The battery was replaced today. I don't have any gauges. Absolutely no smoke at all. I have a chisel and hammer, that is how I got it out last time. I think I'll see if the new battery has done it, otherwise I'll try the jumper, then gut it. I have an old bicycle shift cable laying around here, maybe I'll try to do something with that so that I don't have to open the hood to shut it down...Mark

 

I meant the fss, how did it fail?

 

It didn't, I changed it for this problem. Looked real good, I think the rebuilders replaced it, so it had few miles. It is now in my tool box as an extra...Mark

 

Ah ok, making sense now. So the new fss didn't fix the problem...

I guess you'll see if the battery was the culprit now, could be lift pump. Could be in the pump itself just not sure what it would be

 

yeah, I have this nagging feeling that it is something real simple. I can't see the pump (besides the fss) fixing itself after it caused a no start condition, same for the injectors...Mark

 

the battery may be it, especially if it had a bad cell. these trucks like a fast crank to start well.

Once you get this figured out then you need to get some personal one on one time with your pump....rip the top off that thing and put in a 3200 gov spring, take the safety caps off the screws and grind that fuel pin down. I thought you where more adventurous than this, what the heck?

 

You got me, now I feel ashamed of myself I'm a fraud . I promise to do better. Seriously, I have been thinking about a 3200 spring. I need to get the pyrometer and fuel pressure gauges in...Mark

 

It is amazing how much better a stock 5 speed will run with a tuned up pump. I got better fuel mileage, it was much easier to drive and a whole lot more fun.

 

That's what makes me think that they may have tweaked it at the shop. It'll do 95 mph, gets 20 mpgs and is fun to drive. I am going freeway speeds by the end of the on ramp. I have never driven another, so I have nothing to compare it to

 

Ok, how's this for a theory? When I shut it down with a weak battery, that when it was cranking, the starter robbed the voltage and there was not enough juice to activate the fss. Then, after it sat for a while, the battery would recuperate enough to start. Then, when the battery got weaker, it just wouldn't recuperate and it just wouldn't start. Right now it is starting with a half a crank, like it always did. I hope some of you electronic wizards will chime in to say if this is even possible. With these symptoms, I would never have suspected a weak battery, that was strong enough to crank the engine, but not strong enough to supply 12 volts to the fss. I wish that I would've checked the voltage at the fss while it was cranking. I never would have thought of that...Mark

 

The only thing I did was replace the battery and she has not no-started me since, about 25-30 starts. Unless someone has a better theory, I believe that the battery was on its way out and had just enough juice to spin the engine, with none left over to power the fss. There was a small amount of fuel from the injectors when I opened them up, which might show that the fss was trying to open, but lacked the oomph to open it completely. When I get to a variable voltage power supply, I am going to test my extra fss with voltage down from 12, ans see if it will partially open with lower voltage. If this is the case, problem solved. What bothers me a bit is that I have never heard of this problem from anyone else. Could I really be the first to have it? I am no electronics expert, but it seems that the fss is not an open or close thing and actually could partially open with lower voltage. What do you guys think about this theory? Of course, the first time it no-starts now throws all that out the window...Mark

 

Taterfarm stated above that these trucks need to spin fast. I believe that's why, not to start it but to open the fss. So I think you may be right.

Curious to see what you find when you do the voltage test. I can't remember for sure but think its 9-10v

 

The thing is that it would start spinning slow, but then spin plenty fast enough. It always starts in half a rotation, so I don't really know how fast it spins normally. I fully intend to to do that test, as well as the ph test on my antifreeze (from another thread), when I get home...Mark

 

I've mentioned many times over the years but lest it be overlooked - at least 50% of electrical problems are caused by faulty grounds.
You must have clean, bare metal to bare metal connection from engine block to ground strap to firewall, and all other grounds must be clean, bare metal to bare metal connections.

It's common for corrosion to have built up over the years. On mine I run short auxiliary ground wires from fender inner panels where electrical components may be located and ground fender back to firewall. Also short ground jumpers from radiator support to inner fender panels, and another short ground jumper or two from cab to bed. These ground jumpers have to be heavy enough wire to carry the loads, so at least 12 ga, if not 10 ga.

With these added grounds, clean bare metal to bare metal connections, the electrical circuits are furnished with a ground that's bonded to the engine where the alternator is grounded. On some components like external regulators I run a ground jumper wire from device case to mounting surface on fender or firewall. I also add ground jumper wires, bare metal to bare metal, from light sockets for headlights back to radiator support, and tail/brake/turn lights to their mounting surfaces.

On top of that, every now and then you have to go back, loosen the screws and clean those ground jumpers too, like every fall so it's all ready for the winter onslaught. It can be good to give an extra ground at the dashboard too, depending on which model. Once this bonded ground system is done it can only be the wiring, connectors or device that fails so a large part of 'potential' electrical problems are prevented way in advance. All circuits are completed at grounds so bad grounds can mean low or zero voltage in any circuit.

 

I appreciate the input, but here in the AZ desert, rust is not a huge problem. That said, I did make sure that the grounds that I could find are clean and tight. I am pretty sure (fingers crossed) that the weak battery was the problem. I have quite a few starts now without problems since I replaced the battery. It just seems strange to me that this is the first time that I have heard about this particular problem. The 2 things that I find most interesting are that, during the no-start condition, there was still a little fuel coming out of the injectors, so the fss was partially opened, or so it seems. The second is that it would "fix itself" after sitting for a few minutes. I do know that a car battery can recuperate some of its juice sitting. I am hoping that some of the electronics people, like j_martin will chime in about the possibility that the fss can open partially at lower voltage. If, for example, the fss closes at 10 volts and completely opens at 12 volts, is it partially open at 11 volts? I am grasping at straws, but if it keeps starting, I'll use the straw for a celebratory beer (symbolically as I don't drink )...Mark