02 7.3 Hard Start

BIG JOE

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Hey Rich....

I'm think'n that Mil. style battery charger put a [Full & Complete Charge] in your Batteries.

The reason I think that is.. on my 7.3, once I went to a 200amp Alternator, with 2, 800+ CCA, AGM batteries (Di-Hards).. from then on.. mine would Fire Up in 3-4 licks. No matter the temps ?

A REAL GOOD 12v shot to the GP's.. from 2 Mondo batts.. Maintained by a 200amp charging source.. Go Figure ??

Just a thought ?

Joe
 

RSG

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yeah i'm in agreement. Makes me wonder what the fancy desulfating charger is up to that I normally use. For sure, those batteries were "topped off" from the 200A beast.

I guess the point is, battery chargers don't necessarily always...charge completely? I tried a bigger alternator and it toasted inside 6 months so I switched back to factory reman. Going by voltages alone (which is all the "smart" chargers can do too), the batteries are great. But put that old charger on those batteries and they take on plenty more kick! Maybe it'll shorten battery life (do I care when it is -25 and I need to get on the road?)
 

DaveBen

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Good questions. When batteries are cold they loose some capacity and generally start slower than normal. What brand of batteries do you have?
 

john griffin

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Please tell us that u are not running bio in that 7.3 ?What u did to get it running and running bio at low (or any) temps is enough to wipe out the injecters.The lubricity factor of bio is about 0 on a scale of 1-10.The abuse that the hpop went thru trying to open those injecters is incomprehensable (about as bad as I spell). The plastic components in the primary fuel pump and other places probably didnt take too kindly to the torpedo heater either.I guess I cant believe it still runs at all!
 

john griffin

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Well, I finally got the truck into my local dealer and had the glow plugs checked but everything checked out OK. I'm not familiar with the difference between a direct drive and gear drive starter but I'll try that as well. I use a block heater as soon as the temp drops below 32 since that's when the hard cold start begins. Both batteries are brand new (maybe 90 days now) and show 14.1 amps on my Edge CTS display. Frustrating to invest in remote start and not be able to use it.

Also, I'd like to add the remarks you guys have at the bottom of your post to list the mods on my truck, Where/how do you add that in your profile?

I have a p/n and source for the IH gear reduction starter if u want it.5w-40 Rotella T-6 makes a big diff in spin over and injecter function too.
 

RSG

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seems to be a tad o confusion here... let me clarify....

Illinois stations sell B5-B20 without any more info than that. I don't know who to blame, might as well be Obama for all I care. Or the Department of Agriculture here, or some jackass in Chicago. Regardless, lots of unhappy oilburners around here for various reasons. As you all know, B100 gels at 32F, straight #2 diesel gels at around 17F, and #1 (kerosene) at -40F. 10% kerosene drops #2 cloud point about 10F iirc. We have no control over (a) the % #1 put in our winter blends, and (2) the % of BD in the mix. That's the reality. No, I don't run B100, didn't intend to imply I did. But BD is a better lubricant John, especially for ULSD. I would run it in the summer if I had it and it was the same price.

I had a load of this "standard" Illinois winter fuel, running at temperatures from 10-35F. Drove to the north, and got a warmish next day in the 20's with snow. Filled the Aux tank with 60gal of Minnesota winter blend (who knows what the #1/#2 ratio was but BYA it's higher than Illinois) plus the white bottle stuff at 80 oz / 125 g, knowing it was going to get a tad colder (like 40F drop). Parked next to the electric outlet post in the yard, plugged it in after shutting it down. But on the first night, the main tank had trickle-filled from the Aux tank with the "winter blend" from Mobil of Savoy IL with 5-20% BD and ??% #1/#2, and 80 oz / 250g of the white bottle PSD. At sub -20F for 2 nights, my fuel bowl/filter gelled. Duh, no surprise. My bad for not running it first thing the first morning to hold the cold wolves at bay.

Fuel filter pulled, 911 added several times to fuel bowl and the recommended 911 amount to the main tank, new filter put in, but the fuel pump just couldn't pull enough fuel to run the engine. Points to gel in the lines. Between the fuel bowl heater, the 911 stuff, the clean new filter, several fuel bowl openings to add kerosene and 911, and my observation of the fuel bowl pressure (75 psi) while cycling the key 4 or 5 times between start attempts, I'm sure the HPOP was not the problem, nor were the injectors. Hey, the injectors are still injecting today, the fuel pump is still pumping fuel, today. (I got 20+ mpg today with that Minnesota fuel but 40F weather). The fuel pressure after the pump shut off wouldn't go down below about 30-40psi, telling me that the return line was clogged with slush.

:coatNothing terribly remarkable here for cold weather ops. Never experienced it? Count yourself missing some character building experience? Or lucky!

My point was only about the batteries. I was surprised to learn that the Big Ass charger we used really perked up my batteries, and they're still perky two weeks later. That was my original intended point. No more! Sorry it got lost in my message. Big Joe has reinforced that point, and I am glad to have learned that my batteries, which I fuss over, were really not fully charged even after an 800 mile run. DaveBen - these are stock MotoCraft batteries, 2 years old and they are rocking still today. Not a lick of corrosion to be found anywhere.

Oh, the kerosene heater directed toward the fuel tank, and angled along the frame, with cardboard to hold the heat in and block the wind? That was used to thaw the lines. Ever start an airplane in the cold? No? Bulldozer? No? Tractor? No? All the same idea. Need volts/amps. Need fuel. (Block heaters ain't the sole answer...do the math on 1200W and a 300 lb chunk of -20 metal. It would take weeks to warm it up...) And at those temps (it warmed up to 3F with a breeze), you could lay under the truck and freeze your ASS off next to the heater (ask me how I know this). No way you would toast a wiener down there. :cold 2 :skate

Yah, 5W40 full synthetic motor oil, Mobil ESP.

I would love the link for the gear reduction starter, at 208k my starter is prolly on borrowed time?
 

john griffin

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Ive used a torpedo to start both my backhoes,but I only angle them at the oill pan so the heat rises up under the hood.Never done that with the truck.The starter mfg and p/n is in the truck.I can get it tomorrow.The most ironic thing about the starter is that its a $200 amazon piece that I didnt figure would last a month,so I had my stock dd starter rebuilt (did not but a "rebuilt",had MY starter done at a shop I trust.That was almost 2 yrs ago and the $200 piece hasnt missed a beat!It only uses 2 bolts unlike the ford that has 3,and the solinoid wire must be extended 4" because the solinoid indexes differently,but the stock batt cable fits fine.Its a $200 chinese ko of an IH starter,but(at least the one I got) its great!
 

john griffin

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OK,dont laugh...........I went thru my Amazon history and found it.Nancy saw what we paid for this and told me to buy another one and quit carrying that heavy oem starter around! I think I will!. Anyway,google up "DB ELECTRICAL SND 0355 Ford 7.3 DieselStarter,$103.94 ! The tech at Zarimba Equipment in Gaylord Mi that did my heads and injectors is the one that told me it was an IH starter when he saw it.
 
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RSG

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Yeah, still there, $104 and free shipping. Seems too good to be true, but your experience says otherwise! Thanks.
 

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