I'm pulling two cars from NYC down south and stopped at a McDonald's in NJ near Philly to get lunch. It was running perfectly, and I shut it down and ate and came back out and it cranks great but won't start. There wasn't even a sputter, and normally it starts instantly. I tried pulling the plug off the fuel shutoff solenoid.

I thought I might have somehow run it out of fuel since the gauge gets weird around 1/4 tank, and that maybe it was lower than I thought and it had sloshed. After two hours of running around I got a fuel can and put in 5 gallons and tried bleeding the injectors.

It seemed like there might have been a little resistance when I primed the lift pump, in other words the lever was actually priming it, but I'm not positive. I cracked all the lines and got fuel out of all of them, cranked it for a bit more to "be sure", and tightened the front 3. That didn't work so I tightened the rest and it still didn't work.

Is it possible that the fuel shutoff solenoid stuck? Can I remove that in a parking lot and put it back in without making a huge mess?

My truck has a 17' flatbed, extended frame, and is pulling a 20' car trailer and both are loaded and I do NOT want to get it towed anywhere!

Please help!

 

Pull the solenoid plunger and see if it will start. When you have it apart look at the plunger tip you might be able to sand it to make it workable until you can grab a new solenoid. The bosch pump on a VW takes the same solenoid so that can be an optional source for a replacement.

 

I am in nj and willing to give you a hand if you need it I have a new solenoid if that is what you need to get you going. Give me a call 609-517-0115 my name is Bill

 

Did you get it running?

 

I did get it going, although I don't know how - I think the solenoid must have been stuck somehow. I tried jumpering it to the battery and that didn't do it even though I could have sworn I heard it clunk. After I posted I went and cooled off in the restaurant for awhile, went back out, checked all the connections again, and then it fired right up.

Thanks a ton for the offer moparnut, I probably would have needed it if it hadn't magically fixed itself! I was going to try and gut the solenoid but didn't think I'd be able to since I doubt I have a metric wrench that big and it didn't look like a crescent would fit.

Is it possible to gut it on the side of the road without spewing fuel everywhere or needing a new washer to seal it or anything? I've got 2,000+ miles before I get home and it may happen again!

 

No problem I will always try to lend a hand when someone is stuck. I hope someone would do the same for me. You can gut it on the side of the road. There is only an oring that seals it and the fuel you spill will hardly be noticeable. Good luck.

 

I hate to say it, but I think your injection pump is on the way out. Next time it doesn't want to restart hot, pour a bucket of water over the pump and try again. Bet it starts...

 

I was in the exact same situation and finally took the advice of a guy who came over to help when he heard me "cranking'. I took of the air intake hose at the intake manifold and shot some starter fluid in.it took right off and ran all day.
may not have worked in your case but it is one more thing to try. In my case I think itis air in the lines some where but have not found the cure.At least I am at home with lots of time to work on it. Could be McDonalds i was at one on the NY state Thruway when I shut mine down.