For months my 2002 Ram 2500 24 valve diesel truck turned over in the morning really fast and smooth. Then one day it just didnt turn over at all. No lights where left on so I decided to jump it and it started right up. I went to AutoZone and they tested both batteries and charges where good. BTW (they tested both batteries while they where connected to each other. I have no idea if thats good or bad).

Well, since that jump start every time I turn over the engine in the morning and I have the key rotated all the way the engine will crank crank crank crank crank and kick on in 3-5 seconds. Later in the day it may crank over 2-3 seconds but it always turns on.

Any ideas why it went from quick start first turn of the key to a crank crank crank crank 4 second turnover before the engine starts?

No mods to my engine at all and running at 210k miles strong.

 

Batteries should be tested individually, not hooked together. Your long crank in the mornings could be fuel bleeding off over night taking just a bit longer to fully reprime and pressurize.

 

Fuel system leaking line or connection...

 

Gotta love auto parts store employees.....

Batteries can NOT be tested connected to anything, let alone another battery. A weak battery will bring a good battery down, not the other way around. And a weak or bad cell wont show itself unless the battery is load tested correctly to get beyond the surface charge.

Also, these engines are very sensitive to low voltage/amperage conditions because there are other components in play which require proper juice in order to function.

If the truck didnt crank one day then I'd lean towards bad or corroded connections or the starter contacts/solenoid. Diesels dont have spark plugs and the combustion process requires heat generated by compression. So if the engine cranks a little slower than normal then the compression temps will reduce and cause extended cranking. Have the batteries retested by a competent location, not Autozone. Maybe even have them tested at more than one place to see if the results are the same.

Other than that, a fuel leak somewhere in the fuel system will cause an extended crank as the fuel pump has to re-prime every time the truck sits for any length of time. If you believe the problem is a fuel leak then parking with the nose of the truck facing downhill will typically help as then gravity cant pull fuel out of the lines as easily. If it starts better parked like that overnight then its a fuel leak.

 

Bad starter

 

Yeah, it must be a bad starter if it's turning the engine over and over....

Read the symptoms to diagnose, don't go by the thread title.....

 

I'm sensing sarcasm.

 

I sensed it, ouch! The only reason I say starter is that I had the same situation with my truck not that long ago. Had batteries checked individually and one was bad. I had it tested because it was taking longer to start throughout the day. the first start in the morning would take 2 seconds the next start longer and the next start even longer. the batteries were prorated so i was able to replace it for $45 but not the other one because it showed just low.

The truck started fine for 2 days and it began the same long start situation again, I went back got a second battery, now two good batteries and it begins long starts again and one time the starter got stuck, I had to hit it with a hammer to get it going.

To make this stupidly long story short, I bought a starter and its starts right up like never before.

its worth a try if its the original starter. I rebuilt the contacts at 130,000 and now at 200,000 miles the starter motor was pulling to many amps.

Mike

 

It is mentioned here a lot to not let go of the original starter. To save it and rebuild it as it's a very GOOD starter.

 

That is true, $113 you can rebuild it completely. I kept mine to rebuild. I purchased a $94 starter to get me rolling. Cheap starters may last just over a year.

Mike

 

Valid points.....

 

Ha ha, was that too harsh? Didn't mean to be just seems like a fueling leakdown to me....

And keep the original starter when possible...I did biggy contacts and armature on mine for like 38 bucks......

 

No problems, I'm just waiting to find out what the fix was? from Thebigrisky1.

 

Yeah, me too, I'm wondering if his grid heater may be out....

 

I got new batteries and everything is back to normal. My batteries looked near new so I assumed they where. Nope, they were 9 years old. Now it cranks on the first try and fires up strong.

Now I have to deal with a super high RPM jump anytime I take a turn under speed. Speed stays the same but RPMS jump up and the engine revs. I think the transmission is slipping or missing or something. Its never a hard engagement when I straighten out so I'm trouble shooting something new.