Stranded

[mgonske]

10,000 miles on the new truck and it stranded me cold! This isn't in Truck 911 because I had it towed to the dealer where I bought it and have it serviced, and was fortunate enough to have company I could call at home to come pick me up, and I'm driving the Jeep today, but I'm still annoyed and baffled.



I had the dealer install the Jacobs exhaust brake Tuesday. Tuesday night I picked it up and flat towed the Jeep home; drove to work yesterday morning, stopping for fuel on the way; started it up once during the day to demonstrate the new whoosh to a coworker; left work and stopped at the grocery store on the way home.



When I came out from the store, it wouldn't start--turned over just fine, but wouldn't fire. I had an OBD-II code reader with me, and no codes were set. I wiggled all the wires from the brake installation (when I got home Tuesday night, I found one battery cable completely loose, and wasn't too impressed with the appearance of the wiring where they hacked into an existing harness), but still no fire.



I called the dealership in lieu of the roadside assistance number (I was closer to another dealer, whose service department I refuse to patronize), and they had it towed in. :{ I hope to hear today what the problem is, but I'm stumped by the lack of codes.

 

[mgonske]

Truck is Dead

When I checked with the dealer (by phone) this morning, they had the hood up and were trying to trace individual wires. They called back this afternoon and said they were at a dead end, and couldn't troubleshoot any further without a new tool they had previously ordered and not received from DC. They've reordered it, and don't expect it before 28 Feb so my truck will sit until at least then. :{

 

[truckstom]

Shouldn't they have known about the need for this "new tool" before now?? Man this blows... . let us know what you find...

 

[dandlwiley]

Check the wire to the fuel solinoid on the injection pump to insure that it is connected. Mechnanics often disconnect it when working on a truck engine so they can turn it over, but not have the engine start. If it was removed and not fully pushed back on to its terminal it might account for the engine turning over, but not starting.

 

[Steve M]

There ain't no injection pump on the '03! I know what you're talking about though. I had a fuel shutoff solenoid burn out on my '95. I tied it up with a tie wrap and drove it to the dealership and explained to them what was wrong. I don't know if the new ones have a fuel shutoff of some sort or if it just quits firing the injectors when you turn the key switch off.

 

[jlevesque]

the 03 will start with the fuel control actuator unplugged we

did this at training, the only noticable difference is the engine will

sound as loud as the older generations and run the system at

full pump pressure 26000 psi.



James

 

[mgonske]

Update--Good News/Bad News

Sorry it took a while to post the outcome of all this, and for the length of this post.



When I went to visit my truck at the dealership last Friday, the service manager complained he didn't even have a diagnostic manual. "Which one?" I asked; "Powertrain" he replied; "Here, I have one under the back seat," sez I (thanks to sag2 for turning me on to the existence of and source for the manual). He was told they were backordered and not available--he took my manual and gave the parts manager a little talking to--and was grateful to now have the proper manual to diagnose my truck.



Since he had also found another dealer to borrow the special tool he was also missing (a fitting for tapping into the high pressure side of the common rail), he expected to have results for me by Monday.



In the meantime, he had conducted the flow rate test on the lift pump, and verified it was good. Monday when I went back, they had driven the truck out to the parking lot Oo. When I talked to them about what they'd found, they said they had gone to crank it to observe codes in real-time, and it started! And they don't know why. They drove it around a bunch, started & restarted it, and it works fine, but still, they don't know why.



So I have my truck back, but now with a (nearly) brand new truck with only 10,000 miles on it, every time I get in to start it up there will be this nagging doubt as I wonder what's going to happen when I turn the key

 

[Big MAK]

Did they crack open the fuel lines in the meantime? When they went to test the pump and pressure I bet they did. We've run into this before; with the older gens too. Doug Hatfield will recall the dealer thought he needed a new injection pump ($$$) when the only thing wrong was it had "vapor/pressure locked" from getting air into the fuel lines. Crack the lines, bleed and prime, and off you go.



Supposedly these new ones are self priming... hmmm. But think about it; if the system is detecting pressure; even if it's air; how does it know the difference? Just no vroom.

 

[ntenna]

[/B][/QUOTE] When I came out from the store, it wouldn't start--turned over just fine, but wouldn't fire. I had an OBD-II code reader with me, and no codes were set. I called the dealership in lieu of the roadside assistance number (I was closer to another dealer, whose service department I refuse to patronize), and they had it towed in. :{ I hope to hear today what the problem is, but I'm stumped by the lack of codes. [/B][/QUOTE]



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I see you have a Laramie. That means it has the transponder key. If that key does not talk to the ignition switch it will not start. Did you give the dealer the spare key? Reason I ask this is my wife's Acura (also has a transponder key) began to not start right after we got the Dodge.



Come to find out, she had put the Dodge key on the Acura ring, and the two keys were confusing the Acura security system



Removed Dodge key = starts every time.



Just a thought.....

 

[Bob4x4]

Big Mac, The HPCR fuel system is self bleeding. Air will not be a problem. You can run the system out of fuel and just crank it to restart. I have gotten alittle bit of time to play with these and they are impressive. They have about 5000 psi at idle,the injectors are fired electronicaly,( pressure is actualy bled off one side of the injector to allow flow,the solenoid does not have to overcome line pressure)they will open with air in the system. No need to bleed for any reason and very very dangerous to try. Do not under any circumstance open any of the high pressure lines while the engine is running.



Bob

 

[Bob4x4]

James,we had one at over 27500 psi at idle and yea it knocked big time.

Bob

 

[mgonske]

Big MAK: During the E-brake installation, they had to relocate my fuel pressure gauge tapped banjo bolt from the front of the block back to the bottom of the filter to make room for the vacuum pump, but that shouldn't have made any more difference than when I originally installed it.



ntenna: They had the same sentry key and key ring I use every day, so no differences there.

 

[sslechta]

Mark,



Which dealership looked at it? I would like to know before I go there so I'd know what to expect. PM me if you'd rather.



Steve

 

[mgonske]

Originally posted by sslechta

Which dealership looked at it?

Steve,



It was Boniface-Hiers on Merrit Island. I don't want this to be negative about the dealership; quite the opposite--I felt like everyone from the service manager to the service writers to the mechanics were bending over backwards trying to help me, but they were just caught behind the eight-ball by the system above the dealership level. They expressed tremendous embarassment over being caught flat. It took a couple of offers from them on different days to provide me with a vehicle to drive, before they accepted that I was OK with just driving the Jeep while they had the truck.



I switched my business, both vehicle purchase and service, to Boniface-Hiers from Brevard Chrysler (which is more convenient to me) specifically because of unfriendly policies at Brevard's service department. The way Boniface-Hiers treated me in this case has only reinforced my selection of them for service.



Mark