6.0 Powerstroke and cold weather
 

Anyone have trouble starting their powerstrokes when it is really cold out? I have an 04 and it never failed to start without plugging it in(even down in the teens) I noticed this winter it has turned over pretty slow when down around 20 degrees or less. Went out this morning(12degrees) and would not start.. Could my batteries be getting weak or is this just the way it is if not plugged in :confused:

You have a problem. Mine starts like summer at 20 above. At 20 below it will start hard without plugging it in but it will start. Check your batteries and your alternator to make sure it is charging fully. When running you should be at 13.2volts or a little over.

Under 20 degrees, mine starts hard, should plug it in !

have a 05 it was 1 degree this morning and started no problem has started hard at 15 below not plugged in when it gets that cold now I plug in just so oils stays a little warm

20 is getting close to the point when it begins getting tougher to start, but not cold enough to prevent starting. Sounds like a dying battery to me. When a battery is going to fail it's usually during the first cold snap of the year. (It's why they rate batteries in CCA - Cold Cranking Amps).

I plug mine in religiously but what do you do when your at work and there is no place to plug in? I just got off work and it took about 6 tries before it started

Exactly what I was thinking, you cant always be where you can plug them in....

Thanks for the replies, I am leaning towards battery issues also, like I said this is the fourth winter I have had the truck and the first time it did not want to start. It turned over very slow both times I tried. I just got it going a few minutes ago (I plugged it in for 3 hrs before the last try), almost did not think it was going to start again, turned over slow but started. I usually plug it in at night when I am home if it gets down below 20, but did not last night.. I guess I will go somewhere and get my batteries checked out tommorrow, still has the factory batteries in it. If only 1 battery is bad I would assume it is best to go ahead and replace both? It is still in the teens with wind chill near 0 here...

make sure your batt's are good , drop to a 5w40 oil and plug in in winter, it just helps your motor live longer.

The late '03 and all '04 engines are notorious for smoking the glow plug wiring harnesses on the passenger side. It's routed too close to the exhaust manifold and deteriorates over time.

The 6.0 starts down to zero without need for a plug-in. Below 10 it needs a double-cycle on the glow plugs.

Make sure you have a fuel filter set with less than 20K on it and that you pull the water drain with every oil change. If it has a brass plug, get the updated plated-steel one That separator isn't perfect. Use an additive at least in the winter.

Batteries cost less than a tow and a lot less than an evening stranded somewhere. Every battery I own gets replaced at 2 years. That motor's cranking demands and the underhood heat of that truck are especially hard on batteries. The alternator on that truck is a very high output unit and quite small. It also gets baked. They can certainly be failure-prone. Usually it's a diode that goes, giving you voltage ripple and low output- it's a slow death that you don't notice in a day or two. It usually takes something significant to kill it.

I am thinking more on the glow plug side too. My 7.3 started acting up this winter too, simple diagnosis to the glow plug relay and I'm good to go. My batteries also needed replacing.

I am not sure how the glow plugs are set up on the 6.0l, but you can usually measure the current draw of each bank to determine if the glow plugs are all functioning. That is of course if the relay is working.

I rarely plug mine in, 1100 watts is a lot of electricity to throw at it. Thats 11 100 watt light bulbs! I only plug in when its single digits or lower. My 7.3 fired at -15 in Vermont with two cycles of the glow plugs. 6.0l should be better, I believe ford rates to -20.

First I would test your battery it only takes a min. Make sure you check the connections at your battery as well any corrosion and clean it off good. If that checks out then go to the glow plugs and the glow plug relay. Remember the glow plugs also run for a while after the light in your dash goes out. I think it is like a 1 and a half min.

I have a 7.3 but the basics are the same. Mine was driving me crazy with cold starts. Anything less then like 40 and it would get really hard. We tested everything, replaced the batteries, checked the glow plugs, tested the relays, checked the fuel pre heater, went with lighter weight oil and on and on. It turned out to be a bad glow plug relay. It would test ok but would not pass enough current. They are cheap enough to just replace if all else tests ok. Good luck from what I understand they will start no problem down to zero with out being plugged in. I have had to start my 7.3 down to -15 with out a plug and it did start fine. Little slow but not bad. The nice thing about plugging in is that you have heat instantly. :D

Jon

How 'bout running like crap for about the first couple of minutes upon start-up? Mine always starts when it's cold, but she sure runs rough for a few minutes.

Thats exactly what mine was doing. It drove me crazy since I diagnosed it as that, then replaced it and bench tested the old one. It worked! Thought I spent 80 dollars for nothing. Luckily I figured out before too much hair pulling.

Could be a few of your glow plugs are not working. Some of your cylinders are firing but not all of them untill the truck warms up enough.

That's what happens when the right side loom goes. Only 4 get hot, the other 4 are along for the ride for a minute or two. Unfortunately the beginnings of injector failure show most often when cold. The weaker one's don't fire well

never tried double cycling the glow plugs before.. I have the fuel filters changed every 15,000 miles, and am assuming they drain the filter at each oil change (I have it changed at Ford Dealership).. Dont know if its worth a crap but I do run the Ford Powerstroke additive on every tank fill up.. Thanks for the info.. So to double cycle the glow plugs do you mean turn on key until light goes out then off and back on again until it goes out? This is my first diesel. I know something has to be up, it started fine the last 3 winters without turning over real slow and not starting like this time...

By the way it is plugged in tonight:D dont want to be stranded at home again tommorrow:(

Double-cycle helps starting when it's really cold. That added heat helps it catch. The problems you descrive are atypical for the 6.0. You have another problem other than it being cold outside. If you have slow crank, my guess is it's bad batteries. If they're original, they've been on borrowed time for a while now. I'd also go to somewhere that can do a charging system analysis to tell you if the alternator is OK. I don't believe the slow crank is affecting your starting- diesels don't need that fast starter hit like gas engines like to have. They need heat. On a warm day, that comes solely from compression. On cold one's they need a boost from the glow plugs.

The truck needs to visit the Ford dealer. Buy cheap batteries beforehand. The Ford battery differs from the $65 Wal Mart battery only in price.

I agree, there is something wrong. I had a 6.0 powerstroke in a 2004 Excursion and never plugged it in. It sat many times outside all night in below zero weather and started without plugging in or even double cycling. It started a bit hard but nothing unusual and ran loud but always started.

Thanks for the help guys. I was thinking the same as you on new batts Chris Sunkin (not gonna buy from Ford) they will be proud of them on the price. Was plugged in all night, went out this morning (11 degrees) fired up quickly. I hope it is just the batts... Someone mentioned the glow plug harness issue on the passenger side (getting worn thru due to rubbing manifold), that was addressed a long time ago on a recall on my truck...

They did have a campaign but there was no change to the harness- it was a warranty replacement, they didn't address the issue. It may be bad again.

Running like crap for more than a few seconds on the 6.0 is usually 1-2 injectors that are at 0% for cold start. When the engine is warm they will come back. It could also be a programming issue. Have Ford plug in and see what the injectors are doing when it's cold. If they have an issue sometimes flashing the computer will fix it. Napa has a 135amp lifetime warranty alternater for $180. If the you find the batteries are getting low again you will need it.

I am about due for a oil change, gonna try to wait a few more days and have them check it out while its there, the temps here are going to be 40 to 50 highs and 40 + lows for the next week. It runs fine once it starts no matter how cold, no missing or rough idle. Thanks again for the help...