No one has said if fuel filter was changed or was checked for water.

 

I just re-read your original post. You used ether to start your engine and it started right up. First off, you probably disconnected your Grid Heater first. The Grid Heater sits on top of the intake manifold and heats incoming air to help start the engine. It is the replacement for glow plugs. If you don't disconnect the Grid Heater, you have a very good chance of blowing your intake horn across a large garage when you use ether. I wanted to point this out for the other's that read your post and might think it was ok to just dump ether and not know about the Grid Heater.

Second, it really sounds like you don't get any fuel when cranking. When cranking, your voltage dipped below the minimum to run the ECM (computer). You need the ECM to tell your injectors to open and provide fuel to the cylinder. When you added the ether, it fired off on the ether only, and you stopped cranking. When you stopped cranking the battery voltage recovered immediatly allowing the ECM to work and to tell your injectors to do their thing; and your engine ran from then on.

When starting your truck by being pulled or pushed, the ECM has enough voltage from the battery to tell the injectors to open and the engine starts nicely.

Sounds like you tested the Pressure Relief Valve. By your description of it 'running all day' and 'idling runs beautiful', it sounds like the fuel delivery system is working real well. Just doesn't work when you are cranking, which brings us back to your batteries and/or cables.

iweb noted a good cause of not enough voltage (bad cable under the insulation). You should be able to use your volt meter to find that without disconnecting the cable. Check voltage between the cable connectors of each of the four cables when cranking. There shouldn't be any voltage; if there is, check the cable carefully for damage (thick spot or HOT spot after cranking). You can use that same test, but between the end of the cable and what it is connected to. Any voltage reading would indicate a dirty connection. Remove, clean, put it back, and retest.

Always a good idea to have a fresh fuel filter, but since it starts and runs so well when pull started, I'm not so sure that is the issue.

Since you have a shop, probably have a good battery charger, hook it up, put it on 'Start', and then try to start your engine the normal way. If no battery charger, hook it up carefully to another vehicle as if you are jump starting it. If it starts with either of these two tests, go buy new batteries.

 

definately shouldn't use ether with the grids connected, but in most climates right now, the grids won't even activate

 

by the symptoms sound like a bleeding off issue , overflow valve , injector leak (check smell of oil), injector tube leak, something that is draining the rail, or priming a stab in the dark check your rail pressure while cranking with your scanner IIRC to start sould be 1000 1300 bar

 

thanks alot guys, we tried the batterys and check voltages during cranking etc and all volts were over 11.5. we're now gonna try the other things you have got in store for us, will let ya know how it goes!

One weird thing when we use the scanner, it wont communicate with the truck for some reason to view like the current data like idle speed etc etc...

just a little more info though, we bought this at an auction if i stated that and thats how it ran. the truck was actually from a neighbor of the guy that works at the shop. He said basically just one day it just started doing this and its been do many dodge dealerships and they havent fixed it yet....

The ECM has been reflashed if that helps, and its also got a Diablo programmer programmed into it that wasnt restored to factory b4 the auctions.

Keep the suggestions coming guys!

 

Ok, we were messing around checking torque specs and stuff on the injector tubes and after we got done doing that it fired!!!! but.. only about 15 times each time getting longer and longer then finally no start.

so, we put in injector tubes thinking that was the problem, same idea again.... started a good amount of times, but kept getting logner and longer to start then eventually nothing again....

We pulled the valve cover to check the injectors, one wasnt properly torqured so we tightened it down, but it made no difference. Eitherway, what ever it seems to be thats causing the problem is in that area cause itll light right up after we mess around with the lines and such.


what now??

 

Did you pull the COV?
Topper

 

has it had a transfer pump conversion kit installed on it yet? Or are you still using the filter housing mounted pump??

 

Might be power feed problem to ecm. Check the engine ground on the engine block located near the fuel filter. Load test both batteries and clean connections. Is Code p2509 setting? The charging system and batteries test ok. Fuel volume and quality is ok.

 

Any update for us?

 

I had the very same problem, 6 new injectors fix it