98 12 valve does not start cold. starts in warm weather.(or so i've been told) the lift pump was leaking so it was replaced but did no good. fuel filter was replaced but did not help. shut off sol. seems to be working. i can't manually move the lever any more by hand. the lever is turning the shaft also. valve in the return line was replaced at the pump. return line from the block to the tank is open i can blow air thru it. i pump the lift pump and i get resistance, opened the banjo bolt on the suppy line at the inj. pump and pumped the lift pump and i seem to have good fuel supply getting to the inj. pump. opened one of the injector lines at the injector while cranking and i had no fuel coming out. cracked the return banjo bolt at the inj. pump and i had a ton of air. i dont know where to go from here. never seen this before. any help would be great.

 

Check the fuel solenoid. It should be located on the side/bottom of the IP, with one wire attached. When the ignition is on, + power is supplied to the solenoid, allowing fuel to pass thru. If the solenoid is not getting power, or the solenoid is burned out, it will not start. If you have power to the solenoid, pull it to check it. Ground the housing of the solenoid, and apply 12v+ to the wire/terminal. If the plunger retracts, the solenoid is good. If not, replace it.

 

how long did you crank with ALL of the injector lines cracked? try cracking the injector lines at the pump and the injectors. pump first obviously

 

i admit i did not crank it real long with the lines loose but i thought i should see something in the time that i did have it cranking

 

like i said crack the lines at the pump first then at the injectors give it some crank time too. if its been setting who knows whats in the pump

 

Happened to me a few years back on my 97. Turned out to be the fuel shutoff solenoid. Don't pay $300+ for one, go to Larry B's. Also check the relay for it. Easy fix but hard to adjust perfectly. Turn the key to "on", reach down and lift up the plunger, it should lock in and then you fire right up! Some guys just rig a "choke line" to it.

 

My '98 12-valve recently was getting harder to start. Finally it would not start. Would sometimes try to fire an billow clouds of white and gray smoke.

My problem turned out to be simple, quick, and easy to fix. It was an air leak at the dreaded fuel preheater. I removed the heater and found it to be inop. Air was leaking into the fuel system through the electrical connector on the heater. I deleted the heater and also changed the rubber elbow hose. Find Joe G.'s fuel system article for details.

The truck now starts and runs better than it has since I have owned it which suggests that the leak has existed for a while.

 

You guys that are removing the fuel heater, what is keeping the nasty crud from ruining your lift pump? The fuel heater has a fine screen inside. The ones I have changed the screen (filters) out on had some nasty sand like grit in the screens.
Isn't there a way to pressure test these to see if they are leaking around the electrical connector? Would there be a way to JB weld or silicon around the connection?

Tom

 

Tom,

The strainer is retained. Only the heater is removed. This article saved my bacon. Who knows how long I would have been troubleshooting my no-start problem. It got to where I had to add some pedal to get it to start. Then it got harder to start with lots of smoke. Then it just wouldn't start. In about an hour I had it fixed and running better than it has since I've owned it. It was 7 degrees yesterday and it started and idled just fine without block heater and no pedal.

This article is definitely a good place to start for a no-start problem.
http://www.cumminsforum.com/forum/94...m-writeup.html

I hope the OP has got his truck started.

 

OK, my bad. Seems like I did this several years ago. Is this a situation where we need to get a shorter stud from Cummins?
Seems like the stud costs around $20.

Sorry for the bad post,

Tom

 

No need for a stud. In fact the only part you may need is the main o-ring if it gets damaged and isn't reusable.
Good to have it before you start just in case.
Comes with filter kit Cummins part number 3845400-S for $7.

 

its not the fuel shut off. by passed the fuel heater - that did nothing. had the p7100 rebuilt - it idles alot better. still does not start all that good. it will crank kinda start then stall. does this many times then i lean on the gas pedal and it will start and run but seems to be missing then clears up after a bit. shut it off after running a minute and it will start right up. i 'm thinking maybe i have an injector leaking over night maybe?

 

I had a problem something like yours. I turned out to be the rubber fuel line that runs from the steel line to the engine. It had some little weepy holds. It would leak a little when it was not running and let air into the line. The line just got a little damp, but let some air in and a little fuel out. Hard to start.

Fred P................

 

this old man fought that problem for 6 years. new on the shelf fuel line. about 12 ins. was bad. replaced everything but the line over the years then found it by accident.

 

The second time I replaced the 12" rubber line I used a marine fuel line. End of problem.

Fred P..............