Fired it up this morning with no problems, in the coldest weather we've had yet (10F... I know, I know, not that cold). Anyway, drove for 15 minutes, parked. Tried to start it an hour and a half later, and it cranked and cranked, but wouldn't catch. The wait to start light would not come on, so I expect the grid heaters weren't working. the fuel (b50 (50%biodiesel)) seemed a little goopy when I checked the filter. Anyway, why wouldn't the grid heaters work? The engine was definitely cold, so that makes me think that either the sensors gone bad(can this even happen?) or the heaters blew a fusible link, or somesuch . Any ideas? I'm going to get the truck... now that it's a balmy 34 outside, I think it'll start.
thanks
Mike

 

I'm guessing the grid heaters aren't your problem. Grids don't help start so much as they help cut down on smoke. Yes, the engines fires quicker with them, but, if you have enough battery, the engine will start in cold weather without them. I'm also guessing they do work and that there was just enough residual heat in the engine for them not to fire up. I think you had a simple gelling type problem with the b50. Did you have the truck plugged in for the first start?

 

check eth conntections on teh KSb and FSO as well.
I was having a similar problem when it first got cold, and it was simply that i wasnt running the engine long enough to recharge the battery after starting..

 

ok, update. Tuck was right, grids weren't the problem, there's no Fuel! I went back when it was warmer, and the grids worked, but no dice. Changed fuel filter, AND I checked fuel shut off valve which was functioning. would gelling totally clog everything up like that? I cranked and cranked and nothing, not even any smoke. so, I repeat, no fuel. Where else could the fuel be cut off?. checked KSB connections, checked lines from tank for any leakage. Could fuel screen be blocked? Keep in mind truck ran fine in the morning, but would not start later, so I feel like it's an electrical problem. Anyway, any advice is appreciated. I'm gonna go get it towed now.... thats pretty depressing, this truck was one of the few things I could depend on (though I guess that curses it right there).
thanks again
Mike

 

I'm guesing you pulled a little water into the line or filter from the tank and it froze. Can you get the truck into a garage somewhere that is warm? I don't live in cold country but a few days ago was reading somewhere about some additives that will help get things flowing again if gelling is the problem.

 

Well, the only electrical problem you could have is with the fuel shutoff solenoid. You can take the plunger out of that and use the lever to shutdown. I've never done this, and I know it can be difficult to get the solenoid out.

If there was a gelling problem it's going to gel the whole length of your fuel system. In fact, I think it will be most likely to gel in the fuel line...no engine heat, and very little mass. I don't know anything about b50 so I can only guess how it might behave in cold temps. It's possible that changing the filter, combined with the gooey fuel, is making it hard or next to impossible to get some air out of the system at this point.

I don't think this is a catastrophe...except maybe the towing part. Do you have a garage you can put the truck in and warm everything up real good? That would at least let you get the fuel system running the way it should.

 

no garage, but it will probably be in the 40's or 50s soon . Anyway, I guess gelling explains it, but why would the truck have started at all? it wasn't plugged in, and it fired right up. It probably didn't get any colder in the parking lot where it was, but maybe??? It was definitely windier there. Still, it warmed up a bit (40F), and the engine wasn't even smoking when i tried it last. When I pulled out the fuel filter, it was full of liquid. Anyway, I'm gonna get it towed home, so I'll keep you all posted as it develops.
thanks,
mike

 

This may not be relevant to your situation; but, I have three clear plastic quart bottles in a cabinet in my unheated shop.

One bottle has pure virgin vegetable oil, one has filtered used cooking oil, and one has 50/50 diesel and virgin vegetable oil.

We had a cold snap, down to six degrees outside, probably seven degrees in the shop.

All three of those bottles turned to lard.

Since then, the temperatures have been as high as seventy, seldom colder than forty, until the last couple of nights, which have been back down to six.

At no time, since first gelling, have I seen the two bottles of oil return to liquid state.

The bottle of 50/50 has seperated, with about half murky looking diesel, and half lard.

I would not recommend any form of "BIO" fuel, be it store bought, or homemade, when the temperatures can get below forty degrees.

Plain old diesel has a hard enough time staying liquid, once it gets cold.

I would be tempted to cut your fuel about half with kerosene, until the bio stuff got out of the system.

Hope this helps.

 

I haven't had mine started all week and the temps been in the singles at nite with the warmest temps yesterday and today at 19 and 20 degrees. I don't have the fuel heater and I did not have the block heater plugged in and it would not start today with straight #2. Time for a fuel blend or worse #1, the weather is going south after today, temps are expected to be -20 below this weekend.

 

well, I don't know if anybody cares, but I wanted to include the answer to the question I posed here. I bled the fuel system, starting with the low pressure (right after filter), no dice. then cracked the injectors and let then spray a bit. tightened back up, lit up like a cool breeze . One more question, though,how would all that air get in my pump?

 

Crunchy, i was having a problem where my truck would fire right up in the mornig( cold out) but would not start later in teh day unless I bled air from teh injectors.
beat my head against a wall thinking it was the lift pump, or a electrical problem... finally happened to check the fuel filter and it was LOOSE! I THINK that when it cooled down, teh metal was contracting just enough to let air bleed into the system... tighting the filter solved the problem.
Not saying yours is the same thing, but it could be soemthing that small...........

 

makes sense to me. I guess we'll never know, now that it works.
thanks for all the help.
Mike

 

If you have this problem again i would start looking for bad fuel lines maybe rubber ones getting bad or metal one between the fuel tank and frame rail is rusting threw.