1995 3500 6.5 Diesel Started Yesterday, Dead Today
 

My 3500 sat in my barn for nearly two years when last month I pulled it out, gave it a shot of ether and fired her up on second try.

I first bought this truck in 2007 while I built my house. It was great because it had a flat bed and it pulled my trailer w/Skid Steer with no worries. The guy I bought it from had gotten it out in Wyoming and it wasn't running so he put some time and money into getting it running before he sold it to me.

I didn't look at it as hard as I should have when I first bought it and didn't have time to look under the hood while I was building my house. Since getting it fired up after two years the only way it would start was with a shot of ether. I started researching what the problem was and found that it could be my glow plugs. Opening the hood I noticed the glow plug wires had been spliced and looked pretty ragged. I bought a new glow plug harness and installed it. It looked great with the new harness but there was still an issue of it not starting without the ether. I did some more research and found that it could be the lift pump. I located the lift pump and noticed that a mouse had chewed through the lift pump wire and the lift pump was leaking a little fuel so I spliced the wire, bought a new lift pump and it ran for a few minutes and stopped. More research and I found that the Oil Pressure Switch may be the reason the Lift Pump stopped, so I bought a new OPS and guess what it did the trick! I had fuel to the IP, I had power to the Glow Plugs. But it was still hard to start but I was starting it without ether for the first time in two months!

Now comes the bummer! Since I had it starting without ether I was starting it everyday and letting it run for 20-30 minutes just to make sure I wasn't dreaming. This went on for 5-6 days until yesterday when it didn't quite start and the batteries would not give enough to start it. It almost started though before I k:argh::argh:new there wasn't much left in the batteries. Today I bought new batteries and got them installed and to my disbelief it won't start at all! Not with ether, not after sitting for an hour or two, it just plain won't even burp! The OPS is new, the Lift Pump is new, the Batteries are new there is fuel coming out of the fuel valve at the the front of the engine the glow plugs have power and now it won't start! Even with ether it just cranks and nothing!

What have I done? Was it because it almost startred yesterday and I shut the key off without saying to the starting God I would be back? Was I rude? What is wrong now? Could it be the ECM, the TPC, the APPD? How many acronyms must I replace before my truck sees the open road again?

Any help from the Diesel gods would be much appreciated. Mahala!

did you check to see if you have air in the lines???

Kylek,

No fuel past LP. Going to check fuel shut off solenoid and water separater.

Real bad idea. You probably just wiped out your glow plugs. Next time you might wip[e out your motor. NEVER use ether on one of these motors.

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If you mean you have fuel out of the t valve by the thermostat housing then fuel is past your lift pump. The 95 does not activate the LP with the key on. Only when it sees oikl pressure. You have to put 12v to pin G on the ALDL connector to manually run it. If you been blasting that much ether in it for that long I wonder if you even have any compression left.

Ouch.. I am having Sameissue on a 95 6.5 TD 2500 .. Crank and no start. Lift pump is working , fuel out T valve ., where do I go next pmd, I.P??:argh:

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Oh but I didnt ether mine...

Crack an injector line loose and look for fuel there.
PMD or IP issue if no fuel in most cases-sometimes a FSO issue.

Fso?

Fso-fuel shut off. More
Likely a pmd but crack in the inj lines . Dont have to do them all.
Just you can get to on the drivers side.

FSO-Fuel Shut Off solenoid

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It is also never a bad idea to check the fuses.

Anyone who owns and plans on keeping a 94-95 6.5TD should really spend the 250$ for GMTDscan. it is the best software out there. Even a low tech like me can use it. It can give alot of help at times of need.