1997 f350 excessive crank at times

skidoo700 · January 9, 2009

Got a 97 f350 135,000 miles. Been cared for. Was towed in for no start, glow plug relay bad, replaced the glow plug relay and 2 new batteries. Will crank with slow to build icp at least 5 seconds of cranking after it sits for a while if try to start again right away will start right up. Leave it 15 min or so and the same thing. I have tried blocking the heads and don't have the tool for the left head icp adapter. Blocking the right head seems to start ok little quicker. Removed the ipr to inspect the o-rings ok. No oil in the fuel filter housing. How do I determine if its an icp? ipr? or hp oil system problem?

ktmlew · January 9, 2009

Check the oil pressure when cold. Bet you see it's slow to build due to a worn sump oil pump. They are easy to change/inspect as they are right behind the damper.

skidoo700 · January 9, 2009

Will check that monday morning, did verify that the hp oil reservoir was full. Wouldn't that mean that the low oil pump is ok?

Bruce Amacker · January 10, 2009

Got a 97 f350 135,000 miles. Been cared for. Was towed in for no start, glow plug relay bad, replaced the glow plug relay and 2 new batteries.

Check the glow plug amperage to make sure your GP system is working correctly. Amperage should be 195 initially, tapering off to 125 after 30 seconds. Check your cranking RPM with a scan tool, it should be 150 cold and 175 warm.

Will crank with slow to build icp at least 5 seconds of cranking after it sits for a while if try to start again right away will start right up.

Does this problem happen with the engine cold, hot or both?

Leave it 15 min or so and the same thing. I have tried blocking the heads and don't have the tool for the left head icp adapter. Blocking the right head seems to start ok little quicker.

You can air check the heads just like a 6.0 if you suspect a HP leak. The adapter you'll need is a Weatherhead 7897 to adapt to the HP ports, the thread is 1/2" NF straight thread with an o-ring.

Removed the ipr to inspect the o-rings ok. No oil in the fuel filter housing. How do I determine if its an icp? ipr? or hp oil system problem?

Try unplugging the ICP when it happens. Also check your ICPV KOEO, it is the same as a 6.0, which is .18-.24v. It should build about 1.5V cranking pretty quickly. Don't rely on ICP as it is a calculated value and may be substituted by the PCM. Only use ICPV when diagnosing a HP oil problem on any PSD.

If your HP reservoir is full, it's probably not the LP pump. My gut feeling would be to try a new IPR.

Good Luck!

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