Engine/Transmission (1998.5 - 2002) Engine Not Firing As Quickly As Wh New

[lbailey47]

98. 5, 24-valve diesel, 5-spd... . 150K miles... South Texas. . moderate temperatures!



I've noticed that my diesel's not firing off as quickly as it used to. Engine probably cranks for about 2 seconds or so now before firing, whereas before, it used to fire off quicker than a gas engine. I've been noticing this for several months... . oh, the engine still fires off but I'm just wondering what might be causing the added delay. Less compression? Fuel pressure down?? Grid heaters?



The batteries seem to be turning the engine with adequate speed. Don't believe I'm using excessive oil... i. e. , no blue smoke to indicate bad rings.



Thanks for your suggestions!

 

[BillGotthelf]

Mine has been doing the same thing but I attributed it to all the mods I did to it.

 

[Tom W]

When I changed injectors I had a slight leak at one of the connectors - very hard to see - and it caused hard starting. Beware of high pressure leaks - don't check with your fingers.

Tom

 

[ProspectorTim]

If you have changed the fuel filter recently and now it takes more cranks to start it, tighten the nut up a little more. You could be bleeding off pressure when it's parked. I noticed that there was fuel on top of the nut on my truck. Another factor *could* be the winter fuel.

 

[wyosteve]

Do you have fuel pressuge guage? Could be bad lift pump or VP44 on it's way out. Mine started taking longer to start about 2 wks before VP cratered.

 

[Ray Torresdal]

slow start

Mine did the same thing about 142,000 miles. It always started, but sometimes would crank 8-10 seconds before starting. When it did start, it ran perfectly, no missing, etc. My mechanic couldn't find anything wrong with the pump, electrical, etc. I was planning to change injectors, and have the valve clearances checked, and when changing out the injectors, found a bad 0'ring. Truck has started like new ever since. (and runs better!)



Ray