JonathanFleguel

well im at my girlfriends collage for the weekend and i couldent plug it in last night. so i went out to try it and it started but... i got out to check things and there was a huge fuel leak at the pump dident see quite where it was. and then i noticed alot pf white smoke and it smelled like oil so i looked inside and there was no oil pressure i immedietly turned it of and wept. im 2 and a half hours from home and im not pumped about calling my dad to come up with his truck and trailer to pick me up. any ideas im feeling kinda down.

KD93

Dude that sucks. I hope your weekend with your girlfriend was worth it! I wouldn't worry about the white smoke and oil smell, there's a real good chance that's just the pistons and rings shrinking a little in size due to the cold. Run it a while and they'll expand back to regular size. I don't know what to say about the fuel pump...
Make sure and check your oil level with your dipstick, I wouldn't rely on the oil pressure gauge.

JonathanFleguel

wow thanks so much i dont care about the pump i can fix an oring i was so worried about the oil pressure. the stick shows lots of oil. thanks. now im gonna see if i can find the fuel leak.

KD93

Yep, those O-rings always go at the worst of times.

Onemoparnut

The oil pressure gauge and sender suck on these trucks maybe it just malfunctioned.

ppiggppenn

And even with the oil pressure gauge working OK the cold engine will have all kinds of bearings clattering and letting oil thru that otherwise would be partially contained, contributing to normal oil pressures. My oil pressure takes about 30 seconds to build up from any cold start. I figure my 20-yr-old high mileage engine has earned its leisurely warm-ups

ofcmarc

How cold was it last night there?

What weight oil you running?

Did the oil pressure idiot light go out?

15W40 doesn't flow real well in colder temps and Oil pressure takes a bit to come up when the oil ain't flowing.

Try a -25* cold start without being plugged in. Oil pressure is VEEEEEEEERRRRY slow to come up. Even that cold the idiot light will go out in a couple seconds. Just takes a bit for the gauge to move.

Don't panic yet.

Light it off again and see what happens. The CTD is tough.

thrashingcows

Yup Bills right.

Mine doesn't work half the time either. I was super paranoid about this so I hooked up a temporary manual gauge and I had 50lbs at idle, and 80 lbs at WOT. Now I don't even look at my oil gauge.

JonathanFleguel

i was running 15w40 and it was -33c* tell me that aint cold. i started it at lunch time and it fired up and oil pressure slowly followed the fuel leak stopped once it was warm kinda weird. oh well i got home. a note to anyone PLUG YOUR TRUCK IN if you cant i think im gonna throw my generator in next time and use it.

thrashingcows

I have my truck on a timer, 2-3 hours before I have to leave in the morning for work the timer turn on the block warmer. Then at least the motor is warm for that first fire.

ofcmarc

Been there, done that.

Sounds horrible and time crawls by as you watch for the oil pressure needle to move. But it started......

I'm sure you know it but a good synthetic oil will help out ALOT with the oil flow in cold weather.

As for the fuel leak, might want to go ahead and reseal the pump. Even at -45 or -50* mine doesn't leak. yet........

Glad you are running again.

I have mine on a timer as well. I give it about 4 hours preheating down to about -25*. After that, I leave it on constant. Much easier to keep warm fluids warm than to heat up cold ones.

B-North

Forgot to plug mine in last night too but it was only -10C. It starts fine at -25C not plugged in now that I pulled some timing out of it though.

KD93

Glad you got it going.