Hello all,

I am new to this forum and I am hoping y'all can help me solve my issue. I have a 1986 F250 with the IDI 6.9 and I can't get it to crank, so here is the back story...

The weather stripping at the back of the engine compartment where the hood closes is dry rotted. The truck sat for a about a month without being started. It was running amazing before it was parked. Since the weather stripping is dry rotted rain water was able to run in and sat on top of the motor. When I went to crank it, it would start to turn over and stop. I called a buddy for help but he didn't think that it could be hydrolocked and his advice was to charge the batteries and try again. So I did but the starter housing broke and it sounded like I was trying to start a car that was already started. We replaced the starter, charged the batteries and tried again. It started to turn over but would stop. We back spun the motor and could hear bubbling. We turned it until it stopped and tried again. It turned over but wouldn't start. I don't know when the glow plugs were past replaced so I went ahead and did that. Still nothing but it doesn't sound like it is turning over fast enough. Batteries are fully charged.

Does anyone have any suggestions? Thank you in advance for your help!

 

Something you might try,
So we are on the same page, when using the starter to start the engine we say it is cranking over. When the engine starts to run we say it fires up.
Remove the glow plugs and see if there is any indications of water contamination on the glow plugs. Then attempt to start the engine see how the engine cranks over. If there is any water in the cyls it should get pushed out the glow plug holes. Did you notice anything unusual on the oil dipstick?
Depending on what you see there will determine what you should do next.
Were you able to verify that the glow plugs are working?

 

Hey hanky,

I will probably get to it Saturday, I'll let you know what I find. Thank you again!

 

*UPDATE*

I checked the dip stick and the oil looks fine, it just needs to be changed. I removed 1 glow plug at a time and had someone bump the ignition but didn't see any signs of water. Each glow plug had a black residue on it that I assume is normal.

I tried to start it again and no luck. When it cranks over it just doesn't sound like it is fast enough. So I checked my batteries and both were just over 12 volts. I hooked one up to the charger and it has been charging for about 30 minutes now. Could that be just amperage needing to be recharged or does that sound like a battery issue.

I hope that helps, thank you in advance again.

 

What you should try is , make sure the battery terminal connections are clean and tight, watch the voltmeter when attempting to start the engine. If it drops below 9.6 volts (On an older vehicle ) the battery(s) are questionable and probably should be replaced. If you reside where the temp goes down below freezing , you will definitely have starting problems.Many times folks overlook electrical connections on an older vehicle and that is always a good thing to verify before condemning parts. Over time rust and corrosion take place where you may not notice it unless you are looking for it