sterling

Hi guys

I,ve read a lot here about cold starts ,now its getting colder here ,and this morning I could not get my ,03 cummins to start
I cranked it several times ,warmed up the heater element ,still no start .
I sprayed some ether into the airbox and there she goes.
I checked the temp at the heater element and it felt warm ,even the ampere meter was going to the left when started ,and lights went down.
I,m sure the heater is working.
Do I have 1 or more bad injectors?
How do I know for sure ?
Why is it I can,t start it ? its only a few degrees colder than yesterday?
There should be a reason why it won,t start ,Its sound to me when an injector or more are bad ,I should notice this ?
I did not change my fuel filter yet ,its 15000 miles on now ,and next week I,m going to do that .

any help please?

robertc82

I had that problem w/ my 05, It wouldnt crank w/o ether but ran just fine. I changed my fuel filter but it didnt help. Took it in to the dealer and ended up having 4 bad injectors=$1700 thank goodness for warranties

rustyshakelford

IMO i wouldnt use ether at all!!! are you plugging it in?

brett

Brambles

It has happened to mine twice now, yes both times it was injectors. #1, #2 and #3 have all been replaced now. Always has fixed the problem.

My truck would start if plugged in but thats not a solution thats just overlooking the problem, these things should start without the grid heater well into the minus and even lower with the heater.

I'm really paranoid right now about being left stranded out in the boonies when I go hunting. Thats all I need to go and start the truck after a week of hunting and no start.

I know ether isn't recommended for these grid heater engines but in a jam how do you use it? Remove the air filter and spray or what? Is there a safer alternative?

Luvnacumns

I had the same problem and Injector #4,5,6 were toast. Had them replaced and all is good. Sometimes it cranks a few times but fires up after that. Also make sure your batteries are good! If they are going bad and your cold cranking amps are shot it is harder for your truck to start!

Geico266

The use of ether on a CTD can result in a catastrophic explosion cause by the ether being ignited by the grid heaters before it enters the intake valves.

Are you guys plugging the trucks in below 40F?

sterling

I know ether is a bad idea ,but I need this thing to run when I need it .
I,m not pluggin it in,as I live in Europe Netherlands,we have 220 volts ac
so I need a converter to change it to 110 volt ac if I want it to plug in

But still I agree it has to start cold or colder ,my old ,99 powerstroke started right up at etreme cold without pluggin it in.
How come the injectors have such problems ?
And what exactly is causing that ?
It seems there is nothing wrong when temps are higher ,so why is it not starting?
My battery,s are 100%
is there a wrong spray pattern?
or to much fuel ,I don,t get it.
Its not even real cold now here ,in celcius it is about 12 degrees in the morning,I believe thats about 40 degrees F
I hate saying this ,but It is crazy those injectors should never been bad in such a short time ,the truck has only 40K ???
Warranty I never have had ,mine is imported as we have no Dodge pick ups imported officially by our Dodge /Chrysler dealer here.

sterling

DBLR

Are you running a program or box on your truck? I have seen very few have problems with injectors except those who use a programer or box that increase fuel rail pressure!

sterling

Yes I am running a Diablo predator on extreme.
Why is it that it does not start?
If the rail press is higher than stock it should start ,I mean is it getting more fuel than normal ,and if so thats not such a bad thing ?
Or am I thinking the wrong way?
I could do a test by bringing it to stock settings ,and wait for a cold morning.

sterling

outlawed

I have the same problem, I was thinking that it was the grid heater but I see they are working. My truck is out of warranty so this could get deep in the pocket book. Anyone know how to check to see which injector it is or where I can get some at a good price?

Brambles

I haven't put a box on mine, but I cant say weather the last owner did or not.

Sometimes I plug it during the winter if I can but alot of times I'm out in the bush hunting and need reliable cold starts. Around here 40 degrees F. is NOT cold and no I wouldn't normally plug it in at those warm temps.

Not sure where the grid heater is located but is it possible to bypass it and get the ether past the heater and into the engine. Sure would be a "piece of mind" if there was a way to get her started if it decided to "no-start" in the bush

DBLR

Here’s my thought and I could be wrong. The Diesel engine starts with Air (no spark plugs like a car has) and if you add more fuel to it when it's cold it could make it harder to start then when it has a normal amount of fuel is the cylinder. One way to look at it is kind of like trying to start a flooded gas engine. Even thou we have grid heaters you are still trying to ignite more fuel with the same amount of colder air and in a cold engine. Have you noticed that even after you start your CTD the grid heaters will still cycle on for around 3 minutes to help warm the air until the engine can run with out it warming the incoming air!

My $0.02 right or wrong.

mule3010

I have started mine at 8 degrees without being plugged in. I know it's not the best idea but it started right up, ran rough and smoked a bit more than usual but it did start. I think the injector ideas are valid ones, I'd have it checked into. Is it still under warranty?
Joe

1-5-3-6-2-4

100%.

if you HAVE to use spray ether.
-disconnect the power to grid.
-remove air cleaner
- ONLY spray ether into the intake WHILE the engine is cranking and sparingly

if not you can load up one or two cylinders with ether (which ever intake valves happen to be open at that point in the camshaft cycle) IF you have a couple holes loaded with ether when you crank...bad things can happen. up to creating a window in the side of your block depending on how heavy you spray. ether will explode long before the piston reaches TDC.

Brambles

Is there a safer alternative to ether for diesels, are the power wires to the grid heater in plain view fo do you have to dig for it