24V hard start but runs perfect - FIXED!! One for the record books
 

Hi all. This one completely blew me away... If you've been following my saga over the last week or so you'll know I had a hard start problem with my '99 24V but it ran perfect and exhibited NO signs of a failing IP once it was started. Batteries were replaced, FASS LP installed, new CKP installed - all of this and still a hard start. So I broke down and had to take it into a good local diesel shop with the proper testing tools to check it out. Get this - In the end the root cause was the seat retractor timer module! Can you believe it?? Turns out the truck had an electrical draw causing the batteries to drain quite a bit overnight - this draw was caused by an 'overdraw' of current from the Seatbelt retractor module - apparently it was pulling over .5 amps at all times when it should only be pulling .12 or so and only with the key on. Over time it caused the starter to work harder and harder because of the lower than normal voltage in the batteries. Not only did the low voltage cause a slow death to the starter but it also caused the starter to put out a much larger than average magnetic field and in turn, according to the tech, that larger than normal magnetic field interfered with the signal being sent from the CKP sensor which is mounted right behind it. That's why the P0336 code kept returning. At first I thought "what the heck???" But the more I thought about it the more it made sense. So even if the starter would have been replaced, chances are the same symptoms would have cropped up later on down the line all because of the damn seatbelt module thingie.


I couldn't fricken believe it. At any rate, I'd like to thank all of you for your input and suggestions. Maybe this one can go in one of those "check this out before you start replacing stuff" stickys. In my case it was a rare long shot that something like this could happen but, hey, it did.

I'll be picking the truck up today after work but will let you guys know whatever else they tell me.

Thanks, happy trails.

Mike.

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Thanks
DM

Thanks very much! Hey, if can help spare someone else the anxiety and hassle of what I went through, my pleasure.

Mike.

By god I knew if I hung around long enough somebody else would have my kinda luck.. congrats on the fix though.