wwalkersd
Silver Member
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Check out dieselstop.com and check out all the info on fixing the cold start issues.
Small correction: it's www.thedieselstop.com (you forgot the "the"). You'll find folks there who can fix problems with your truck that you don't even know you have, let alone the ones you do. Like this site, though, it can be a little hard on your wallet (example: my early '99 now has a John Wood transmission, 6.0 radiator/trans cooler, full gauges, Airdog fuel preporator, regulated return fuel system, Terminator twin high-pressure oil pumps, Donaldson air intake, and a performance chip by DP-Tuner).
Here's an interesting article posted there: Cold Weather Powerstroke Operation. It's got links in it to testing procedures for the glow plugs and glow plug relay.
I just replaced the the glow plug control module (fancy name for the glow plug relay variant used on early '99 California Power Strokes). On my truck, it was lighting the MIL (aka Check Engine Light), and had codes P1393 and P1395, indicating low glow plug current on both engine banks. But I think, as others have said, that non-Cali trucks won't throw a code on a failed relay.
It's easy to replace. Sits on top of the right valve cover, basically, and has two 10mm mounting nuts and a six non-metric (don't recall sizes) nuts holding wires on. Your truck may vary, since it's not a Cali truck (I assume).