Engine/Transmission (1998.5 - 2002) hard starting school bus

[jaynes]

This is a questiong for you 24v'ers. My school bus is a Bluebird "TC2000" with a 5. 9l CTD 24v. It only has 75k on it, and it's a '99. It always starts and runs like a top, even when it was 10 deg. this winter. But today, I parked it and it sat for 2 hours. Got back in to do my afternoon route, and that sucker was hard to get started! Usually fires up in the 2 or 3 revolution, but today I had crank it for about 5-6 seconds at a time (had to do this about 5-6 times) before it would even sound like it was trying to fire. Finaly it lit up and ran smooth right off the bat. I even turned it back off and started it up to see if would give me trouble, started like it normally did. I have a '91 CTD Ram 250, so nothing is electrical and everything is mechanical. Any ideas? Lift pump, leaky low pressure line somehwere? Thanks!



jaynes

 

[tgee]

My experience with Bluebirds Is with some older ones, electrical stuff not the most well protected. Have seen circuit breakers and wiring corroded. I think your electrical stuff is in a compartment outside, below the driver side window. Chech that stuff. It could also be fuel related, check fuel lines. I also work on UPS trucks, Every one I see looks like the transfer pump is new, everything has the usual dirt build-up.

 

[rkressg]

A warm hard start condition is a classic symptom of a failing VP44. You should get the codes checked from at a truck dealer. I believe that the ECM will show "J" codes (if it has two 50-pin connectors on it).



If someone was working under the hood recently, they could have knocked loose a fuel return line, allowing the fuel to drain away from the fuel lines when the engine is not running. There is a T-Fitting on the 24v 2g trucks with compression fittings on the return line (back by the firewall) that if disturbed, can leak. This can also cause a hard start condition.

-Rich

 

[jaynes]

cold and warm

when it really gave me trouble was when it was warm and had been sitting for a couple of hours. This morning when it was cold, it turned over alot more than usual, but eventually lit up. Not nearly as much trouble as it did warm yesterday. Anyway, it's not my problem, it's the mechanics problem back at the shop, but I was just curious, thanks!



Josh