6.5 Hard Starting

[NickTF]

Guy at work is having a hard time with our drill truck, a 2000 stake body 3500. He indicates it will start fine if you plug the block in but it won't start without the block heater plugged in. I don't know hardly anything about these motors. Does this sound like it could be a fuel heater (if they have one) or something along those lines? The truck has always smoked like a fire. Ideas?

 

[cybermrc]

Sounds like bad glow plugs

Disconnect the wiring to all glow plugs.
Hook a test light up to the + side of the battery, and touch the wire tab of the glow plug.

If the light lights up, the glow plug is probably good. If it doesn't, it's bad.