2016 ram 3500 cummins two pushes to start

[zzollwalk]

So now my truck is taking two pushes of the start button when cold..if it's sits over nite, I go to start and it's taking two pushes..starts fine with remote starts and starts fine after the initial start..any thoughts of what to tell the dealer so they can repair??

 

[kthaxton]

I don't know how the push button starts work....but when you use it, do you let the grid heater cycle first? Remote start will cycle the grid heater as needed, maybe that is the difference?

 

[MudChucker]

I have started noticing this myself... I thought I was lifting my foot of the brake pedal and canceling the start cycle... My dash shows the preheat msg for a while and then disappears
...latley ive been waiting longer and it starts... But I'm also parking in the shop these past few weeks where it's warm...

 

[Hoefler]

First push starts the grid heater cycle, when the heater meets temp, it will start on it's own. Two pushes, bypasses the grid heater warm up.

 

[zzollwalk]

It used to work correctly..One push was all it took even if it's cold..One push and it would start..now when cold it takes two..

 

[Kirwin]

How long are you waiting? Depending on temperature, it can take 30-40 seconds to time out on preheat. If you push the button a second time anytime during that cycle, it will cancel preheat and start. If it remote starts, then it is working as designed. During remote start event, all conditions must be still met after the preheat cycle completes or it will not start. That's why remote start is the key, any issues, and it will not remote start; but you will get a message stating why remote start was cancelled. Happened to me when my fuel filter message was active telling me I needed to change the fuel filter.

 

[MudChucker]

Mine takes a good 45 seconds at temps at or below freezing.

 

[SnoKing]

Several of us have thought that at times it just takes a second push. May be that one is not on the brake pedal correctly. Another thing that happen to me the other day was that I pulled it into gear while it was starting and the cruise control did not work until I restarted it again. SNOKING

 

[sag2]

All good correct information above. Also keep in mind that sometimes when the vehicle sits over night the brake booster may bleed down requiring a harder push on the pedal to move it past the brake pedal sense threshold. If that happens and your paying attention you should get the "depress brake pedal to start" message when your "stepping" on the pedal.

 

[zzollwalk]

Thanks for the reply..remote start works perfectly..depressing the brake and hitting the button after sitting over nite requires two pushes..not cold enough for pre heat..after the initial start it works normally..even if it sits for several hrs..One push will start it..any longer than that and it will take two..weird??!!

 

[jelag]

This is an interesting thread and I can share for a fact.... once the brake is pressed, and the the start button is pushed... it starts an AUTOMATIC cycle that allows you to take your foot OFF the brake pedal, and once the grid heaters time out... it starts the engine.... BUT on my truck when its below 40*F AFTER the grid heater has timed out... it sits, and sits... I've wondered if it was going to cycle the grid heater again.... so one morning I just let it sit... after maybe 2 or 3 minutes and it NOT STARTING.... I pushed the start button a second time.... and of course the truck started.....

From what all of you say above.... I don't think ANY OF US have a full understanding of what is supposed to happen on a cold start... The owners manual does say.... that it only takes one push of the button to start the cycle...

Also its my understanding that the brake pedal only has to be depressed during the time that the start button is depressed... and like it was said above.(Hoefler).. so its my best guess that there is something else going on... maybe something that hasn't been discovered yet... to prevent the automatic cycle from completing its task... Just my thoughts.... but its a change that I've noticed as well.... it hasn't always been this way

 

[zzollwalk]

I think the computer has to be reflashed..this used to work perfectly..One push, engine preheats and then starts..never having to hit the start button again..if you think about it, one push should get the engine started no matter what's going on..even if you wait for preheating to finish, engine should start with one push..if I remote start..two honks of the horn, wait a few seconds and the engine fires up..once the intial start in the morning, it's a one push deal all day..next morning..two pushes..my truck can't be the only one behaving this way...

 

[pjorlando]

My 2014 used to start after only pushing the button one time, even then in winter I had to wait about 20 seconds or so. This year, I have had to push the button twice on more than one occassion. The only difference is my truck has been back to stealership for multiple reflashses of the computer. I do hold the brake down. When I hit the button the second time, like this morning, the glow light had gone out, and she fired on what seemed like a compression stroke, right up. So I am not sure what is going on. I am reluctant to go back to dealer, as they never seem to get it right the first time.

 

[zzollwalk]

Thanks for the reply on that..I am reluctant to go back to the dealer on this issue as well..I think as more trucks come up with this issue..there will be an updated tsb on what the fix is going to be..

 

[MudChucker]

I've been playing with this for a while... I press the brake, press the button and remove my foot from the brake.

Most days, 45 seconds - yesterday it was just shy of 2 minutes..have any of you tried letting it sit for a few minutes?

 

[4 wheelssmoking]

I have also had this happen as well. I agree with SAG2 on the possible bleed down of the booster causing an incomplete engagement of the brake switch.
I will make a note to press hard on pedal before pressing start button and stick above the button. Maybe this will eliminate one variable.

I am in Ga. so not many more cold days for me to test this. Maybe some of the folks in the colder regions will try this and report back.

 

[Cummins2014]

So now my truck is taking two pushes of the start button when cold..if it's sits over nite, I go to start and it's taking two pushes..starts fine with remote starts and starts fine after the initial start..any thoughts of what to tell the dealer so they can repair??

Thats sure not normal, mine no matter how cold will start on just one push, maybe several seconds for the grid heater, but it starts. I don' think I have had any longer then 20-30 seconds for the grid heater to do its thing. In warm weather, and after overnight it starts immediately on one push, the same as if the engine had had been ran for awhile

 

[zzollwalk]

Not enough trucks have had this happen yet in order to generate a tsb..give it some time..there will be a fix..tell the dealer to keep it over nite and in the morning..push the button..let him be aware that it's going to take two pushes..then ask what's wrong with it..

 

[lawdog1]

When my truck is doing the grid preheat after pressing start on a cold day the dash display shows a little gauge that depicts the time of the preheat remaining before start (i.e. a graphic display of a countdown). No numbers, but like a temp or oil pressure or fuel level graph with the temp, pressure or fuel decreasing...but this one is the time remaining *for pre-heat time.

 

[MudChucker]

I thought I had the double press but learned I wasn't waiting long enough. On the colder mornings I'm waiting up to a minute when I press the button and only 30 seconds on remote start. I also learned that I can remove my foot from the pedal once I've pressed the button.