Truck Repair: Ford Basic Diesel Trouble Shooting ?, coolant additive, ford diesel

Question
Mike, I will be helping out a buddy trying to get a 1998 FORD 1 Ton (F-350 )truck (Diesel) to start after being sidelined for several months. I hear it was not runing well before either.

Do you have a top-10 list of things to look for / check, relative to a Ford? My list starts with:

1. Battery(s)and cables
2. Clean Fuel <should we drain?>
3. Clean Filter(s)?
4. Hoses & Belts...
5. Glow Plug ?
6. Fuel Pump
7. ?

I do-not have experience on Diesels and hear that we might need a "Compression" check too...

Can you offer a few trouble shooting top-10 list please / tips?

Thx

Bill  

Answer
Your list looks pretty good I will just add a couple things.
2. Clean Fuel <should we drain?>  It all depends on how long it has been sitting.  Near a year then YES.  Even if it has been less time you should add some fuel conditioner to it (this will remove small amounts of water and add some anti-gel compounds)
3. Clean Filter(s)?  Yes, You should chage all filters and engine oil. Also one secret on a diesel engine is the "DCA".  This is a coolant additive that prevents electralisis, and is a must in 90% of diesel engines.  You can get test strips and additive at NAPA and other parts stores.
5. Glow Plug ??   On a 98 it is unlikley that the glow plugs would be bad (unless someone used either) so you can check for propper operation of the glow plug relay and that is all that should go wrong.
6. Fuel Pump .........its good!... not a very common prob on the PSD.  If you get a no-start condition is the time to check that.
   You covered the basics well.  One thing I can add is on the ford diesel they had a huge prob with the valve cover wiring.  The reason I mention this is because you mentioned it ran bad before being parked.  Unplug the 4 connectors going into the valve cover gaskets.  Inspect the connectors and see if they are "burn/melted".  If they look clean then all is OK, but if not; please get back with me and I will walk you through on how to repair them.
   Sorry for the long responce, If you have any further questions please get back with me.  Thank you, MIKE