Starting Problems

[Beer Man]

Go out in the morning, doesn't matter what temperature it's been cold and warm from 30 to 83 and my truck starts after about 2 to 3 seconds of crank. somewhat normal, maybe a little longer than usual. Up to 30 minutes after i shut the truck off it will crank 5 or 6 seconds before starting. From 30 minutes to 3 hours it will crank 10 to 15 seconds before starting, and now 2 sundays in a row it has taken about 10 minutes to finally get the truck to start. I only let it crank no longer than 15 seconds before trying again. Once it starts, it runs fine. Has been through several tanks of fuel and just changed the fuel filter. anyone have any ideas?

 

[RankRam]

Did this problem start right after you changed the fuel filter?

 

[Beer Man]

Nope, I changed it after it started.

 

[rbattelle]

Is the lift pump running? You should be able to hear it kick on for 2 seconds when you turn the key to "RUN". If you bump the starter you should also hear it run for 25 seconds.



-Ryan

 

[Beer Man]

yep! tried that also and it seems to be working by the sound of it.

 

[rbattelle]

Try this to check if fuel is flowing. Place a catch-can under the fuel canister drain tube, then open the tube, then have an assistant turn the key to "RUN" (don't start the engine). If the lift pump is flowing good, you should see a large volume of flow dump out that drain tube.



If the lift pump is flowing properly, we've reached the end of my poor diagnostic capabilities.



-Ryan

 

[Beer Man]

just went out to try that, i can hear the lift pump run for a second or two and during that time the flow does increase and then slows back down after 2 seconds when the lift pump shut off. Does this sound right?

 

[rbattelle]

just went out to try that, i can hear the lift pump run for a second or two and during that time the flow does increase and then slows back down after 2 seconds when the lift pump shut off. Does this sound right?

Yup, sounds like the pump is pumping, which is good. It doesn't entirely rule out the pump as a problem (it could be flowing, but not enough quantity), but further testing would require a low pressure fuel system teardown.



If we assume, for the moment, that the engine is getting fuel (at least up to the lift pump), then is the engine getting air? Have you checked the air filter and all the plumbing up to the turbo?



Also, cycle the key 3 times to check for codes. Leave the key in the "RUN" position at the third cycle and the codes will display on the odometer...



-Ryan

 

[Beer Man]

I've already checked for codes, and nothing. Just replaced air filter last week same time as fuel filter. It was doing all this prior to changing air and fuel filter. Haven't checked all the plumbing around turbo yet. It's dark now ill have to wait. Have a friend that works at a dealer that is going to look at it in the morning. I have 91k on the truck, hopefully whatever this is it will be covered under 100k engine warranty? Thanks for all your pointers Ryan.

 

[Beer Man]

What i don't understand is why it can sit all night and fire right up in the morning. Or it will fire relatively easy up to 30 minutes after it's shut off. But from 30 minutes up to 3 hours it's almost impossible to start. But longer than 3 or 4 hours it starts fine. Beats Me!

 

[rbattelle]

Something's getting hot and not working. Almost sounds like vapor lock.



-Ryan