Start heat symbol came on while driving

[johnjackson]

'06 binged 4 times after driving about half an hour. Gauges normal. No check engine light. Then I noticed start heat coil light was on. Anyone have an idea what that means? Truck binges 4 times at each start up and light stays on. shouldn't need any intake heat as the temp here is 95-100 degrees. thanks for input...John

 

[Timd32]

Not sure but here are some other threads but the ding is more then 4x, maybe you can pull the codes?

https://www.turbodieselregister.com/threads/why-is-this-happening.236633/#post-2286812

https://www.turbodieselregister.com/threads/grid-heater-light-comes-on-while-driving.246960/

https://www.turbodieselregister.com/threads/ram-diagnostic-trouble-codes.263610/

 

[DonFitzwater]

You likely have an injector bypassing too much fuel. The system monitors rail pressure while coasting and if it maintains rail pressure within spec all is good, if a set pressure cannot be maintained the wait to start light will illuminate.

 

[sag2]

You have a leak somewhere on the high pressure side. Start with torquing the connector tubes.

 

[johnjackson]

Thanks for the responses. I had no idea the wait to start light would have anything to do with fueling. So I changed the fuel filter as it was long overdue. I put in an extra glug of red line 85plus fuel catalyst. To no avail. Light still on and it binges 5 times ( i counted ). No smoke anytime and it still gets 17 to 21 mpg like it always has. I guess next will be connector tubes that sag2 recommends. Is it possible one would come loose out of the blue?

 

[cerberusiam]

The WTS light and chimes are a Dodge added notification there is a fueling problem. With a capable scanner you will have some stored DTC's.

In a nutshell this is the description:

The amount of fuel required depends on fuel pressure, injection quantity, engine speed,
and coolant temperature. The Engine Control Module (ECM) sets Leakage Detected, when
the fuel flow exceeds an expected value. When a leak is detected in the system, a counter
is initiated. When the counter reaches a predetermined value a fault is set and engine
derate is enabled. When the leak is not detected the counter counts down, and once the
counter becomes zero the engine is set back to normal running conditions.

That said, it hasn't hit 10 chimes and derate yet or you would notice a power loss. There are 2 conditions that set DTC's, motoring or driving. The DTC will tell you which one it is. The good news is the counter is hitting zero with the condition not repeated which means it might be a false positive. The 06-07 5.9's were notorious for the false positives as well as injector quality, it sometimes ends a process to find the real issue.

Potential causes:

Mechnaical:

LP pressure low
FCA not setting properly
COV sticking or worn
CP-3 worn and starting to fail
Rail PRV leaking
Cross over tubes leaking
Injectors bypassing too much fuel

Electrical:

Rail pressure sensor inaccurate
Battery connections corroded
Battery(s) going bad
Bad body or engine ground
Engine control harness wire scuffed and introducing electrical garbage
VC gasket failing

Any 1 or more can and will kick the WTS light on and cause chimes. All you can do is walk back thru the potential trouble areas testing and verifying operation. Some will require parts replacement to verify correct operation. If you have not been running extra filtration and an additive package for the life of the truck then the injectors are highly suspect, especially if you have over 150k miles or it is used as a DD rather than towing vehicle. That year is 4 or 5 updates and 4 years behind the latest injector revisions for the 5.9 CR injectors.

 

[johnjackson]

Thanks Moderator! Really good info. Truck has 208k on the clock and it is currently our daily driver. The 98 12 valve has 400k on the clock and is relegated to work truck. I'm an excavating contractor and at my busiest time of year so not much time to work on 06 right now. Is driving 06 with whatever the problem is doing damage??

 

[johnjackson]

It looks like I've checked all the boxes for needing new injectors. Recommendations? Possible slight upgrade from stock?

 

[cerberusiam]

Since it is not going into derate yet that is good news. If it starts derating power then you have bigger issues. If it was my truck I would do an fuel system cleaning by filling the OE cannist with a cleaner, run if for 30 seconds, let it sit overnight, then dose a full tank of fuel with a quart of Power Service, a quart of MMO, and a quart 2SO and drive it for a bit, keep adding 8-10 oz of Power Service and a pint of 2SO every 1/2 tank fill up after the heavy dose is gone and monitor its operations. Doesn't mean it will fix itself but until you start getting derate I would try the easy stuff first.

 

[cerberusiam]

Stock NEW Bosch but for the 03-04 engines, new Bosch Marine injectors for 03-04 engines, or BBI .1 or .5 with nozzles for 03-04 engines. Without a tuner you cannot really maximize the performance of an injector other than get more smoke. A tuner and any of those will increase the efficacy and power.

 

[johnjackson]

I found Power Service but could not find anything like MMO or 2S0. What are they?

 

[johnjackson]

I figured it out. Marvel mystery oil and 2 stroke oil. I guess this would really amp up the lubricity.

 

[cerberusiam]

LOL, sorry for acronym soup. MMO is more a cleaner than lube since it has a stoddard solvent base, probably a little more cleaner than the PS to help cut any build up.

 

[johnjackson]

It worked!! I did the heavy duty fuel system cleaning cerberusian suggested (see above) and continued to drive the truck. It Started fine, idled smooth, ran smooth although it didn't have quite the response. Every time it started it chimed 5 times and wait to start light stayed on. Then when running errands, on the fourth start, no chimes and no wait to start light. I was about 2/3rd through the heavily treated tank of fuel and the usual response returned. I'm still a bit concerned about what caused it in the first place. I think I need a good analyzer. Any suggestions?

 

[cerberusiam]

Run it and monitor. Keep the additive package in each tank just not as much. I usually run 10-15 ozs of a mix of PS\MMO\2SO per 1/2 tank fill up and that seems to work. At 200k you are the cusp without extra filtration and 06 had issues anyway as that was part of a switch over year on injectors from new facilities behind the former iron curtain. The QC took a while to sort out. A test of the contribution percentages and injector return flow will tell you how serious you need to plan for injectors.