Engine/Transmission (1998.5 - 2002) Help!!!!!!!! It Wont Start

[cobradude1965]

i have a 2001 dodge cummings deseil and it wont start. it was low on fuel and i pulled in to get more fuel. after filling up the truck it wont start. it wont even try. i thought i may have run it out of fuel. so there is a relief valve on the injector pump. i pushed this in while turning over the engine and i get fuel, alot. so i dont think its a fuel issue. what else could it be. the motor doesnt even try to start, totally dead

 

[Jetpilot]

Its gotta be fuel... ... If you have fuel it will run. try cracking several of the injector lines loose up at the head and crank it over until fuel is coming out. Then tighten them up and try starting it.



Doug

 

[cobradude1965]

where are you talking about loosening the injector line. i have 6 lines that come out of the injector pump and go up to just below the valve cover. are these the lines to crack open or is it under the valve cover. if i crack these lines is there a risk of damaging any O rings

 

[HeavyHauler]

On your 2001 Cummins Diesel , crack the injector lines going into the head (below the valve cover on driver's side) at the 3rd and 4th cylinders. Crank it to let any air bleed out of the system and then tighten them back to 28 ft. lbs. preferably. The nut is a 19mm or 3/4" (same thing).



You may have gotten some bad fuel also, open the drain valve on the bottom of the fuel filter canister to drain out any water that might be there and you might try changing the fuel filter if all else fails.

 

[cobradude1965]

i have cracked the fuel lines and got fuel out of line 1 3 and 4. 2 and 6 were hard to get to. i did get fuel out of all injector lines. tried to start the engine and didnt start, didnt even sputter. so now i am woundering if it could be related to the air heater. my light comes on in the dash to wait to start and it goes off after the normal amount of time. but could this air heater be falty. it is needed to start the engine. how do i test it, is there a relay, fuse? also after all this work on trying to start the engine is it possible to flood out a deisel

 

[Beast2B]

i believe i recall a situation where a couple of older batteries just weren't cranking enough to fire the Cummins. stock batteries, cold weather, short trips = lots of intake heater usage and not too much battery recharging...

After changing my injectors I got fuel out of a couple lines, ran rough for about 30 seconds but started ok and ran good after 30 seconds

 

[RJPotts]

Correct me if I'm wrong.

I don't believe the grid heaters are necessary to start this motor. Its a good idea when the outside air temps are very low and usually the first time in the morning, but you don't absolutely have to "Wait to Start" every time you turn it over.

That won't be the problem. If you don't get any action from the truck at all when you turn the key, your battery(ies) is/are dead.

Nothing else should do what you are describing, unless your ignition switch is faulty or something. I dunno?!?

Just my 2 cents.

-R. J.

 

[cobradude1965]

motor turns over fast. i dont think the batterys are dead. i saw in a post that if you turn key on off on off on you get a code in the speedo. i did this and got a p1693 code. it seems this is a general code. i am going to first disconnect the batterys to reset computer. if it doesnt start then i will go to auto zone and get there loaner tool for code reading

 

[cobradude1965]

one other thing. when i cracked the fuel lines open up at the injectors i did get fuel out but not under high pressure. fuel came out in pulses but i expected it to spray everywhere. should it have come out under high pressure

 

[RHARVEY]

There have been times that blank code only shows up in the od window. . and then you will need a scan tool to get at the other code.

I have had a couple of trucks do that. . It would show the blanket code of P1693 but show nothing else until I got the scanner on it.



Rick

 

[SKargo]

cummins!

 

[cobradude1965]

i got the scanner and pulled up the code. it says it is a injector pump metering code. this is where i stop and call a tow truck. i have been told injector pumps are complex and expensive to fix. the code i am getting is po253. any ideas on what is involved with fixing this

 

[DLeonhard]

According to a sheet that I have - Code P1693 means "DTC detected in companion module / DTC detected in PCM/ECM". I don't know what that means, but I'm sure someone on here is knowledgeable enough to figure it out.



Hope this helps.



Doug

 

[rkressg]

Do you have a Fuel Pressure gauge? If so, what are the readings? Have you tried to replace the Fuel Transfer Pump (Lift Pump)?



the p0253 is associated with a fuel pump failure. Usually only fixed by a new VP-44. Try opening 1,3,4 and cranking until fuel starts comming out of the lines. Close the lines as fuel begins comming out. By the time you get to the last open line, the truck should start. Just crank the living he11 out of it, it should start.



If that does not work, I would be thinking VP44, only because of the code present. If it just flat out quit with no codes, I would think the CPS (crank position sensor). When the CPS dies, the engine will not run. Also, they are much less expensive to replace than the Fuel pump.

-Rich

 

[cobradude1965]

well i took it to dodge and they looked it over. yes it is the injector pump and it just came off warrenty last month. only one thing left to do. bend over and grab the ankles

 

[Beast2B]

if you have some mechanical skills, or are near any of the vendors from TDR or DTR, get the truck away from the dealer. if it's at all feasible, have a diesel-head mechanic do it, most (NOT ALL) dealership mechanics are unfamiliar with diesels.

 

[rkressg]

Where are you located?



Changing a VP-44 is not all that difficult. If you go through my posts, (Click on my username and then search for my posts) you will find detailed instructions for changing a fuel pump. It takes 3-4 hours and requires minimal in the way of tools (Torque wrench, t-bar puller, engine barring tool, wrenchs, and sockets).



If you have any questions, please ask.

-Rich