Well guys, here i am again. This '95, 12 valve has been good to me so far but this morning it wouldn't even fire off. I mean not even a peep. Motor just turned and turned and no life at all. When i parked it a couple of days ago it was running fine. So far, i have been able to eliminate the fuel solenoid as the problem but don't know what else to test or suspect.
Hopefully some one out there has had the same problem and can fill me in on what is wrong.
Thanks for your help.
Chuck

 

did it lose fuel pressure? try re priming it and see what happens. you may need to crack an fuel line

 

Sorry but i am kinda dumb here so tell me how to reprime it and i will try that.
is it common for that to happen?
thanks.

 

it depends, if you reach under the fuel filter ont eh driverside on the bottom of the engine you will the priming bulb push that about 30 times until you feel it get hard. you may look on tech facts at the top of page as well

 

OK. Found button and it would never get hard. Am convinced that the lift pump is bad. Big question is, how does one get that pump off? There is no way to just reach in there with any kind of tool and get the bolts out. Looks like it would be easier to just take the fender off and work on it. Gotta say that Cummins is NOT mechanic friendly.
Other question is, what is that device that appears to be bolted on with the lift pump and has a hose coming out of it about 1/2 inch in diameter?
Guess i was not cut out for this mechanis work.
Thanks

 

Sounds like the shutdown solenoid is stuck in the off posititon. It is mounted near the rear of the injector pump. You can move the lever by hand and see if it will run. Best thing would be to find a guy local who knows where it is to show you.

Where are you?

 

Am in Humble Texas. I checked the solenoid by having someone turn on the key and trying to start it. It goes up when the starter kicks in and the linkage seems to all work OK as well. Just can't get any fuel to the injector pump. Truck has 180K on it so figure it's time for lift pump. Do you know how to get at the pump to get it off? By looking at it i can't see any way to get in there.
Thanks

 

could you have a hole in the supply line? how good is your batteries, one bad battery will sometimes not let a diesel start

 

Robert, before you replace the lift pump, bump the engine over again and try to re-prime it. If it were on the upside of the plunger, the manual prime wont work.

I have found it easier to use a broomstick to prime, makes it much easier. I also typically require more than 30 pushes to get it to prime.

If you have to replace it, mine sure looks easier to get to from underneath. I would also replace the hose from the LP to the prefilter, it is available from didge and is under 10 bucks, so while the LP is off, it is a good time to replace.

 

You might have air in the lines if you cant get a good prime. Id try pressurizing the fuel tank to 5psi with a rag in the filler neck and see if you can find where the leak is.
You might also try replumbing the fuel feed line to a jerry can full of diesel and see if that will prime.
There are a pile of places which can develop leaks in the fuel supply. Theres the top of the pickup module on the tank, the metal lines as they run down the frame, the heater/strainer and the return on the back of the injector pump.
If you find bad metal fuel line dont be afraid to just replace the whole lot with some good quality marine diesel fuel hose.

 

A lot of good advice above. 30x with the primer button won't cut it, more like 100x, use the broomstick. As mentioned above, use compressed air, but DO NOT go over 5psi, you can damage the main tank.
If all fails and you have to remove the lift pump, it is held on by two bolts that go into the block itself. As you pull it off, be careful NOT to drop the rod that connects the LP to the cam in the block, into the block itself. Your problem will have just multiplied itself by 20X. On the plunger of the LP, there is a rubber cap. You can remove that and replace the rubber "O" ring inside, any hardware store will have it. In fact, if it is torn or rotted, it can be the problem of air intake. The fuel heater will come off at the same time. You can buy a kit to clean the screen at the bottom of the heater, easy job to do. When you go to replace the LP, put in studs instead of the bolts and use nuts to put the assembly together. It is all but impossible to hold the heater and LP, push against the spring and put in the bolt. Do yourself a favor and don't even try.

 

OK guys, thanks a lot on all this. I can now do the LP change as you all have provided me with all the knowledge i need. Sure helps out to get advice from people who have been there and done that, save me lots of time and bad words. I will change all the hoses and LP along with some other things that have been mentioned. A little "preventive" maintenance goes a long way.
Thanks to you all.