96 Dodge 5.9 Will NOT start been sitting????
 

1996 Dodge 2500 5.9 Truck will not start. Truck is used rarely for my property if I need to haul large items to and from anywhere. Truck is stock with around 186000 miles never had an issue since I have owned for about three years except for battery cables and batteries which are new. Truck was running fine but has been sitting 2-4 weeks so went to start it up and it will turn over fine but will not fire up or even try. I can check gas vehicles but am new to troubleshooting a Diesel. Where should I begin???

probably lost its prime, have you tried priming it again using the plunger on the fuel pump? there is a bleeder on top of the fuel filter housing, the pump primer is below the the master cylinder on the side of the block, you might have to loosen a injector line to bleed it right, someone more familliar with it can probably tell you for sure

Thanks
 

I will look and check this out along with any other ideas I am given from users ASAP. I will still be awaiting for some other ideas also.

the fuel shut off selinoid may not be lifting up. bump the starter, then look and see if it liftd like its supposed to

ether

DO NOT USE ETHER// you can use W into the intake for trying to start it, these trucks are not built like the old tractors, they have more compression and ether hurts them pretty bad

Ether has no lube and if you have your pre heater on and spray it in there say good by to you air filter housing. Once you prime it and it doesnt start make sure your lift pump is working and if it not replace. If it works crack 1 and 6 injectors and see if any diesel is comming out. If not you Injection pump might be done for.

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Also the best way to prime is to open up the return line on the number 6 injector and pump untill diesel come out and look clean and no bubbles. the crack the injectores one by one untill you see clean diesel. I cheat and just go untill the return line has clean diesel.

Thanks to replies will try.
 

I will not use Ether not that crazy, but we use to use WD40 back in the day which has lube. I will check the prime. fuel shut off solenoid how do I check the lift pump??
Gene

If its a 12 V you need to pull the outlet side if the lift pump and crank the engine over and look for diesel.

If its a 24 V just bump the starter and see if you can hear it running.

Fuel shut off solenoid
 

Well the fuel shut off solenoid did nothing so I had the wife crank it while I lifted it manually and it cranked right up. So I am guessing that mean I need a new one since it will not lift on it's own? It will stay lifted when truck starts but when you turn it off you have to manually lift it again.
Thanks to all the ideas from all.
Gene

I think there is a relay that is known for going bad, alot cheaper than the solenoid. there are 2 relays I believe, one for pull in and one for hold in, the solenoids have 2 coils in them, a high amp and low amp, the high amp pulls it in then the low amp holds it. Again replace the relay first or you could jump the relay out with a piece of wire to make sure the solenoid is good.

ether is dangerouse,do not spray it in ur truck!! ive see to many dumbasses dump either in machins and tractors and the thing will ping till it blows!! if anything soak a rag in gassoline and set it over the intake alot safer! old school mechanic trick learned from a union diesel mechanic

Most people that destroy their engines with ether is because they used too much. This is why some big trucks in very cold climates have AUTOMATIC ether injection systems.

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not ether injection, its alcohol injection the same consept just safer

It's ether they use. In cold climates they use alcohol in the air system.

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yup they sure do. the 6bt can use it too!

http://www.aeroservicios.com/system/...%20Cummins.pdf

look at the engine specifications on the second page. "Automatic cold weather ether start" i know its a genset but its still a 6bt.

ether is not the boogieman. used properly it will get a frozen diesel engine running when it is not! use it improperly you better bump up your limit on your credit card.

yes intake heaters and ether DO NOT MIX!! that being said, i have used ether on 7.3/6.0 psds, other navistar engines, cats, and others with heaters/glowplugs many many times and i havent blown one up yet. navistar engines (dont know about the new maxforce ones) dont cycle the heater after they go off. if you wait a minute or two for them to cool off the ether wont flash fire in the intake. gm diesels like 6.5l and cummins engines cycle the heaters after the engine has started so you would have to disable the heater circuit to use a starting aid safely.

you should disable the heater on any engine with electric starting aids before using ether as an extra percaution extra couple minutes of work worth it

yes ether is not GOOD for an engine, but freezing to death in a parking lot or paying for a tow is worse in my opinion

you only need a little bit, too much and you will dry out cylender walls (many starting fluids supposedly contain upper cyl lubricant though) and risk hydrolocking the engine. you should spray it in short bursts while cranking the engine. ether cans used to spray in a solid stream like a can of lube. in the last few years they changed it to a mist spray. if it comes out in a stream you need to be very stingy with it or you will use too much. if it comes out in a mist you can be more generous. too little is better then too much

i personally would risk it if it is rarely used. starting it every day for a year with a hand held can of ether, ya your probably going to do damage.

im sure lots of people will say im an idiot and a liar. but im not. they will be the ones in the winter waiting for a tow truck in a parking lot, and i will be the one blowing smoke :moon: that being said my truck starts 10 F not plugged in (cant) with two weak batteries no problem.

Agreed ether is not HORRIBLE. But you need to be cautious with it I do belive engines can become ether babys if you use it all the time. My cummins has started in -29 F with powersevice in the fuel, and unpluged no problem.

i had a regular customer with a f 650 with a 12v with a bad solenoid on the pump, had to lift the hood and lift the lever every time you started it, guy would never want to fix it, been doing that for 2 years...:argh:

i got nothin to back it up but i totally agree with you there. i bet if used too much over time would prob result in lower compression from cylender walls dryhumpin the pistons too much

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LOL! well at least no one would steal it. solenoid goes on mine i'll be spending $20 on a choke cable. im cheap but im also lazy. no hood poping for me :)

when i was looking for a link to prove that a 6bt could handle ether i found a marine site that recommended plugging the intake while cranking the engine so it would be cranking a vacuum and crank faster then uncover it while it was still cranking so the air would rush in and cause it to fire. it would prob flood but it might be something to try in a pinch. the cylenders would prob build a little more heat i could see it working

#1 if this is a 24 valve the compression ratio is something like 16.5:1 12 valve is 14:1 i believe, The oldest trick in the book for starting any diesel is the gasoline trick, and the plain old crank it for 15 sec then wait, then wait some more, it spreads the heat inside the cylinders around into piston and cylinder walls, next crank I'll guarantee it'll at least start to shudder, unless you outta fuel but with a element type heater like above said, gas/ether it may/will explode and before you do that let me run first.idk if these ppl in here that said to use ether ever work on a diesel engine, but i do, and this is what results, pic attached.

Dumb asses, even on your old tractor ether is a last resort, the cold crank heat spread is EXTREMELY effective way of starting a cold motor. Even works on Detroits with the short amount of time the fuel is in the cylinder.
Also the 6BT ether injection system is only used on lower compression engines heavy equipment gnereators etc. Dodge wanted power so cummins upped it by compression ratio, and is injected after the preheater right into the intake manifold.