Engine/Transmission (1998.5 - 2002) Hard to start

[larryj]

01 24v Hard to start

I have had this problem about the three or four mo.

instlled a 150 fass fuel pump made no difference still the same problem

hard to start in the morning temp is about 75 to 80 degrees the moring

But it will always start but you have to spin for a while befour it will start.

after first start up in the moring will start in two or three turns every time

let it sit for 6 to 8 hours hard start again.

 

[JLandry]

Larry,



How many miles on the engine?



Did you check for any trouble codes?



When it's hard to start, how long do you typically have to crank?



When it does start, do you see any smoke? If yes, what color and how much?



Does the engine seem to crank at the same speed when cold or warm? I'm wondering if you might have a weak battery.



Once it starts, does it run normally?



Are there any other modifications to the powertrain systems besides the FASS?



Best regards,



John L.

 

[icman95]

Is there air getting into the fuel system somewhere? Happened to me due to a bad o-ring on the fuel filter housing. Let enough air in to mess things up for a while.

 

[larryj]

hard starting problems

More info on the 01 24v

Harding starting in the morning cold engine

75 to 80 degrees.

Miliage 205,000

I bump the stator this turns on the fass pump let it pump for a few seconds

crank about 7 to 8 seconds then it will almost start stop cranking ,then crank again a few

more seconds & it will start all the time.

once statered runs good strong.

cranking speed is the same hot or cold

Yes the stator turns good Battery good

Mods 5in Exhaust ,bullie dog box

Fass 150 pump the problem started befour the fass pump was installed.

set no codes

 

[blacksheepdiesel]

Really does sound like an air leak somewhere.

Godspeed,
Trent

 

[Yooper1]

I have the same problem with my 01. I have the R. A. S. P. on it and when the fuel level is below 1/2 tank it is hard to start. You have an air leak somewhere and that I am sure is your issue. I would put a check valve in, but just haven't had the time. Can you "bump" you FASS a couple of time to prove you have fuel?

Hope this helps!

Mike

 

[ToolManTimTaylor]

Stupid question ..... Have you tried facing the truck DOWNHILL and try the AM start? I have been batteling this for months with my Fass and may have it narrowed down to the rearmost fitting on the output side of the unit.



Uphill = no start and cranking until she does. Face downhill and I go NEAR the truck and it starts :-laf

 

[icman95]

Tool,



I'm surprised you mentioned the uphill/downhill thing. This is EXACTLY how I found my air problem in my above post. It happened when the truck was only 3 weeks old. I had been backing up my driveway to park and all was well. One day, I pulled in forward, thereby putting the engine on the uphill side and that's when I had my problem. When I was finally able to get it started and to the dealer, they saw a little wet mark on the fuel filter housing and this lead them to determine that it was a bad o-ring on the cap. What was happening was that when pointed up hill, the bad o-ring was allowing fuel to drain back to the fuel tank and air was getting in. If I had never parked up hill, it probably would never have happened because gravity was pulling fuel from the tank and lines and holding it in the filter housing. Glad it happened when and where it did. Could have been in a much worse place and time.

 

[ToolManTimTaylor]

Yup makes sense because in your case the air was going to a high point so the fuel could go low (I. E Tank).

 

[Yooper1]

Same thing holds true for me as well. Funny how they are all the same.

 

[rkressg]

Stupid question ..... Have you tried facing the truck DOWNHILL and try the AM start? I have been batteling this for months with my Fass and may have it narrowed down to the rearmost fitting on the output side of the unit.



Uphill = no start and cranking until she does. Face downhill and I go NEAR the truck and it starts :-laf

I had the exact same thing happen to my truck a couple of years ago. After changing in injector, one of the copper washers must have been bad in the bottom of the cylinder head. I just ignored the issue, but it kept getting worse, until fuel started blowing out of the fuel tank if I screwed on the cap.



It ended up being a cracked washer, which was allowing the cylinder compression to blow past the injector, and run back through the fuel system return to the fuel tank. When I would shut off the truck, fuel would leak out of injector #4, causing a hard start, but only when I parked facing up hill or level. If I parked downhill, it always fired right up.



You most likely have a fuel leak somewhere in the system. I doubt is the injectors unless you have frequently changed them, but it could be a gasket at the fuel filter or one of the banjo bolts (if still stock).

 

[JKreiss]

I was hoping to restart this thread a bit. I'm experiencing the same thing on the 99'. Dealer just replaced the #5 fuel line and all injector tubes. The truck had a hard start problem. The other day i went to start it up and it took 4-5 seconds to start after i had already bumped the starter to kick the FASS back on. After finding this post i tried parking it flat, backed in, and pulled straight into the driveway. I gave the truck 24hrs to sit in each position. The hard start now only happens when it's pulled in facing up hill. I also noticed a black rubber hose that's labeled "high pressure fuel line" that encovers a metal fuel line and it has a good amount of fuel on it. It runs up to the block and then into the pump. Could that be the problem or could the issue be related to the fass and a leaking fitting of some sort. Any help is greatly appreciated and thank you in advance.

 

[icman95]

Well, try starting with what's obvious and presenting itself. You said that there is a good bit of fuel on that line. It's supposed to be in the line, not on it, so check to see if any of the fittings on the uphill side of that line are leaking and letting the fuel run back down the line. Where fuel can leak out, air can leak in. Perhaps the line itself is cracked a bit. If you can get it running, check while it's running to see if fuel is flowing from there. Even the smallest crack, loose connection, etc. can be enough to let air in. The fuel weeping out is how my dealer found it. If it wasn't for that, we probably wouldn't have known where to look. In my case, it was the o-ring on the fuel filter cap and who the heck would have thought to look there? There's always the chance that other fittings/hoses are involved, but the fuel on the outside of that line sounds like a good place to start.

 

[JKreiss]

Thanks for the help Ken. Yeah i figured that would be the place the start. I only had about 20 min to invest into it today and found a couple places of interest. There were a couple fittings i tightened a bit (not much) and i got a good look at the line. It has a T fitting that goes up to the block. It looks like you can tighten in but you can't. I'm going to try to find it in the manual and keep my focus there.

 

[icman95]

You know, there's an old trick my auto shop teacher taught us to try to find a vacuum leak in a gasser. Use a can of carb cleaner and spray it on any vacuum line you think might be leaking. If it is, it will suck the carb cleaner into the engine and you will hear the rpms change for a split second indicating that the spray was sucked in at that point. I wonder if there is a similar trick/test you can do for your problem.

 

[JKreiss]

well i cured my uphill hard start problem. The fuel return line that runs back to the tank was leaking at the quick disconnect. I replace the line from the quick disconnect comes of the bottom of the T fitting to the metal line on the frame with some rubber fuel hose. Truck starts great now. Of course one problem is followed by another with this truck. Now i've noticed in the mornings my pressure has been gradually falling. A few months back it would start and run fine at 14psi. then a few weeks later to 12psi. This has been happening every other week. I get in the truck yesterday and it idle's at 7psi. it'll gradually climb by the time i get to work (30miles) but only up to around 10psi. At WOT i can't bring the pressure down. The fuel press guage is brand new. Is my truck trying to tell me something? this was happening before i fixed the leak as well. New fuel filter and water separator about 1k miles ago. I tried stretching the spring and it really showed no improvement to pressure. I've got a new spring which should be here any day now(hopefully). Any ideas? It's back to the drawing board again it seems

 

[LowFly]

It could still be a gauge issue with the gauge itself being ok. Check the sending unit of the gauge for any damage or debris. If it has an isolator or a snubber in the gauge line either remove it or check it for debris or air.

I would also borrow a mechanical gauge from a buddy and see if both gauges ready the same..... If they dont it is most likely a gauge issue

 

[JKreiss]

Thanks for the help! I'm going to start there this weekend. I'm assuming i can just take all the plumbing apart for the guage and clean it out as best i can. Replace anything that seems worn. I'll update any findings. Thanks again.

 

[Harlacher]

I have this same problem; fixed it once by tightening fittings now it is back again. Installing a check valve sounds like a real good idea. Where is the best place to install it? I am thinking right up by the injection pump on the return line. Is that OK?