help a Cummins dood plz

[triton]

a question about my E350 w/ 7.3 PSD. It has a Quigley 4X kit on it and DPtuner 60hp econo tune fyi. I know a Cummins but, nothing about a 7.3


what would cause it to surge at idle up and down. No, rpm gauge but, it's not revving a whole lot. It's almost like a Cummins that has the heater grid cycling cause the voltage to drop but, is the power instead.


Not sure which trans is in it but it only has 30K on it. Sometimes when backing up, the engine cuts in and out like is looses power then regains it. It's prevented me from being able to back up at times because it won't build the constant power to do it.


sometimes, if it's been sitting for while and I go to start it... it won't start. It's like it floods out and can't ignite the fuel. It will blow tons of white smoke in the process. If I let it sit for a while longer... it will start right up. I've replaced the glow plugs but, not sure about the GP relay. The wait to start light comes on and stays on for a good while before going out which lead me to believe the reply isn't having a problem.


I plan to dive into the 7.3 bible but, though I could get a head start here

[Bobus]

My '03 & my Dads '97 does the Idle surge but I believe it caused by the Tunes Were running and the cold weather. Its only a couple hundred RPM, but enough too hear?

As for the tranny I believe its a E4OD.. Cant help with the cutting in and out

Our '97 & '99 both do the "Flood" symptoms if they sit for too long, and both have new Glow plugs and Relays.. When i Took it into Ford they told me it was due to Low compression..But i don't know for sure.. If teh trucks plugged in or if i give it a shot of Ether they both fire right up

[Power Smoker]

I always change the relay when I change customer's glow plugs. I do all 8 as well whether they're bad or not. It's just not worth the extra labor to have them done 1 or 2 at a time. not only that, but it's peace of mind. If you can't afford a new set of glow plugs & relay, sell it and buy a scooter. They're cheaper.:) just because the light is coming on on the dash, it doesn't mean the glow plugs are activating. you can try using a screw driver or wrench and use it to connect the 2 main posts on the relay for 10 sec. or so to manually activate the glow plugs. if it starts that way, you know you have a relay problem.

Starting and idling problems could be linked to the camshaft postition sensor. it's the sensor next to the flywheel with the timing marker type tab holding it in. those things are cheap, and notorious for going out. the updated ford part is much more reliable as far as I know. Where it's gone on for a while, it would be worth checking into the dtc's to see if anything has come up. good luck.

[triton]

thanks for the input. The CPS was changed to the updated version at the same time the GP's were done, about a year ago. After looking at my receipt, the relay was also replaced. Getting to the relay isn't very easy to do since it's in a van but, I'll give it a jump to see how it goes.

What are some things known to go bad on these motors and/or transmissions ? It's a 2001 E350

[Power Smoker]

If gas has ever been added to the fuel it can cause all kinds of problems for injection system. My mom did that on my dad's '97 when it was new, and he never fixed it, so he just lives with a little white smoke on warmup, and a little lack of power. check fuel filters for clogging. a dirty filter can cause problems. you may also want to check the fuel heater. it's a little wire thingy just under the filter on top of the engine. they've been known to short out and cause other problems on startup.

[Bruno2]

The wait to start light really doesnt have anything to do with the gpr functioning . The glow plugs operate for about 1-1.5 minutes regardless . I would test the relay .