ky509

My cummins use to fire up in the first couple seconds of cranking. I doubt it would turn 3 complete revolutions before it started . It now has 198k on the odometer and has just developed a starting issue. Hot or cold it will have to crank for 15 to 20 seconds before it fires up. At one time it stopped starting completely and I ran down the batteries tring to get it going. I thought ok it must be the fuel, guessing of course, because it runs fine once it gets going. Anyhow I changed the fuel filter that is located just in front of the firewall on the drivers side of the engine. The old filter was heavier in weight than the new one indicating to me it had acumulated a lot of dirt. After the filter change I had to pull the hoses off the turbo and spray some deisel in the intake to finally get it going again. It began to starting again but still needs to cran about 10 to 15 seconds. That is unless I let it sit for a few days and then I may have to crank it for a full minute and hold the accellerator pedal about half way down. If it starts I can pump the accellerator pedal and keep it going. Then it`s fine unless I let it sit for a few days.

I am in a very rural area. access to good qualified mechanics are over a hundred miles away. This is something I really need to try and fix on my own if possible. I hate to just start changing parts when I know deep down inside that it is probably something simple to fix. Are there any one on here with any ideas as to where I should start looking and checking first. I do have a good amount of tools and have a lot of experience on the older gas engines back in the sixties and seventies. I know nothing about this cummins.

Any help will be appreciated.

Thank you in advance
Ed

UPDATE

Must have had my head you know where when making this post. I should have included that this is a 1995 Dodge one ton truck. It is 2 wheel drive and has a standard shift transmission.

The history.
I bought this truck totaled in about 1999, hit hard in the right front. However nothing on the engine was damaged. But about 2 years after I got it on the road the injector pump went out. I contacted a injector pump rebuilder in Sprgfld, Mo and they sold me a rebuilt later model pump which they guaranteed was a better pump and would work well on my engine. They added that the pump they were selling me was a relative new one sent to them from a dealership and it`s only problem was a mechanic had striped a couple of the threaded holes. They repaired them with heli coils. Me being familure with heli coils and knowing that if installed properly in some cases are better than factory original threads in some materials. Anyhow I bought their pump, had a deisel mechanic install it and it has worked perfectly ever since. My cummins had about 95k miles on it when I bought it. The injector pump went out at about 105k miles. It now has nearly 200k miles. This starting problem cropped up in the past few months.

One other thing. Shortly after we got this truck rebuilt and back on the road I ran out of fuel one day while driving, with the fuel gauge still showing fuel in the tank. I had the tank droped and the inside components inspected for damage. They did find something wrong but I can not recall what it was. But when I got the trck back it now runs out of fuel when it shows empty.

Also, this truck sometimes sits for a month or two with out being started or driven.

I have to travel about 6 miles round trip on a gravel\dirt road, to get to a black top road when I do use the truck. So it is subjected to a lot and I mean a lot of dust when I take it out.

About once a year I use an additive that is supposed to eliminate moisture. I also ad sta bil to the tank in the fall to keep the fuel from spoiling.


Question.

Does this vehicle have a lift pump in the fuel tank?

Or where is the lift pump located on this model?

Would it be a common problem for the lift pumps to go bad at abt. 200k miles.

scottsjeeprolet

Considering there's 4 generations of Cummins trucks we need to know which one you have to help diagnose the problems.
Year & mods are a start.

patdaly

From the sounds of it I will take a wild stab that it is a 1998.5-2002 24 valve. You probably have a crack in your rubber hose somewhere, usually in the return side.

Fill us in on the years of the truck for sure though.

1-2-3

...and there is a proper procedure for bleeding the air out of the fuel system. Once we know what year, we can guide you to where to find that. Is this the only fuel filter change in 198k?

ky509

Sorry about that, must have had my head where the sun can`t shine.

I added an up date to the bottom of my original post.

Ed

ky509

Sorry about the lack of info.

I added the info needed to the bottom of the original post.

Thank You

Ed

ky509

Sorry about the lack of info. I added everything to the bottom of my initial post. However it is a 1995 model. There have been other filters changed but not by me. We generally take our vehicles to wal-mart to have them serviced. This time it died in front of my house and I had to locate the filter and change it out myself. A wrecker would have costed me an arm and leg to haul it to the nearest town. With the current economy I am going to have to learn how to fix this thing myself. No way I can afford what they charge around here to work on hese trucks.

Thanks
Ed

1-2-3

Oh my. If your Wal-mart is anything near what ours is like, I'd run, not walk away from it. Yes, there is a lift pump. On the drivers side of the block. If it we're me, I would start this process with a fuel pressure gauge. Get one that goes up to 30 psi and you'll be good. Follow the fuel line from the tank to the engine. You'll run into the lift pump eventually. After the lift pump, get your gauge put on it. You'll need 15 at last at idle and never should it ever go to 0. If it's a factory lift pump, I'd be surprised. If it's weak, it's not gonna want to prime very well. I'm betting that's your issue and/or an air leak in your fuel system somewhere.

patdaly

Ok, now we are cooking!

Being a 12 valve, we can work with this puppy, and much cheaper!

You likely still have a fuel line cracked, allowing the pump to de-prime overnight. The easiest way to verify this is to not drive it for a period, sufficient to normally cause it to be a hard start. Then, before you start it, lift the hood and on the drivers side of the engine block, towards the bottom, you will find your lift pump. It MIGHT still have the black rubber accordion boot over the prime button, or it might be like the rest of ours and just have a white plastic hollow shaft sticking out. In any instance, this is how you prime the IP. Take a suitable implement ( I like a common garden hoe ) and use the end to push on the primer until you hear a hissing, or a singing sound. This will mean you have primed the IP. Mine usually takes just 10 or 15 strokes when I have had a cracked line, just keep pumping until you hear it hiss.

See if she doesn't start right up. If she does, then you know you have an air leak somewhere, usually in the return lines.

That's a relatively easy fix, lets diagnose it first though.

BTW, your deal with your IP was fairly common on the 94/95's, they had some issues with the plunger barrels not being round.

You now should never face that issue again......

infidel

Everything you need to know about your fuel system> http://www.cumminsforum.com/forum/94...m-writeup.html

ky509

Lmao, you`re right, I was actually embarrassed having to tell that on my self, but the truth is the truth, I do use wal mart. Butt we double check everything they touch as soon as we pick up our vehicles. Actually I take them my own oil and filter that I buy at a discount from a parts store that my niece is manager. I also supply them with a new neopreme seal for the drain plug every time they change the oil. I buy the seals by the pack from our local Dodge dealer.
We have trouble gettig rid of oil around here or I would do it my self.

Anyhow thanks for the info.
Ed

ky509

Thanks for all this info. Now that you mention it may be losing it`s prime, I bet you have hit the nail on the head. If I go to town and make my usual stops in and out of the places I shop the truck will start right up. I doubt it turns 2 complete revolutions before it fires, which means there is fuel avaliable. It`s only after it sits over night that it has to crank a bunch before firing up. The longer it sits the worse the problem.

Anyhow, we are in a dangerous heat wave here in MO., and being that I am no longer a spring chicken the family have forbid me working on anything till the weather cools back off. Which will work out just fine as it can sit for a few days and the problem will be there for sure.

I will get back to everyone as soon as I have this thing figured out and repaired. At lease now I can go into it with some knowledge as how the system works.

Ps, it`s good to know that I may not have to ever buy another Injector pump. Dang those things are salty, lol.

Thanks again you have been a huge help.
Ed

ky509

Thank you. I printed that whole article with the phots so I can take hard copies to the truck with me while I work on it.

Ed

scottsjeeprolet

patdaly

Ed buddy............ Getting rid of that used oil, unless it is severely contaminated just got a WHOLE bunch more lucrative.

Keep it clean, at least reasonably so, and simply dump it into the tank of your 95. Free fuel is good............