Just bought my first Cummins last Saturday... 89 D350, 727 auto trans, bone stock with the exception of a straight pipe, w/ 69,000 original miles for $2000!!! Went to test drive it last Thursday and it started right up after not being driven in 2 weeks. Two days later when I bought it, it started right up. Over the weekend, went to take it for a spin and when I turned the key the Engine Maintenance light came on and the starter kicked out but didnt crank over until the 5th time I turned the key. I know it has to be starter, battery, or alternator from my experience with other vehicles, but with me being new to diesels, are there any other places I should look? The engine maintenance light worries me a little too... any ideas? I know that the commutator can get corroded in starters, allowing them to kick out but not turn over, and I've read that the voltage regulator can go bad pretty easily in these trucks.... any other places I should look? Thanks for any help you can give this rookie!

-Josh

 

The 89's dont have an enginr light on them. What does the light say.

oh and

 

trust me, even if you had to rebuild the starter, get a new battery, put a new alternator on it, and lift pump, fuel filter, and had to rebuild the injection pump on the thing you would still be ahead for what that truck is worth.....TRUST ME......


yeah that truck shouldnt have a engine maintenance light.....

 

Yeah I'm wondering if he is seeing teh wait to start light or something.

 

I was told that the truck is an 89 drivetrain/chassis and an 87 body. The original truck was wrecked and the ol' boy who wrecked it was 60 + yrs old so it got covered up with a tarp and sat for a while before the guy I bought it from picked it up and swapped out the chassis/drivetrain with a body he had. He swapped out the dash from the original truck to keep the same vin and a "clean" title. The light I'm seeing before I start it is in the farthest guage on the left, in between the battery voltage and water temp gauges, and is the lower of the two lights. I would post a pic but i dont have an online picture-sharing account anywhere. The truck has started fine the last two days which makes me think its a finicky/dirty/corroded starter since the battery voltage is always fine. I honestly think the truck is just scared of an unexperienced diesel mechanic putting wrenches to it!!!!

---AutoMerged DoublePost---

I'm not planning any major power adders anytime soon as I want the truck to be as reliable as possible as a daily driver and race car trailer tow vehicle. The only thing I have planned is more gauges so I can monitor everything while towing. Could you experienced cummins guys give me some advice on proper driving and maintenance on these trucks? What is your "time limit" on leaving the engine running rather than shutting it off? I was told to wait a minute or so before shutting it off after driving to allow time for the turbo to cool off... it this accurate? Sorry for all the rookie questions... but I want to learn as much as possible about these engines before I tear something up on a vehicle that should run forever when taken care of properly.

 

If the battery is up to par I would start looking for corroded wire and/or a bad starter.

Yeah let teh truck idel for a min or so before you cut it off. It will help keep the turbo from cooking teh oil inside of it.

 

Thanks for the help! I'll check it out tomorrow before I head to the track.

 

if the truck is an 87 body then it was a gasser body, you may want to check the rearend ratio 1st and foremost cause it could be a 3.55 or 4.10 rearend and without overdrive that isnt a steep gear to be running on the road......you are gonna have to ignore most of those warning light though cause they may not be for a diesel, i would do everything in mechanical gauges to be sure......

 

it seems like a 4.10... she's wound up pretty tight at 65 mph. I figured out what the no-start issue was though. The starter checked out fine and didnt have so much as a burr on the teeth, but my flywheel ring gear was a little ate up so I took a deburring bit to it and it has fixed the problem for the last few days. The way I understand it, these 6 cyl diesels will stop in one of 3 places because of the firing order and what slug(s) is on a compression stroke, so theoretically you have 3 points, 120 degrees away from each other, that your starter will always engage at to turn the motor over. I havent spent enough time with it to clean up all three points, but if this quick fix continues to solve my problem then I'm not going to touch it. Thanks again for the help guys!