So I started my truck after sitting for a few weeks , I let it idle while i was playing with my phone or something, when outta the engine bay I hear a loud ping, kind of like something breaking, and my truck dies. I cautiously crank it over and there is what sounds like a bad lifter(like on your old 350) while cranking, however its erratic and holds no relation to the rotation of the motor. It won't start, so i do what any normal person would do and keep cranking till my battery is almost dead(still hear the clicking/tapping), and BAM it starts and runs like nothing's happened.

Since then my truck is ridiculously hard to start when parked with the nose uphill. Starts fine when I park nose downhill.

So I changed the fuel lines, which were infact rotting, and nothing. I still have to check the overflow valve, but I was just curious if anyone else who has had this problem experienced the same "pop and die". If it wasn't the overflow valve I don't know what it could be.

 

I just hope it wasn't the killer dowel pin falling into the timing gears. I had two trucks do that to me. Look at timing case near water pump pulley if pin fell into gears it usually blows hole in case at that location. I hope I'm wrong since it's expensive to fix. Check out this thread http://cumminsdatabase.com/read.php?id=111

 

I have no idea what the popping noise was. The dependency on uphill vs downhill is definitely characteristic of an air leak. Do you have a fuel pressure gauge? Does the truck drive normally once it is started?

 

Overflow valve going south? Just a WAG

 

there is a checkvalve in the lift pump that goes bad. Had it happen to me nose uphill crank for 20 seconds or so, changed lift pump problem gone. As for the ping I don't know.

 

No, i'm pretty sure its not the KDP as there is no damage to the engine at all. Its just hard to start, and yes, once it has started it runs fine like nothing was wrong.