New IP and tips - Now Hard to Start My 3000

Replaced the CAV IP and Injector tips, IP was initial problem. It starts but it takes about 2 minutes of cranking to get it going, starts puffing white smoke almost immediately. Was wondering if I should maybe change the IP timing to see if starting improves or ? Seems to run fine once started. Timing currently set to original setting but read somewhere that changing it may help. First Diesel so this has been a learning process ... originally tried doing a pump overhaul but that didn't work. Thanks for any help I can get!

Try the pump top toward the engine a bit and see if it helps cold starting. White smoke means engine is getting fuel, but there's not enough heat to burn it. Diesels can
run fine warm with low compression, but won't start well cold. To know for sure injectors need pulled so a compression test can be done.

Thanks for the Info - must have screwed something up - always started good before replacing the injector tips and pump. If as you say, white smoke means loss of compression I am wondering if maybe the tip washer is bad or out of position ( I did put in new seals) ... always puffed black smoke before when starting was good. I did recheck the clamping bolts on the injectors to make sure they are tight but something must not be sealing correctly. Not that much to it so kinda bewildered at this point. Will try making the timing change to see what happens.

When you replaced the tips did you pop test the injector to make sure the pressures were in spec

Now that its smoking immediately, indicates your pump is working at the start of the process. Now its compression, cranking speed, or timing.... are most likely culprits.

make sure you have a fresh oil change with 15w40 DIESEL oil.. Fresh oil will help clean up the rings and improve compression a bit if the oil wasnt changed often. Add a quart bottle of lucas oil stabilizer to also help a bit with compression on a tired engine. 9 bucks at walmart. Your injectors should be spot on, so no help there. Check your battery and starter, especially all cable connections to make sure your getting full power. Small or dirty cables will slow the starter down. Too small of a battery or an old sufated up battery will not put out full current. A wornout starter with dragging bearings cranking slow will not help. Crank for 10 seconds and look for any warm connections... along the cable path from the battery to the starter and ground.... as they are a problem... Also try to make sure the cold starting aid, or the FORD thermo-start is working and using it will greatly reduce cranking time on a tired engine. Nothing fixes a worn out engine, but making sure all the other problems are fix will help it provide more service, longer. and finally in the last years, you give it a half second shot of ether in the air intake before cranking for a quick start and you can buy another 5 years to 20 year more. BUT no more than a half second into the mushroom intake, or the spinner type on the rowcrops. then go crank and after about 3 seconds of cranking, the ether will be drawn in and it fires at very low heat and compression, warms up the cyls, so then the diesel fires off...

It is still sounding like slow cranking speed probably due to a cable connection needing cleaning. Since you prefer the difficult rather than easy fixes you should probably go to a complete rebuild next since it is possible that your compression is low.

I just had my CAV IP repaired. In reinstalling I read the manuals, have several, and they clearly stated that timing was on the mark, 0* (TDC). White
smoke is water, aka incomplete combustion.

Besides the mentioned starting corrective measures others mentioned, you might check your compression......yeah I know it's a PIA on a diesel. Since
compression and fast cranking speed are the things which sets up the cylinders to explode the mist and get a good bang, low compression could be an
issue for you.

I posted this somewhere else herein: When I bought my 3000 it had a 4" starter (gas engine starter) and I replaced it with a new 5" diesel starter, plus
ran new 00 cables from the starter to the battery and it was a sealed, 925 cca 31 series with ⅜" terminal posts.....terminals on both ends so when I had
the OTR truck dealership make one cable longer than original to satisfy that extra length. 0 would have worked but it was before I realized I had to do an
inframe to solve the hard starting, lots of white smoke problem.....sorry compression.

The battery I bought was one used in OTR trucks and they had a couple of pallets of them sitting in the lobby of the dealership. Price was like $75 when
the farm store wanted like $125 for a Ford battery with terminals on one end only, and lead rather than ⅜" studs....as I recall on the old one.