Just developed this past week. The truck didn't run for 2 days when I had it apart for fdoing brakes and rotating tires. When I went to fire it up, the temps were just below freezing. Grid heaters cycled like normal. Crank it, catches, release the starter and it surges bad for about 20 seconds then dies. Sounded like it was running on 3 cylinders. Would rev to about 400 rpm, then die down, up to 400, down again. Lots of black smoke coming out. After it died, I'd let the LP run till it timed out, a good 18-19 psi. Did that about 2 more times before it finally ran properly. It sounded a bit noisier than normal, but otherwise ran fine.

Two days later, went to fire it up again (sat for a day without being started), same thing, although it caught on about the 3rd try. A bit noisier than normal, but otherwise fine. Yesterday, it caught on the 2nd try.

Today, it was the 3rd try. But instead of it sounding like a 3 cylinders like all the previous times, it was more like 1 or 2, very short burst, and wouldn't keep going. If I kept cranking it, you'd hear it catch on a cylinder, then you'd hear the starter load up again, catch, load up, and so on.

It will fire up fine once its been run in a couple hours. I'm gonna let it sit for 6 today, and try it. And tomorrow, gonna plug it in and see if a warm engine helps at all. It doesn't look like any injection lines are leaking. The number 1 was a little looser than the others, but that hasn't changed anything. Nothing in the fuel system has been touched since December, so you'd think something that was loose would've showed up earlier. I checked codes with the Smarty, and nothing out of the normal (0238- MAP sensor too high, 0602 - normal with the Smarty, 1693 companion code, I'm guessing ABS stuff). Haven't seen a 0216 or 1688 . . . yet. Pump is 11 months old, roughly 20k km on it. Hasn't seen less than 13 psi FP since it was put in.

So, with that novel of info, any guesses on the cause?

 

A little update. Tried it after letting it sit for 6.5 hours. Temp is -10C. Cranked 1, surged once and died. Let the LP run its 25 seconds, turned the key off, then on. Let the heaters cycle, then cranked. A little hesitation, then fired right up. Again, sounded noisier than normal, but quieted down once warm like normal. I checked the codes after I ran it, had the 0602 and 1693. Never got the boost up, so the 238 never showed up. I did notice after I cleared the codes, cycled the key, and the grid heaters cycled on. Thought that was odd on a warm engine. Turned the key off, then on, and the heaters never came on. Maybe it was because of the Smarty checking codes, or my IAT is going out, or what. I don't know.

Anyway, up to the top!

 

Mine did that when it started getting cold out last fall. I don't know what it was. Just a gremlin.
It only did it the one night, and that was it.

 

Another update. Plugged the truck in for 3 hours. It was only about -2 or -3 when I fired it up. Truck sat for 18 hours. Fired right up. So now I'm a little confused as to why a warm engine would fire better, if it is a fuel problem. I never had any issues two weeks ago when it was -15.

Also, I was skipping through an 01 FSM, came across the overflow valve. It said if it were stuck open, it would cause hard starts. Would it be the kind of hard starts I'm experiencing, or would it just lose prime and take more cranking, or let the lift pump do a 25 sec. cycle?

 

overflow will cause excessive cranking but once it starts it should still run fine.

Just thought but water in the fuel?..

Mine is back to its pre christmas 7-8 second starts agin but mine is the fuel sending unit.

 

Thought has crossed my mined about water in the fuel, but with two water seperators (FASS and the stocker), you'd think it will knock it out. I'll drain them tomorrow and see.

Whats this about the fuel sending unit? Mine is dying, but I thought that would affect the gauge only, not starting.

 

the fuel sending unit is in the tank it is not a pump only only a plastic insert that carrys a screen and check valves to keep prime it also houses the fuel level float. Again once you have prime and the truck starts it will ususlly run fine with a faulty sending unit.

 

WELP....at the temps you are running, the Smarty will enable the high idle and 3 cyl run if the truck is cold and under a set temp....there is a thread on this somewhere. BUT the truck starts out normal and then the idle will ramp up gradually....at least it did for me last winter.

You running additives? I would assume so. If not.....get some and see if that helps.

Fuel pressure build quickly? Well...you know what i mean...winter it will be a tad more lethargic to build due to the cold fuel.

I notice my idle has a surge this year when it got down to the 30-40's with a cold engine....... after it warms....its fine. keep us posted.......

 

Oddly enough, Smarty hasn't high idled my truck, even in the cold temps I was in about 2 weeks ago.

I run Howes Diesel Treat every tank. I also have some of that treatment that Piers sells, although I saw no difference with it. One thing I guess I should have mentioned, I ran 20% bio about 3 or 4 tanks back. After that, I was filling up at a different station than normal (was out of town). My gauge started acting up at that point. But I ran about 80L of that fuel out, then had the hard start issue. Filled up at my regular station right after that happened.

My FP gauge is electric, so as soon as it sees voltage, it zeros out, then jumps to whatever reading it is at. Takes about 1 or 2 seconds to do that. Always have pressure by then. Much faster than oil pressure. But compared to 2 weeks ago, the weather is pretty nice, so I'm not to sure its weather related. I'll drain the water traps, and get a new fuel filter and water seperator for the FASS, and swap those out. Should I bother with the stock fuel filter? I'd imagine it would be pretty clean being post FASS.

 

My sending unit is gone and my truck runs great.Id bleed it just for kicks if i were you,sounds dumb but you never know

 

how many times did you change the fuel filter after running bio? and for how long did you run it.. biodiesel i know to dislodge anykind of debrit and send it to the filters. just a thougt!

 

Haven't changed the filters since bio, that was 3 tanks ago I ran it, and it was only one tank I ran. I'll go find some filters tomorrow.

On a side note, no water collected from the traps today.

On another side note, found a 98 12v 4x4 1-ton with 40% of the miles mine has. The wheels are starting to turn.