Billut

OK, y'all can call me all kinds of names cause I sure deserve it: truck has a defective sending unit/gauge - shows 3/4 full when filled to the neck, and gets to E after 150 miles. So, I'm used to it, and usually stop for fuel at 350 miles on the odo. Well, today, I thought I have never seen that LOW FUEL light on, why I should take that truck to the nth mile. I got to 404 miles and the truck died (I've got 4.10 gear...) in front of a lumber co. and a transmission repair shop, one block from the county jail. I had a 2 gallon can of diesel fuel in the toolbox and dumped it in the tank. Then, I tried to crank the truck, and it would shake and all, but wouldn't start. I went over to the tranny place, and the ol' man there told me to put a rag soaked in gas around where you git your air, and crank it. I thought I'd be smart and told him, it's a diesel truck. "Y'ain't payin attintion to whaddatolyaboy, you put that rag soak with gas, and crank it." He turned around and went off to scrape some gasket residue off of some old tranny. I got back to the truck, and the guy from the lumber co. asked me what the problem was. After my explanation, he got a can of starter spay thing and opened the air box, all the while guaranteing that he'd done that to all kinds of diesel engines from loaders to forklifts. Sure enough, after some spraying and depressing the gas pedal while cranking the truck, it fired and ran fine. I thanked the guy many a time, and as he walked back to his yard, I noticed the warning label on the airbox: "Warning: Do not... permanent engine damage may occur". Well, to make a long story short:

1. How do you prime/start a truck that's ran out of fuel, what's the proper procedure?

2. What kind of damage can spraying WD40, or else do to the engine?

3. The LOW FUEL light is not assigned to any fuse in the fuse section of the manual: if no fuse, where is the sensor? in the tank? in the sending unit? could it be the bulb that lights the warning on the dash?

Thanks for your understanding...

Dean Snow

1.) What you do when you run out of fuel is crack the lines to your injectors and pump your lift pump. Then turn the truck over till the fuel starts spraying out pretty good and then tighten the lines back down. Then crank on the starter again. It helps a lot to have 2 people when you run out of fuel.

2.) There is a lot of different things said about spraying stuff into the engine. I wouldnt trust to spray anything into the engine at all only if 100% needed.


3.) The low fuel light is ran by a light bulb behind the dash if I remember right.

Free89W350

Your best bet for priming is to crack the bleeder on the filter housing and then hand pump until fuel comes out without any air. Then one by one crack the injector line at the injector and crank until steady stream of fuel from each injector then you should be good to go. Once it starts if it runs rough re-do the injector bleeding until it smooths out.
As for as the others I'm not sure.
Hope this helps and good luck

CaptainChrysler

A few older mechanics have told me about the gas soaked rag and WD-40 trick. I think they've changed WD-40 since then, cause it never works for me. Never tried the rag trick. Either works good, just unhook the grid heaters. I have seen it done it with them hooked up and its not pretty. I would never do that to my engine. Nothing like the sound of an engine cranking fast and getting stopped dead.

BearKiller

All of my diesel engines get a ether-injection port installed, soon after I get them.

The grid-heaters also become history.

Used with some sense, ether don't hurt anything, SO LONG as any glow-plugs or intake-heaters are dis-connected.

Never tried the gas-rag trick, as ether was always more readily available around diesel equipment than gasoline.

wannadiesel

If the intake heaters are energized, you can blow up the intake plumbing.

You can use ether safely by disconnecting the small wires from the intake heater relays on the fender. Pull one small wire off each relay and you are safe.

Billut

Thanks to you all for the various explanations. I guess I got lucky that the truck started without difficulty and has been running just fine since. I had a little time at hand at lunch time and lifted the hood to identify the bleed screws on the injectors and filter housing - the access is not as EZ there - and located the relay for the grid heater. I guess I'll keep a can of DME in the toolbox just in case, but most of all, I'll keep an eye on the odo. I ned to fix that LOW FUEL light, too. I am surprised there doesn't seem to be a fuse for it...
Thanks again for all your input, makes that site invaluable.

DodgeFreak

I've heard that WD and PB won't hurt it as bad because it spontainously combust at a higher temp so it won't ignite with the glow plugs but under pressure it will aid in startup....is that right or wrong????

wannadiesel

If the grid heaters are energized they will burn any flammable liquid that comes by. Disable the grids before using any starting aid.

Billut

Wannadiesel:
Just to be sure: if the grid heaters are energized and since they'll burn any flamable liquid that comes by, you might be damaging the engine. Now, do the grid heaters get fully energized until you wait for the "Wait To Start" to turn off? If so, imagine you crank the truck without waiting for the Wait To Start to go off, right as someone sprays WD or whatever around the air filter: would this be that bad? I'm not trying to find ways around or be smart - I'm not engine-smart - but I'm curious about this possibility. What do you think?

wannadiesel

After the WTS light goes out, the grids turn off - however they turn back on after startup if the temperature is cold. If there is still some ether hanging around in the plumbing things could get dramatic. It's best to just pull off the wires if you are going to spray anything in the intake to help the truck start.