2003 Ford F350 7.3 Power Stroke hard starting when cold

In this video, I troubleshoot and correct a cold start concern on a 7.3L Power Stroke engine.

[@oby-1607]

I have a good respect for your patience and attention to detail. Probably one of the best tutorials on replacing the glow plugs on the 7.3.

[@mikemcguire8518]

That's a guy you want working on your car right there very patient and professional Nice work

[@akquicksilver]

Excellent video with great explanation. I had forgotten how much fun this job is. Especially the driver side.

[@anthonydowns45]

Thank you for the great video!! You helped solve my problem. I appreciate your help and great camera work for close up instructions. 👍🏼

[@tonypiche1130]

Great descriptive and detailed vid, patience shown (for me) Thanks for this tutorial.

[@AKJeeper]

You're very welcome!

[@brucehancock1757]

AK, this is a great video. I can't thank you enough for taking the time and having the patience to put this video together, My 2002 F250 Power Stroke has been giving me hard starting problems since the winter months and I've been living with extension cord to the engine heater to start it up. I didn't realize that 60 degree temps wouldn't be warm enough to get it to start. Your were very thorough. All 4 glow plugs on the odd bank were toast. It cost me $147 to replace all 4 glow plugs, and as an insurance measure, I replaced the under cover gasket/harness as well, all with OEM parts. With only a handful of my DIY tools, from beginning to end, it took me 3 hours. I live at 8600 ft with inclimate sub temps in the winter. This was a must do job for me. You saved me $$$$. Thank you much AK.

[@XAllky]

Excellent Excellent Educational Video. You are Great

[@AKJeeper]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@miguelcarranza184]

Dude you are god! Very good video, exelente teacher.

[@AKJeeper]

Thanks! 😃

[@buntik1687]

Great video! 👍🏿

[@DarrenT0dd]

AWESOME video!!!! 🤘

[@AKJeeper]

Thanks! Glad you liked it!

[@atilhun348]

Yikes! I wish your shop was close by.

[@antonioalonso3264]

Great video thanks a lot

[@geraldlove5089]

Hi I have a 1999 Ford F-250 I change the glow plug and the glow plug Relay still not heating please what can be the problem ?

[@Maxself503]

Wow is same problem what I have with my f350 2003 7.3l when is cool don’t start only if put start fluid

[@joeorman1560]

Never use starting fluid on the 7.3. There is a glow plug to heat the air that could ignite the spray and blow the intake up.

[@jefflancaster6587]

Sir. I put the bigger White Rodgers relay on today and it got down to 30deg and it sat overnight. Jumped in the seat and excited to see what the new relay did for the cold start issue..not good at all, it fired only after attempted 4 times to start and only cranked over for 15 seconds before I almost drained the batteries. The Batts are 3 months old Duralast Gold. My cables are newer..I will borrow a test light to check the relay continuity tomorrow. If I made a mistake and hooked the 2 small wire opposite of the way you did..( littlest red wire on top, orangish looking wire a tad bigger on the bottom) would that be totally wrong? Tia

[@AKJeeper]

Upgrading your relay to the bigger White Rodgers won't make much of a difference with cold starts if the rest of the glow plug system isn't in good shape. It doesn't matter with the smaller control wires if you have them swapped reverse of what is shown on the truck in this video, the relay will still operate the same. I would suggest you start troubleshooting your glow plug system, much like I did in this video. I know it's a long video, but these are the steps I take when I'm troubleshooting hard starts on these trucks. These PowerStroke diesels do not do well at all in cold weather if one or more of the glow plugs are burned out or otherwise not working. I would also give your batteries a good charge and then load test them (Autozone should be able to do this for you). Just because they're 3 months old doesn't mean they're good - I've had batteries fail load testing right off of the shelf. It's to the point where I have every battery I buy load tested before I leave the store (NAPA, Advance Auto, O'Reilly's, and Autozone have all been very good about humoring me with this). I hope this helps!

[@jefflancaster6587]

@@AKJeeper Thank you. I will have them load tested. They definitely don't spin this big engine over like they should.. I will have to fork over some cash and let the pros look at a few things. What confuses me is that this 01 350 retired Alabama state forestry truck has 71,000 actual miles and led a pretty easy life in the field. When she cranks and starts, little or no smoke, and idles and runs perfect with no power loss.

[@calholli]

I bought my 2002 around 10 years ago now.. It didn't have a bed and It had 170k miles just like this one.. and I only paid 7500 for it. Best investment I've ever made.. Such a great truck

[@MATTYANDSMOKE]

Every other video I've seen on this had 0 close ups to show you exactly where to place the tester on the under valve cover harness. Fantastic tutorial man. Lots of light,detailed explanations, good quality sound.well done.

[@FatBoy7.3Powerstroke]

those are White Rodgers glow plug and relays, 200 amp output instead of the stock motorcraft 90 amp output. Excellent upgrade for cold start issues. $75 if my memory serves me correctly

[@glennmiller4860]

Excellent explanation with detail to make changing glow plugs doable and not so daunting of a job.

[@AKJeeper]

Glad it was helpful!

[@MaefieldFarm]

Thanks for the instructions. Will dig into my 2003 7.3L this morning. Owned for 11 years and never used the block heater until this winter when it became hard to start. Was glad to learn that the block heater still works.

[@jeanniebaker9929]

Great video! Thank you for taking all that time without an assistant to explain and video what you were doing. Much respect to mechanics ... especially diesel mechanics! I have to plug in my 2003 e450 7.3 to start her up when the temp is 65 or lower. I need a better mechanic. They said it was my starter.

[@curtismehlhaff2518]

Really Nice video..

[@angelgalvan1958]

Sir, what a great human being you are; Thank you for sharing, not only your knowledge but also your experience. God bless you.

[@keithnoneya]

Nice job started right up as it should. Best Wishes & Blessings. Keith Noneya

[@swaggersauce]

This was (by far) the best glow plug replacement video on yourube! Thank you.

[@roamingdigger1367]

Awesome tutorial 👍 doing my glow plugs and this is by far the best! Loved all the testing 👍

[@AKJeeper]

Glad it helped! I was a little hesitant in making such a long video, but decided to keep it this way. I figured that people could just skip over the testing if they wanted to see how to remove/replace the glow plugs themselves. Thanks for leaving a comment!

[@miguelmendez4690]

bless you my friend goo video from Guatemala 🇬🇹 NJ I’heve one 7.3 bless you end you family

[@katioconnor5295]

Exact same issue my 99 f250 7.3 is having at 45 degrees or lower.... will check the glow plug connectors before assuming its only a starter issue

[@JohnHynes_at_lookituplive]

Thank you very much for showing this great detail in glow plug test I am having issue with starting cold even above freezing 40 degrees once it has been running it is fine and if I plug heater it it's fine but if not it would start then sound rough sound like it's out of fuel then dies. And takes for ever to start again after heater plugged in so I greatly suspect even after replacing all glow plugs a year ago to test to voltage to ground bolth harness and glow plugs being glow plugs were new maybe it is that gasket harness is bad :( hope to try to test soon thank you again!

[@camionerohotshot5311]

Thank you so much for the video, just want to also point out that if the test checks out then make sure you have a good battery to starter connection. That was my case this time. May God Bless You All

[@davidhess3895]

I have a 1999 7.3L in my F350. Are my injector connections the same as in this video? Thanks for a really well done video.

[@AKJeeper]

Yes, as far as I’m aware, the connections are the same for 1999-2003 SuperDuty trucks with the 7.3 Power Stroke engine.

[@aaronlugo6223]

@davidhess3895 ​ yes i just did my gasket and harness on my 1999 SuperDuty and its identical

[@rickstatler5581]

Thanks for videoing that outstanding job on your behalf both filming it and explaining it for us! Thanks again...

[@LivingOnWheels]

Major props to you man! This is not a fun job on its own let alone getting the camera angles that you got.

[@EYVOAuto]

Great video! I love these old 7.3's, so easy to work on - at least compared to the new diesels, haha. Thanks for taking the time to make the video!

[@AKJeeper]

You bet! I love these older diesel trucks as well. 7.3 Ford, 6.5 GM, and 5.9 Cummins...they all hold a special place in my heart.

[@shannonpass8875]

need to make sure before pulling glow plugs, that you take the small oil plugs out of the head. or you can lock the engine up.

[@AKJeeper]

The oil (and fuel) plugs definitely need to be removed prior to pulling the fuel injectors. It is not necessary to do that with the glow plugs. If you’re concerned about the little bit of oil that pools around the glow plug, you can soak that up with a rag or paper towel prior to removing the glow plug.

[@jamescooke9958]

Hard to crank in the morning has no power once it does crank

[@robertcrosby-h1o]

Love my 25 year old 7.3 ❤

[@genehern]

Impressive "one handed" video. When this problem is accompanied with a bad spot on the flywheel ring gear, starting my 2003 F-250 fwd a real challenge. Solving both problems is going to be an even greater challenge. 🤔 Thanks

[@markdavis8888]

Looks like a White Rogers 586-902 relay replacement not OEM. My OEM relay was bad when I bought my Truck.

[@bobmazone4440]

Thank you for making this Fabulious, informative video , it was very helpful and your detailed narration while pointing out exactly what you were doing was excellent.

[@bennyburgess4036]

Ya are really a very careful & asknowledgable Diseal mechanic , great video...

[@Mrwhatarethose]

holy crap man this is so easy, im just worried about glow plugs getting stuck in the head lol. gonna have to look at the torque spec on the plugs. On another note, are injectors this easy to change too?

[@kennyallen5794]

HI my name is Kenny like you're videos on the 7.3 powerstroke glow plug relay but I'm hoping that you can help me find how to place the wires on an aftermarket relay simply put no wiring diagram was included with my purchase of the new silonid.THANK YOU for your input sincerely ~ Kenny from Biggs,California

[@Pahrump]

At the start of your video narration you say it's a 2002. In your video title here you say a 2003.

[@eddie2783]

Great video. Patience of Jobe.

[@2369chico]

Thank you ,fantastic 👏 .have 2 f350s 01,+03 both have over 400,000 .need glow plug on 03. U have given me the knowledge & confidence to tackle this job.

[@robertcrosby-h1o]

Thanks!

[@tedbaxter5234]

Just did all glow plugs and harnesses. Went from sometimes not starting at

[@JVconcrete]

Thank you 🙏 I star my 1999 f 7.3 tomorrow first thing in morning

[@thomascope6482]

Great video i'm glad I watched it you guys know what you're doing

[@edb8025]

Having been an over the road truck mechanic for over twenty five years I have seen many things that i didn't approve of but this is one excellent video. My compliments to the fellow who made it. Also his suggestion that a little prayer helps and I have been guilty of using a little prayer many times, especially when doing something difficult for the first time!

[@AKJeeper]

Thanks for your kind words!

[@toddcornelius5817]

Super video thanks obviously from a good man,, that means we'll

[@MichealJACKSON-ly6cd]

7.3 doesn't have rocker boxes. Your consideration of the debris is correct but thats a head not a rocker box. Rocker boxes encapsulate rocker assemblies. Some diesels do theses don't. Not picking but I spent 7 years in automotive and 25 more as a diesel tech and verbiage is important.

[@AKJeeper]

I don't see these 7.3 PSD dinosaurs much any more. You're right - these don't have rocker boxes like the 6.0/6.4 that I see a lot more of. I've been auto/diesel tech for 26 years so just goes to show that even us older guys slip up on the verbiage. Not the end of the world, particularly for the audience this channel is intended for...

[@josephlacour9012]

One of few of the best tech help videos I ever seen ! Didn't say um or aaaa one time. Very skilled and clear fast verbal explanations. BRAVO ! restores my faith man

[@AKJeeper]

Wow, thanks!

[@jonathanmedina5425]

I have a 99 7.3 with cold start problems I live in Cali where it’s near summer. I check my glow plugs and 1 on each side is out. Could that be my problem? I can get it to start using starter fluid and it idles roughy for like 1-2 mins then it runs fine. But every time I get to a stop and take it off gear( manual) it shuts off.

[@AKJeeper]

I haven’t worked around too many Cali 7.3s, but yes these trucks will have difficulty starting with glow plugs not functioning. The Cali glow plug controller may not even turn on if you have two glow plugs out. As for it stalling out at stop lights - does it only do this when warm?

[@nicksnarski5973]

I would never put a Dorman uch gasket on that engine i replaced a few of those that failed injector side.

[@AKJeeper]

I’m not a big fan of Dorman parts, have been burned quite badly by them over the years, but this was a customer supplied part. Told the customer that I wasn’t going to warranty any failures due to the Dorman part.

[@TheRichjorg]

By far the best how-to video I have seen .

[@pshodean]

he was in 4 wheel drive... I'll be checking your other videos, Good job.

[@AKJeeper]

Thank you! It was wintertime when I worked on this truck. The roads were very icy (as is typical in the winter in this part of Alaska) enough to warrant driving it around in 4Hi.

[@boazboem]

Beautiful neat job, can you imagine doing it on a van?

[@lmenduco]

👏👏👏

[@ThePartsFarm]

Replace the low pressure oil pump

[@edwardmartinez3297]

Great video , thanks for knowledge

[@judyfallawqv2484]

Great video thank you..

[@castledomeknives9395]

Emissions on a Diesel....funny huh

[@rubenshartman]

Awesome video. Very well done

[@chuckwwillingham530]

Why not use an amp clamp to verify glow plugs??

[@chuckwwillingham530]

Glow plugs, 20 amps each..

[@AKJeeper]

@@chuckwwillingham530 you can do that as well. My channel is geared more toward a novice, many of whom probably don’t have an amp clamp.

[@rickh633]

replace the oil pump

[@SAMUEL7.3]

good job

[@verronvernon5651]

Great job 👍

[@joet.898]

Great video, thank you

[@AKJeeper]

You are welcome! Thanks for watching!

[@paulvalenzuela1555]

Thank you . It really help ‘s a lot

[@AKJeeper]

You're welcome!

[@Justflyingtrucker]

Whats the equipment called the one with the Bulb?

[@Justflyingtrucker]

12v test light

[@Justflyingtrucker]

Circult tester

[@keithbrothersen8984]

Great job great video

[@AKJeeper]

Thank you!

[@rolyjose3875]

Very good

[@AKJeeper]

Thanks!

[@joeblow4639]

Sweet. Thanks for showing.

[@gizzyguzzi]

huh. I suspected the uvch connector. But with Dorman gasket, that's not it. Surprised you really had 3 bad glow plugs like you tested from outset. I guess I can try myself now.

[@AKJeeper]

It’s always a good idea to test so you know for sure which component(s) are faulty. Sometimes you’ll even find more than one thing wrong in the process! Test, don’t guess!