7.3 diesel cranks but won’t start… any advice?

Got a 2000 F-250 with a 7.3 diesel. I was in an accident recently, ended up in the hospital for a bit. Now that I’m back, I tried to fire up the truck, but it’s a no-go. Fuel pressure is there, and I’ve replaced the PCM and glow plug relay. All fuses are checked and good. Only thing is, I don’t get a “wait to start” light. Anyone got ideas?

Here’s a 7.3 crank no start flow chart that might help

Tyson said:
Here’s a 7.3 crank no start flow chart that might help

Hey, do you happen to have one of these for a 6.0L?

@Adley
Sorry, no 6.0 experience here. But a buddy of mine had a similar issue, and it turned out to be the injector computer.

Tyson said:
@Adley
Sorry, no 6.0 experience here. But a buddy of mine had a similar issue, and it turned out to be the injector computer.

Quick question: I’ve got a ‘97 F-250 with an E40D auto. Had a no wait-to-start light issue, kept blowing fuse 22, which I think is for the fuel bowl heater. Long story short, after a lot of tracing, I found out it was the solenoid pack in the transmission that had shorted. Fixed that and it’s been good since. Ever heard of something like that? Or is it just my wiring?

@Kiran
Yeah, with the E4OD, you can get all sorts of weird issues. Even an LED in the 3rd brake light can mess with shifting. Those solenoid packs can definitely be finicky.

Tyson said:
@Kiran
Yeah, with the E4OD, you can get all sorts of weird issues. Even an LED in the 3rd brake light can mess with shifting. Those solenoid packs can definitely be finicky.

Good to know! The previous owner did some sketchy mods on this truck, so I wanted to make sure it wasn’t a wiring issue.

@Kiran
I’m not getting any blown fuses, but still can’t figure it out.

Heath said:
@Kiran
I’m not getting any blown fuses, but still can’t figure it out.

Have you tried unplugging the fuel heater? If it’s like mine, the E4OD could need a look, maybe check the solenoid pack inside the transmission.

Tyson said:
Here’s a 7.3 crank no start flow chart that might help

That was actually the first thing I looked up.

@Heath
If you’ve gone through the chart, maybe share some details on what it suggested. Every step can help piece together what’s going on.

Tyson said:
Here’s a 7.3 crank no start flow chart that might help

That flow chart is gold.

Tyson said:
Here’s a 7.3 crank no start flow chart that might help

Anyone know of other 7.3 flow charts like this?

Tyson said:
Here’s a 7.3 crank no start flow chart that might help

This is awesome. I had a mental checklist for this, but seeing it visualized is super helpful!

No wait-to-start light usually means no PCM power. Check the PCM fuse and if it’s blown, look at the fuel bowl heater for a short to ground. You can leave the fuel bowl heater unplugged if you need to.

@Davi
Had a similar issue. Truck was fine one minute, then wouldn’t start the next. Turned out to be a short in the fuel bowl heater that kept blowing the PCM fuse. Learned the hard way after paying for a tow.

Get a good OBD reader. I use the MX+ from Amazon with the FORScan LITE app. It’s helpful to check IPR and IPC pressures while cranking. That flow chart linked above is also spot-on.

Check your cam position sensor… they’re notorious for issues. You’ll be running fine, park it, and then it won’t start. I used to keep a spare in my ‘97 along with a 10mm wrench to swap it out.

Have you looked at the CPS under the harmonic balancer?

You mentioned an accident? Just in case, there might be a fuel shut-off switch on the passenger side, under the glove box. Pull the trim and look for a reset button.