Engine/Transmission (1994 - 1998) Cold Start issues

[CBlack]

I know that the Cummins are excellent in the cold for starting. It dropped just below freezing last night and this morning my truck struggled to start. It did finally but took several minutes. The last time it did this was when it dropped below 20 degrees last year.



Where to start?

 

[GaryOwen]

Sounds like the intake grid heater isn't doing its job. Mine wasn't starting well last year, so I check mine and found I was only getting about 3 volts to the grid heater. Cleaned my connections and all is well. My voltmeter in the truck now drops by several volts when the grid kicks in, before it was only dropping about 1/2 volt.

 

[RSchiedeck]

check you batteries first it needs to crank fast . also step on the throttle a little see if that helps . could also be your starter . and make sure your not getting air in the fuel system . mine will start with out waiting for the grids to kick in even when its in the 20s

 

[fest3er]

• Intake heaters are malfunctioning
• Fuel is gelling (or beginning to)
• Fuel filter is begging to be changed

Down yonder in the deep south, your fuel probably has no anti-gel in it. Since that's the temp where #2 starts to crystallize, you could be on the ragged edge. You might ponder keeping a small supply of emergency anti-gel on hand for these occasions.

 

[CBlack]

Sounds like the intake grid heater isn't doing its job. Mine wasn't starting well last year, so I check mine and found I was only getting about 3 volts to the grid heater. Cleaned my connections and all is well. My voltmeter in the truck now drops by several volts when the grid kicks in, before it was only dropping about 1/2 volt.

Thanks, I'll check that tomorrow.

check you batteries first it needs to crank fast . also step on the throttle a little see if that helps . could also be your starter . and make sure your not getting air in the fuel system . mine will start with out waiting for the grids to kick in even when its in the 20s

The batteries are just over a year old. The starter is OK, I think. I want to change to Larry B's contacts, but that top bolt is a biotch. It cranks normally other than winter though...

• Intake heaters are malfunctioning
  
• Fuel is gelling (or beginning to)
  
• Fuel filter is begging to be changed
  

Down yonder in the deep south, your fuel probably has no anti-gel in it. Since that's the temp where #2 starts to crystallize, you could be on the ragged edge. You might ponder keeping a small supply of emergency anti-gel on hand for these occasions.

The non-winter fuel is something I've wondered about. I added Seafoam to my tank last fill up and finally put a few miles on today.



Is there another additive that might work better, or is Seafoam the better brand (which I've read) out there.



My fuel filter is not that old... still several thousand miles from changing. Good thought though, I may change it just in case.

 

[fest3er]

CRC, Power Service, Amsoil and others make 'emergency anti-gel' products that 'thaw' gelled fuel. Either use this stuff, or a propane/kero heater to heat the tank and lines. I do recall seeing a 'camp fire' under big rig fuel tanks on the side of the highway a time or two in the past.

There is also normal anti-gel northerners use when they fill up that *prevents" gelling but don't work when the fuel has already gelled.

 

[rrl989]

What do you mean it doesn't start ? Needs good spin up, probably the batteries.

 

[CBlack]

What do you mean it doesn't start ? Needs good spin up, probably the batteries.

Never said it "didn't" start... just took awhile. The batteries are just over a year old and show good voltages.



I'm thinking it's the grid heater or gelling of fuel. Will check tomorrow morning.

 

[WilsonF]

Do you plug in the block heater at night?

Floyd

 

[CBlack]

Do you plug in the block heater at night?



Floyd

No, I don't have the plug-in adapter.

 

[Skydiver]

If it's making smoke while the starter is turning then it's getting fuel. No smoke is a problem during start up. I have started my 12 valve at 20F with no grid and cold soaked. It took 8 seconds of cranking. I only did that once to see if it would crank. Not good for the oil to allow unburnt fuel to wash by the rings.
If it cranks good at 50 and the fuel lines are good, it should crank at freezing. Must give it a half inch of pedal.
When mine first cranks I never try to take it over 1000 rpm for the first minute. Again, all that stumbling is unburnt fuel.
Do the Larry B's contacts before your old contacts stick closed causing great expence. A stuck set of contacts can damage the cutoff solenoid and cause problems with that expensive starter.

 

[LandShark]

Your Cummins will spin up much faster and blow less white smoke if you switch to synthetic oil. This made a huge difference for me. I get easy starts down to 10 degrees and if it's colder than that I cycle the grid heaters twice and it starts right up. With the dino oil it would buck and shake and blow white smoke at 10 degrees; now it runs smooth at startup. I never use the engine heater.

 

[Dr.Bob]

Go to a good syn and run it year round.

 

[Missouri Mule]

I run dino oil in my Mule and Freightliner (Moose) and have no trouble with then firing up in cold weather (30 F to 28 F).

I have read post on hard starting in cold weather it turned out to be a lift pump. I woud do a fuel pressure test on the lift pump after the filter make sure you are getting at least 20 psi at idle. Rev the engine to 2000 and see if the pressure goes up.

 

[HBarlow]

I know that the Cummins are excellent in the cold for starting. It dropped just below freezing last night and this morning my truck struggled to start. It did finally but took several minutes. The last time it did this was when it dropped below 20 degrees last year.

Where to start?

Chris,

I have never owned and don't have any experience at all with 12 valves. They may have different characteristics.

I had to start my old '01 once when it had over 300k miles on it when the ambient temperature was -20*F. That's minus 20 degrees. I was transporting and spent an extremely cold night in a Motel 6, in western Nebraska if I remember correctly, might have been the Dakotas. I was not able to plug in the block heater.

I crossed my fingers for luck, activated the grid heater, then when it clicked off I restarted it for a second heat cycle. The starter strained and turned it over a little slower than normal but the old Cummins fired up on perhaps four cylinders. It rattled and shook for a minute or two until all six were firing evenly and smoothed out. That morning as I traveled west I saw probably a dozen 18 wheelers sitting on the sides of the highway waiting for roadside assist. Later that morning as I crossed the Rocky Mountains I saw - 28* on the overhead computer panel.

I have never used anything but ordinary petroleum base diesel lube oils in the prescribed 15-40 weight in 650k miles of use. I have never added anti-gel until I expected ambient overnight lows to get below 15* and then only used basic Power Service from Wal-Mart. I always carried a few quarts with me for that purpose. I have never experienced fuel gelling and never have had a Cummins fail to start.

If your batteries are not of excellent quality, not fully charged, or perhaps you have a loose or corroded connector somewhere in the loop you may not have adequate voltage to spin the starter and provide full current to the grid heater.

I know 32* seems cold in southern Louisiana but it is mild summer day for many who live farther north. Your Cummins shouldn't even notice it is cool at the freezing mark.

 

[myoldodge]

I work in Northwestern North Dakota during the winter months where it reaches -40, I have tested several add's to my fuel checking everything from performance,fuel mileage and starting. I run #2 diesel with amsoil (cold flow improver & cetain boost) and HAVE NOT GELLED UP!!!!!!!!!! Saves money when #1 diesel is $5. 30 per gallon up here and the fuel mileage is better running the treated #2 fuel.

 

[GAmes]

I added Seafoam to my tank last fill up and finally put a few miles on today.





My fuel filter is not that old... still several thousand miles from changing. Good thought though, I may change it just in case.

Seafoam is a solvent so if there was any trash in the system it has reached your filter. Personnally, after reading it's main ingrediant on their website, I wouldn't dump it into my fuel, or my oil for that matter. It has to get a lot colder than 30 degrees for gelling to affect the startup, so IMO you need to look elsewhere.

 

[PBJ2500CTD]

IIRC the 24 valve's have a fuel heater in the fuel filter to help prevent gelling. I looked in the 97 parts manual and there was no reference of a fuel heater; the 98. 5 and 02 parts manuals do show references to the heater.

 

[CBlack]

Your Cummins will spin up much faster and blow less white smoke if you switch to synthetic oil. This made a huge difference for me. I get easy starts down to 10 degrees and if it's colder than that I cycle the grid heaters twice and it starts right up. With the dino oil it would buck and shake and blow white smoke at 10 degrees; now it runs smooth at startup. I never use the engine heater.

Go to a good syn and run it year round.

I use Royal Purple. Haven't checked for smoke, but I will.

I run dino oil in my Mule and Freightliner (Moose) and have no trouble with then firing up in cold weather (30 F to 28 F).
I have read post on hard starting in cold weather it turned out to be a lift pump. I woud do a fuel pressure test on the lift pump after the filter make sure you are getting at least 20 psi at idle. Rev the engine to 2000 and see if the pressure goes up.

Something else to check, thanks.

Chris,

I have never owned and don't have any experience at all with 12 valves. They may have different characteristics.

I had to start my old '01 once when it had over 300k miles on it when the ambient temperature was -20*F. That's minus 20 degrees. I was transporting and spent an extremely cold night in a Motel 6, in western Nebraska if I remember correctly, might have been the Dakotas. I was not able to plug in the block heater.

I crossed my fingers for luck, activated the grid heater, then when it clicked off I restarted it for a second heat cycle. The starter strained and turned it over a little slower than normal but the old Cummins fired up on perhaps four cylinders. It rattled and shook for a minute or two until all six were firing evenly and smoothed out. That morning as I traveled west I saw probably a dozen 18 wheelers sitting on the sides of the highway waiting for roadside assist. Later that morning as I crossed the Rocky Mountains I saw - 28* on the overhead computer panel.

I have never used anything but ordinary petroleum base diesel lube oils in the prescribed 15-40 weight in 650k miles of use. I have never added anti-gel until I expected ambient overnight lows to get below 15* and then only used basic Power Service from Wal-Mart. I always carried a few quarts with me for that purpose. I have never experienced fuel gelling and never have had a Cummins fail to start.

If your batteries are not of excellent quality, not fully charged, or perhaps you have a loose or corroded connector somewhere in the loop you may not have adequate voltage to spin the starter and provide full current to the grid heater.

I know 32* seems cold in southern Louisiana but it is mild summer day for many who live farther north. Your Cummins shouldn't even notice it is cool at the freezing mark.

Chad, not Chris.

The batteries came from Carquest (their brand) just over a year ago. I haven't seen any bad connectors but I will look more thoroughly.

The temp and the starting is why I posted... I've seen so many guys who live in the great white north who have no issues so it makes me wonder...

Seafoam is a solvent so if there was any trash in the system it has reached your filter. Personnally, after reading it's main ingrediant on their website, I wouldn't dump it into my fuel, or my oil for that matter. It has to get a lot colder than 30 degrees for gelling to affect the startup, so IMO you need to look elsewhere.

I've only added it to the fuel once. I won't add anything to the oil. I tried Seafoam after searching through the forums and seeing several people swear by the stuff.



Side note: I ended up heading offshore so I haven't had a chance to check anything since I started the thread, so I'll do that when I return and post what I've seen/found.

Thanks for the feedback!

 

[RobertHiltz]

Check your grid heaters. You might try running two cycles of the lift pump before trying to start. I think you have to turn the key to the start position for a slit second and return to on for the lift pump to run. If it is above zero you should not have fuel gelling problems and not need light weight oil. You do have something wrong if you have starting issues at 20 above.