Ford: 86 F250 diesel hard to start, ford f 250, ac delco

Question
I have a 1986 Ford F-250 diesel. It runs great, but it is hard to start. I have replaced the glow plugs and the glow plug relay. In the morning, the engine will turn over but flood out without starting. The only way I can get it to start is with starting fliud. The glow plugs I put in is the second set in two months. The first set failed and the tips swelled. Any suggestions?

Answer
Glow plug controller. It had an internal problem causing the glow plugs to stay energized and burned out the replacement glow plugs.
 

  

Tech Tips:  Use only Motorcraft or AC-Delco glow plugs on this engine. When working properly, the glow plug controller monitors amperage flow to the glow plugs and cuts power to them when it has achieved that set point. If the internal relay of the controller "sticks" and continues to deliver power, the glow plugs will overheat and burn out. Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) 98-4-20 offers a conversion kit to upgrade the 83-88 6.9L Diesel 6-volt glow plug system to the more dependable 7.3L 12-volt system.