02 cummins 2500 cold start
 

I have a problem with cold starts now i bought a new grid heater thinking that might be the problem but i still had to cycle it 4 times with the 5th being the one it started on farily hard i might add heres some info everything is stock but the air filter it has 196,000 miles. I have seen people start their 02 2500s with no grid heater at 0 degrees on the very first try so im very confused as to why i have trouble at 30 degrees or like todays 5 cycles at 20 degrees someone has said the idle rpm can cause these problems so i wrote mine down. what should the rpms be at idle and in gear with the breaks depressed. mine are
Engine temp 191 in park rpm 830-850
same temp in drive w brakes depressed 740-750 sometimes it droppes to 730
Anything else it could be i would like the help thank you

When was the last time the fuel filter was changed? What is your fuel psi if you have a guage?

You should be consitantly staying near 900 RPM at idle, in park, or drive. As bryce said when was the last time you changed you fuel filter and if you have a fuel pressure guage installed what is the PSI at idle it needs to be above 12 psi, but a stock lift pump can run at 15-20psi. If the lift pump is weak it can cause hard starts and it is extreamly hard on the VP44 injection pump and is the main cause for failure of the injection pump. Another note is the fuel filter can cause a drop in fuel pressure also...

Fuel filter needs to be changed every 8,000 to 15,000 miles...

Fuel filter was changed around October i only have a scan gauge 2 (which sucks) so i cant check fuel psi

Edit if it needs to stay around 900 rpm then im low in both cases ill have to take it to the shop. would i tell them i want my idle turned up a bit they can be a bit dense

well you cant check it with a scanner anyways you will need a mechanical gauge.. But that where I would start is by checking the fuel pressure. And also look for any leaks.. and you can check your grid heaters and see how many amps the pull it should be 160 amps of draw for future reference.

well ill give that a shot and see where the psi is at and look for leaks and tell the shop i want my rpms to be around 900 at idle and in drive ( when i switch from park to drive they take a major dip to 700)

They cant turn the idle up, its not a mechanical pump its and electrical pump driven mechanicaly. It can be the TPS/APPS accelerator pedal position sensor. or either you have a fuel issue such as lift pump, to injection pump even up to injectors or low compression so sadly its not as easy as taking it in to turn the idle up.

---AutoMerged DoublePost---

One thing you can try to do is Relearn your APPS its simple and if you can remove both ground cables on your batts you can do this..

1. Pull both ground cables

2. Put key on to accesories and leave it for 30 minutes.

3. Turn the key off and put BATT cables back on.

4. Now Turn key to ACC again DO NOT START THE ENGINE..

5. Push the throttle pedal in slowly all the way to the floor and back up slowly.

6. Turn key off and then you are good to go... Give her a try and see if it helps any. I cant garuntee it but its simple to do and worth a shot.

30 minutes that seems like a long time is it really OK to leave the negatives off for that long I always thought it was bad to leave the positive on with the ground off for any amount of time is there any videos of this process

---AutoMerged DoublePost---

also wont that drain the batts badly

These trucks are very sensitive to fuel leaks and pressure if you have even a small leak it will cause these kinds of problems.. These guys on here know what there talking about I would take all the advise I could before taking it to a shop. good luck!

haha thats true thats why i joined i have gotten alot of useful info for my truck and since im only 20 i aint very experienced im sure every one on here can teach me a thing or 60 haha. ill try to relearn the APPS on a warmer day or a day i can pull it in my garage.

New injectors was on my shopping list anyway after i get my tranny rebuilt along with an air dog. but harbor fright i think has a diesel compression tester or maybe advance auto. ill have to look up how to do one ive only seen it done to gassers which i know is way different. also what should the compression be if i get the chance to test it