SmokenRam

Truck left me stranded again!!! If its below 20*, it just won't start!!! At 25*-30*, You have to crank on it for about 60-90 sec to get it going. It caughs and chokes, and when it does start, there's so much white smoke, It looks like your at a burnout contest!!!! Whats going on with this thing, What do i need to check??? BTW, J/k about the gas'er, i'd never do that!!!

Box5

Plug it in for a couple hours. I guess it's just one thing you have to live with when u drive a diesel, mine smokes some on warmup.

greasemonki

make sure the heating grids are cycling, my first gen never gave me any trouble starting below 20, and my 2nd gen has never failed me either. (and yes, these trucks were started without being plugged in first)

You may need to cycle the grid heaters more than once, if its REALLY cold

TIMMY22

somethings wrong, I have a 12V and it will start down to zero no plug in.


check your grids, Is the voltage being drawn down during the "wait to start" cycle?

Your probably getting air, the white smoke tells the tale.

schaef_12

Ya, Sounds like air is leaking into the fuel system overnight.

Reelay

Smoken, What if anything is the last thing you did to your truck, oil change, fuel filter change, battery change, ect. sometimes things get a little twiked out after these applications. The grids are a key factor to starting up your truck espicially when in cold weather when it is not plugged into house electricity. If you think the grids might be at fault do a search on this web site, there's alot of good input on it. I changed my fuel filter one time and had the same starting problems you are having. It would start but I had to crank on it for a long time to build up pressure. {which is not good on a starter}. What I found was that my fuel filter was not tight enough causing it to loose pressure after sitting over night. When I did get it started when the filter was loose it started fine all day just the mornings I had troubles whether cold out or not.
Ray

torquefan

Make sure BOTH grids are coming on before you start it, not just one. I see a lot of trucks with one failed relay and one still working. It will take a long time to start that way. I'm thinking you may have air entering the fuel system, but start with the basics.

Next, inspect the rubber fuel hoses at the rear of the engine, over the bell housing. It's common for the return hose to crack and rot out, letting air into the system. If it's cracked or wet, replace it with a new piece of diesel-rated hose.

cumminsdriver635

Here is mine at 30*. Not plugged in after sitting all night.

Click here to see Video

Eric

Box5

thats about how my truck starts ^, but i have alittle more smoke, or maybe theres just more wind in that vid so it's about the same.

SmokenRam

OMG!! That thing started like a champ!!! If i took a vid of mine, i'd have to stand back about 100ft to get all the white smoke in the pic!!! OK well for got to tell you this, If plugged in, Fires right up!! No probs at all!! Very little white smoke. Its just when i don't plug it in!! I did A search on the grid heaters but can't find a straight answer on how to test it!!
And another thing, when its not plug in, and i try and start it, its cranks and hits, cranks and hits, so on. Likes its trying to fire, but doesn't!! BTW got Brand new batts in it as well!!

kd460

Till you figure out whats going on, be carefull cranking the starter, they can over heat in a hurry. Need to let it cool for a minute or two before cranking again.

If alone nstall a 12 volt light to each of the heater grid wires and with the hood open turn the key on. Or have someone turn the key on for you when you have a meter hooked up. If you getting power to the heater grids, the lights will go on or you get voltge to the meter. The conection point is right on top of the engine right at where the intake plenum meets the top of the engine. Black wires (heavy gauge). one in front, and one behind the square intake opening.

To check the heater grids, it's a matter of checking for continuity from one end to the other. If open, then the grid is dead. Not sure what ohms resistence you should be at (if good) but thats a start. Good luck, KD

cumminsdriver635

Im betting your grid heater isnt working at all... The grid heater really makes a big difference. If you pull your itake horn off your truck, and get someone to cycle the key on, and hover your hand above the grid heater, you should be able to tell its getting hot. It should probably burn you if you touch it . You should easily be able to hear the relay kicking on too.

Eric

Geico266

Try replacing the grid heater relay with the relay right next to it. They are the same. If it helps it to start you know which one is bad.

TIMMY22

The easiest and most accurate way to check the grids is to check each lead with an amp meter. The test light and volt meter just tells you if there is voltage to the grid. If you had an open grid (bad) there would be voltage at the terminal even though it's not working. The clamp on amp meter will tell you if the whole circuit is working. also, watching the voltage cycle down on your dash tells you that at least one is working.

here is an example of the clamp on type, note the jaws that you snap over the lead.

http://www.professionalequipment.com...ectric-meters/

torquefan

I usually use an ammeter. I clip the clamp around both preheater wires at the same time. Each grid draws 100 to 120 amps when cold, so I want to see over 200 amps when I turn them on. They each have a relay, but the two are sold as an assembly. They will usually click whether they are working or not. As posted above, you can use a test light on each of the two grid terminals, that will at least verify that the relays are supplying power to the grids. The relays cause the problem over 90% of the time.

I should mention that as the grids get warm, their resistance rises quite a bit, and will lower your amperage reading substantially. That is why I try to read both grids at the same time, I don't want to cycle them twice.