cmore

I have a 99 Ram with a CTD. I has sat unstarted for a long time.
I have installed new batteries. Do I need to do anything else to it
before trying to start it?
thanks

Lary Ellis (Top)

One thing to consider is the health of the fuel in the tank. Changes in temps cause condensation in the tank creating an environment that is perfect for algae to grow in the fuel.

A completely full tank is less likely to do this but it can happen...I don't know how long the truck sat but if it were I, I would drain the tank to be sure there is no crud in it that will damage the injection system as soon as you try to start it.

I know people that paid thousands because they had old contaminated fuel.

ECSelner

second on fuel tank drain, can't hurt to change filters as well, where there is fuel there a possibility of breakdown. Fuel is cheap, filters are cheap, a cummins is not.

i'd probably suggest visually checking air filter and all tubes for intake, you be surprised what can get in there regardless of where it is sitting. All Fluid levels are a must. Once i finally got my old 64 dodge W200 running I was so ecstatic about getting it going i forgot to check other important fluids and found at the end of the driveway that the brake master cylinder was too low (thanks to the hill at the end of the drive and the parking brake i got her stopped) just my .02

dkenny

is it possible to crank the engine without it starting? kill the fuel supply..kill the compression..

I'm asking because I don't know if it possible or how to do it if it is..but if its possible spin the engine without starting..this would get the oil flowing and moving before the normal firing loads are applied. I do this with my diesel boat every spring..it has a compression release.

-dkenny

rickf

You could take out the ECM fuse but there is no compression release. Why would you want to do that? If the fuel has drained from the injection pump then you are turning it dry, not good. I would drain the tank, get good fuel in it, hit the start fora tap and let the pump run and bleed out the fuel system to get fuel into the pump. Then you could crank it to get oil flowing which is my guess why you want to crank it. How long has it been sitting? Especially check the air filter, I have seen mice chew through the filter and then use the rest of the filter to build nests in carburetors. All those nice round pipes would be a haven for a mouse. This would be one blessing having the intake grid heater, they will not get through that and into a cylinder through an open valve. Yes, I have seen it done many times. If it has sat for four or five years I would bar the engine over a couple of rotations first to make sure there are no obstructions.

Rick

Hodge

How long has the truck been setting?

madhat

If it has been sitting for more than a year, I would drain the tank, change the filter, pull the lines drain the fuel from them, and drain and fill the oil before starting it.

If it has been less than 6 months, I'd just drain the tank and go, change the oil after you get it running.

Make sure to inspect the air filter and intake, look at the turbo with the air intake system off, make sure no critters got in there and made a home.

Look around the fan and radiator, and the belts too.

cmore

Hey all....thanks for the info.
the truck has been sitting for almost two years.

is there a way to drain the tank without removing it?
siphon pump maybe?

madhat

There is a ball valve in the filler neck, so sticking a hose down the filler neck won't work. You could crawl under the truck and pull the filler neck off the tank, but it would be a pain to get it back on with the bed still on.

You can take the bolts out of the bed, jack the bed up and do it like that.

You can find the fuel line coming from the pump, take it off, and apply 12v to the pump, it will drain it like that.

Push it down a hill in front of a semi, that'll get the fuel out of it. (just kidding on that one )

Junk Man

I disconnected the Airdog at the tank pump and stuck a siphon down the line into the tank. Full tank = 35 gallons so you'll need some storage. You could dump some Startron into the tank in case fuel has things growing in it.

Russ Roth

Glad you got it stopped OK. Wouldn't want to lose one of those rigs. Do you still have it? I have a '67 W200, original BB that Dad bought new. It's a bigger BB now with more gears and some other things. Drives better than the Ram, however it's a bit shy on fuel mileage in comparison.

ECSelner

Had to sell the beauty off sadly. Times got tough and i needed the money. This one had the 318 Polysphere with the 4 speed w/ 4.10 axles and was a blast to drive and a pain to fill up with a 15 gallon tank that got 8 mpg at best (down hill with a tail wind) I've been getting 17 mpg on my '06 so i'm a little happier with that one... i do miss it from time to time though

*not meaning to highjack the thread*
Seeing as it has sat for 2 years oil would be a must. Probably best to follow pretty much what everyone has suggested. Drain before, drain after, you're going to loosen stuff up once you get it going. Probably going to stir up the sediment in the coolant too so expect to spend some time with that system as well. I've always been taught, on gas engines at least, you want to get it started as quickly as possible after it has been sitting so it builds full oil pressure up that you can't get while cranking. All that goes out the window if you can prelube before cranking though. Also don't burn up the starter cranking it if it doesn't want to start right away. Only crank it for a short amount of time then let it cool down for a bit then try again

swordfish

when I installed my airdog and had to drop the tank I got a syphon kit from a parts store, stuck the tube down the filler neck and pump it into a 55 gal drum. No check ball in my filler neck...

swordfish

olddodgetrucks

I think you worry too much,do any farmers do all that when there combine ,ect sit for a year,consrution eqp, standby gen.ect,no they just charge the battery.check fluids and go.

Lary Ellis (Top)

Big difference talking one season to the next vs 2 yrs....lots of varibles come into play so better off being on the safe side. You have to remember that condensation has built in the crankcase as well as the fuel tank....MOST people are smart enough NOT to want circulate contaminated fuel and oil through out their engine.

OBVIOUSLY it needs an oil change any way so why be smart and do it before starting it?

As far as stand by generators etc...yes they do follow a maintenance schedule to keep all this from being a problem. Same thing with construction equipment, the mechanics work on the equip prior to the work season starting so they don't have unnecessary breakdowns and time loss on the job.