The fuel heater thermostat switch on my 1996 CTD had a meltdown. After I unplugged the harness from the plug that goes to the main wiring loom, the engine will not run. Does the heater have to be operational for the engine to run? It started right off, then died and would not restart.

- Steve

 

The heater doesn't need to work but it may have blown a fuse or fusible link. Not sure on your '96 but on a '95 power to the fuel shutoff solenoid and the heater is supplied by one of the smaller wires coming off the driver's side battery positive terminal. These are the fusible links.

From Cummins
heater element 3907766-s $35.18
cable harness 3843722-s $49.39

 

Thanks a bunch, makes sense.

- Steve

 

Where's the best place to mail order parts from Cummins numbers?

 

You can order direct from Cummins here, you will need your engine CPL to register, this will allow you access to a parts book just for your engine https://qsol2.cummins.com/info/index.html

How to find your CPL here http://dodgeram.org/tech/dsl/Facts/Cpl.htm

or any Cummins dealer does over the phone credit card and UPS

Here is another non-Cummins source, I've never tried them but you may as well check out their prices http://www.reliablegoods.com/cgi-bin/sqlstore/index.cgi

 

Mine burned up too. Truck didn't die when I unplugged from the wiring harness but died and wouldn't restart after I uplugged the electrical connection to the heating element itself.

When these thermostats burn up it is common for the heating element to go also. When I unplugged from my heating element it sucked so much air through the electrical pins it began to smoke like a fireplace, stumbled, died and wouldn't restart. So the point I'm trying to make is don't unplug from the heating element itself unless you have the parts ready to rebuild your heater/strainer because you may not get the truck to start. The parts from Cummins Midwest were VERY slow to arrive (a backorder problem), they are actually Fleetguard parts so Cummins was only a middle man, hope you have better luck!

The engine will run without the heater/strainer, I just spent around $120 to totally rebuild mine but I won't do it again. Here in Kansas we don't get cold enough weather for long period of time to justify it. If it burns up again I will totally bypass the heater/strainer.

Here is part numbers and prices from about 2 months ago.
3843722-s $59.33, cable harnes with thermostat
3907768-s $39.92, heater element
3845400-s $8.47, fuel strainer kit, I would not buy this part again
3834185-s $.78, upper quad ring, I would not buy this part again either

 

Nine times out of 10 when you unplug the jack from the heater housing, it will spring an air leak and pull air through the electrical plug on the heater housing itself. Put a healthy gob of dielectric grease on the plug and plug it back in, and prime your system, and it will likely start and run just fine.

If you really need the heater, get a good one from Racor. The Cummins version for the Dodge is cheap junk. I do not have a heater, run in zero weather and use winterized fuel. No problems at all. I suppose if you live in Alaska, Canada, Minnesota, or one of those other places where it actually does get cold it would be needed

 

RCW,
Give me some more information on this Racor heater.

 

I replaced the plug with a lot dialetic grease into the heater plug. After a lot of pumping on the primer pump and a lot of cranking, the engine is now running again.

Thanks to all who offered help!

- Steve