Engine/Transmission (1994 - 1998) Explain This?

[GROBBINS]

I drove to Denver from WI, last week. Truck ran great, except when I stopped for fuel I needed to give it a little pedal to get it started again. Problem escalated throughout the week and every morning it took several attemps and full pedal to get her to fire. Then, on my way back,1 hour from home and Gen light comes on, gauge is at 12volts. Drive all week once home, try to troubleshoot poor starting conditions, when I get time. Yesterday it fires right up, on my way to church the GEN light comes on. Now the truck runs great but the GEN light is on and gauge is at 12 volts, starting has been normal for 2 days now. Pulling my hair out, any info is appreciated. Thanks Gabe

(have a new bosch alternator sitting in the cab)

 

[Don Tanklage]

wonder if you take the spare alt out if she will quit being jealous and turn the light out for you?



you know thats how that stuff works, right?



sell your spare crank to a buddy that 'has to have it' and that weekend you will spin a bearing



happens every time...

 

[GROBBINS]

Can the GEN light have anything to do with the poor starting or is it just coincidence?

 

[biggy238]

Only thing that enters my mind is that you have fallen to the whole starter contact/fuel lever hold up solenoid issue.



I wouldn't have imagined that you would have easy starts after that though.



Also, When my Alt got weak, the grid heaters could pull the voltage far enough to the Gen light to come on.

 

[DieselDoghouse]

Don't forget that an alternator that seems ok until its asked to meet a heavy load may have a bad diode in the stack. It will often produce charging voltage - but only 2 out of 3 phases (alternators are 3 phase generators rectified to DC) it can't make charging voltage AND charging current at load. I've had several do this including one only when it was wet!!! You wouldn't see this without an oscilloscope or 'puter equivalent to watch the waveform.

 

[JFaughn]

Start at the basics , check connections , battery , fusible links , crank sensor , battery sensor , alt. , look for the cheapest fix it just may be , looking at the big fix cost more and because it more complicated its easier to throw parts at it tell it works .

 

[tgordon]

Do you have two differant problems rearing their ugly head at the same time?



Does the engine crank fine? Next time it won't start after the first crank, chck that the fuel shut-off is pulled up. Mine would not start unless I gave it some throttle and it was just the idle adjustment screw needed to be "bumped" a little and now it starts in half a revalution.



I have heard that there is a battary temp sensor and if the battery temp is out of spec it will trigger the light. Could be that batt is going bad and getting hot, could be the sensor is going bad.



Good luck as electricaly gremlins are the hardest ones to shoot.

 

[Bloomy]

Do you have two differant problems rearing their ugly head at the same time?



Does the engine crank fine? Next time it won't start after the first crank, chck that the fuel shut-off is pulled up. Mine would not start unless I gave it some throttle and it was just the idle adjustment screw needed to be "bumped" a little and now it starts in half a revalution.



I have heard that there is a battary temp sensor and if the battery temp is out of spec it will trigger the light. Could be that batt is going bad and getting hot, could be the sensor is going bad.



Good luck as electricaly gremlins are the hardest ones to shoot.

I tend to agree with tgordon. Seems like there might be two problems. One seems to be fuel related relative to starting. Fuel shut off, return line cracks and making sure the blue wired fusible link at the battery is tight. From there check the alternator and the batteries to see if they are up to par. Then we can think about it some more.



Thomas