over 500 psi. if it takes a while to get to 500 psi then it will start slow.

I'd bet batteries. Oil change for good measure.
 
06h3 said:
Agreed on all said above. 7.3s like fast cranking so check batteries, cables,etc.
fuel pressure, HPOP pressure is important, it wont start over 500 psi. if it takes a while to get to 500 psi then it will start slow.

I'd bet batteries. Oil change for good measure.
Click to expand...
I think you meant to say "under" 500 psi.
 
Looks like you guys were right with the battery theory.

Even though I thought I thoroughly charged them the other day, I hooked up the 300a jump starter to it this morning just to see what it would do. First try, it seems to start quicker, but still not what I would expect. But subsequent tries, it got worse, to the point it was acting like a dead battery, even with the charger/starter attached. I moved it over to the other battery and it started right up again.

So I threw my jump packs in the back, just in case, and took it out to run some errands. After about a 20 minute drive and being parked for about an hour, it cranked over way faster than it had been in the previous tests. So apparently it needs juice form the alternator and not my charger to come back to life. :confused:

Either way, gonna pull the batteries out and put them on the Noco on a repair cycle and see how they test before and after.
 
When ever mine starts doing that it's either time to swap the batteries into something that doesn't care and clean all the connections or add 3-4 quarts of oil
 
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