i have a 7.3l non turbo diesel it is a crew cab 1 ton
i bought he off from craigslist last week she doesnt start idk what the problem is???

 

Smoke while cranking?

 

Do you know if the glow plugs are working??

 

yes it does smoke while i try to crank it

 

i'm not a 100% sure how would i check it?

 

just put a test light on the glow plug controller and see if it has power on both posts with the key on. depending on the year they had alot of problems with the wiring harnesses coming apart under the valve covers

 

does it need the glow plugs to crank it up i didn't think that it did.
i just thought that it would make it harder to crank up???

 

i'm not sure i know what you mean by crank up. if it smokes when cranking what color is the smoke?

 

it looks whitish and it smells bad...

 

if its white its lack of heat. you should check your glow plug solenoid. if it works then i would be heading under the valve covers