Well it has been in the low 20's here in Durango, Colorado and my truck this morning would not start. First key cycle and the glow plug?/screen? light ( not sure what we have, plugs or screens) came on like normal. When it went out I tried to start it and the engine felt like it was running on 2-3 cylinders. I got scared and turned the ignition off. I waited maybe 5 seconds and tried it again, this time no glow plug?/screen? light and after trying to crank it over once it would not fire. I repeated this process several times (5-6 tries) in a row with the same result, no start of a rough idle like the first cycle and then it quits. I finally got the glow plug?/screen? light to cycle back on and waited for it to go out and she fired up normal. I check for codes and none are present. I am thinking that maybe I should have waited 1-2 minutes before trying to start it again so the computer can reset itself but I am not sure if it would have made a differance. Any suggestions?

 

Yeap, get a block heater cord from Cummins and plug it in. It will help.

 

I already have one. I figured that I did not need it plugged in yet because these engine don't need it until -20 F, or so I've read.

 

Things to check:

How many miles on fuel filter?

When was last time the fuel filter canister was drained (water)?

Are you running any anti-gel formula in your tank, or is your normal station running winter blend now?

 

I have 9500 miles on the truck and the last fuel filter was changed 2000 miles ago. There is no water in the canister. I run 4 oz. of Power Service Winter (white bottle) formula with every fill up.

 

I believe these motors have a built in 3 cylinder high idle warm up feature. So i think what you experienced is normal and it would have corrected itself. Someone correct me if i am wrong.

 

No 3 cylinder high idle on the common rail trucks.

 

4 oz is only good for 12 gallons.
The ratio is 1 oz per 3 gallons.

 

My truck will do that every once in a while when the temps get down there. Seems if the temps are just right it does it. I think it's a ECM thing, program. My truck has never failed fireing up all the way down to -30*F. It will run rough for 5-10 seconds sometimes but has never failed to light.

 

Since you have a block heater, why not use it when temps are expected to get cool? It's easier on the truck and warms the cab up a lot quicker. Yes, they'll start even when it's really cold but they do better when it's not such a strain.

You have intake air heating grids, not glow plugs, by the way.

Dan

 

Thanks Dan. I was not sure what they were called. I usually use the block heater when the low temps are the norm but this was just a cold snap we've had and is not expected to last long. By the way when I started the truck the temp outside was in the mid 40's.

 

Truck started just fine this morning. I guess I will just monitor it to see if it runs any different. My guess is that it was a ECM issue.

 

Thundercloud,
I understand what you are saying about the recent cold snap.

Startup temperatures also depend on what oil you run. If you run 15W40, you should use a block heater, since it may take a little time for the oil to flow at those temps to effectively lube the engine & turbo. If you run 5W40 you should not have a problem cold starting down to -20 or so, IIRC.

Personally, when the temps are low enough to require the heater grid to come on, I start plugging in the heater. I just like having some heat when it gets that cold out! Yeah, I know I've been conditioned by the AZ summers.

HTH

Tony

 

Coming from Alaska you should have had no problem with 20 F degree temps. I've had no problem starting down to about -10 F to -15 F. -20 F is rough, but it will crank/start. Normally you don't plug in unless it is expected to be below 20 degrees. And that block heater is alot of wattage (1000 W), therefore we normally put the truck on timers and have it start up 3 hours prior to leaving for work in the morning. When you get to Fairbanks, and see -30 to -40, then they add additional heaters... (Battery, oil pan, transmission)...

 

I wholeheartedly agree with everything you say...gets pretty cold where I live, and at the temps reported by the original poster there shouldn't be any issue. Definitely something wrong.