Hard to start... what say you is the problem?

[realm]

My truck never fails to start, but it usually takes 2-3 keyturns to get it going.
I have a brand new starter.
I live in Memphis, TN so it's not cold here.

What may be the problem?

Glowplugs?

Batteries? (mine are old... voltage usually reads in high yellow somewhere until I get the truck turned running)

 

[AllenEM]

they do like good batteries also check your glow plug control card.

 

[hobie237]

What happens when you try to start it? Do the glow plugs cycle as they should? Do the glow plugs check out to be in serviceable condition?

 

[hndrsonj]

I'm betting if you follow the sticky and bypass the glow plug card it will start right up. I don't even have one in my truck anymore they are a PITA.

 

[stuinnh]

My truck never fails to start, but it usually takes 2-3 keyturns to get it going.
I have a brand new starter.
I live in Memphis, TN so it's not cold here.

What may be the problem?

Glowplugs?

Batteries? (mine are old... voltage usually reads in high yellow somewhere until I get the truck turned running)

Your problem is the fuel sensor switch located behind the fuel filter on the filter base. It is round with 2 wires and is held in place with spring clip. The military knew about the their problem with cracking and was replacing them. Civy trucks don't have this in their Stanadyne 80 filter base. It is part of ice testing hookup. $10 item that will cause hard starting even in 50 degree temps. Replace it and problem cured. Owens Export had them in stock.

 

[motormayhem]

Your problem is the fuel sensor switch located behind the fuel filter on the filter base. It is round with 2 wires and is held in place with spring clip. The military knew about the their problem with cracking and was replacing them. Civy trucks don't have this in their Stanadyne 80 filter base. It is part of ice testing hookup. $10 item that will cause hard starting even in 50 degree temps. Replace it and problem cured. Owens Export had them in stock.

What does it do? I had problems with those fuel filters so my truck has a hose from the inlet to the outlet on the fuel filter base and then goes into a in line fuel filter. So there is no filter on the base and I never have starting issues.

 

[realm]

What happens when you try to start it? Do the glow plugs cycle as they should? Do the glow plugs check out to be in serviceable condition?

If by cycle you mean the wait light comes on and goes out, then yes. If you mean if I've tested them... no. I don't have a tester and haven't really fully understood how to take them out and test them, so I've just been dealing with the issue.

Oh, I forgot one more important thing...

if it's been running for a while, like after a drive to the store, when I come back the sucker cranks right up easily. It's just hard to start when it's been sitting for a while.

 

[doghead]

Realm, get yourself an inexpensive digital volt/ohm meter(HF has one for less than $10). Unplug each wire from the GP's and measure for resistance between the terminal and the hex head area. You should see 1.5 ohms or close to that. If you see 0(no) resistance, than you have a bad GP. test all 8, I bet you have some that are bad. If you need help understanding how to do this, PM me.

 

[hobie237]

Bad glow plugs may show 0 ohms, or, more likely, they may show infinite (open circuit) resistance. Either way it's kinda a moot point, either the meter will show some resistance (good plug), or it'll peg at one end of the scale (bad plug).

That said, the wait light is NOT a good way of determining whether the glow plugs are cycling. My glow plug relay was bad, and although the wait light functioned as it should, the plugs weren't cycling properly.

Hard to start when sitting can be a glow plug problem, or a fuel supply problem. It's my experience that it tends to more often be a glow plug problem, but a leak that allows fuel to drain back to the tank, and then have to be pumped back up could cause similar symptoms. You could try pulling the glow plug card to disable the plugs, and give it a quick shot of starting fluid, and see what happens. If it's a fuel supply problem, it'll most likely start and then die, whereas if it's a glow plug problem, it'll most likely keep running. Whatever you do, DO NOT use starting fluid with the automatic glow plugs working. This also isn't THAT definitive of a test, as the starting fluid may allow it to run long enough at a fast enough speed to move fuel back up, but it's an option.

 

[Hasdrubal]

Here's how I test my glowplugs; pull all wires, take a test light,connect to the pos battery terminal, touch test light to each plug, if it doesn't light up, its dead. As for the fuel draining back, I had a similiar brain wracking problem, turned out to be a faulty fuel cap. When you park at night open the cap, if it starts good the next morning there's your culprit.

 

[realm]

Realm, get yourself an inexpensive digital volt/ohm meter(HF has one for less than $10). Unplug each wire from the GP's and measure for resistance between the terminal and the hex head area. You should see 1.5 ohms or close to that. If you see 0(no) resistance, than you have a bad GP. test all 8, I bet you have some that are bad. If you need help understanding how to do this, PM me.

I'm learning... few questions...

#1 So I pull the glow plug wires, then touch one end of the tester to the glow plug end directly, and the other end to what... the postive battery terminal post directly? And I check for resistance that way?

#2 A volt/ohm meter usually has a positive tester "stick" and a negative "stick" right? (Love my technical terms don't you?) Or are they both just whatever?

#3 If I have to remove my glowplugs, do I need a glowplug removal tool, and if not, what tool can I use to remove them?

#4 I think my GP's may have been converted from Wellman's or whatever the military is to the AC60's or whatever it is I can't remember off the top of my head. Is there an easy way to tell from looking at the glow plug?

Thank you!

 

[tsmall07]

When you're cranking, does smoke come out the exhaust? It should if you're getting fuel. If not, you probably have a fuel leak and it's letting air in the system which is allowing the fuel to drain back to the tank. That's my guess.

 

[Crash_AF]

1) Set your Volt/Ohm meter to the 'Ohm' setting (upside down horseshoe symbol). Touch one of the leads (doesn't matter which) to the hex head (glow plug body) and the other to the glow plug terminal. The reading you will get is a measure of resistance to the flow of electricity.

Open or no reading means that there is no connection between the terminal and the body.
A 0 reading means that there is no resistance to current flow between the glow plug terminal and the body, meaning that the plug is shorted out. A good plug will be 1.5 (plus or minus a point) if it is less than that, your plugs are starting to fail.

2) The positive and negative "sticks" or probes as they are called, are usually red and black for positive and negative respectively. If you hook them up backwards, most digital meters will give a negative reading. Older analog (sweep needle) meters will burn out.

Positive and negative (or red and black if you prefer) does not matter when you are reading ohms (the upside down horseshoe symbol on the meter's dial), it only matters when you are measuring voltage.

Another nifty setting on your new Volt/Ohm meter is the upside down horseshoe with the little 'sound' symbol beside it. If you touch the two probes together, you get a beep. This means that there is a path for the electricity to pass through. You can use this setting to check the condition of a wire by putting one probe on one end of the wire, and the other probe on the other end. If you get a beep, the wire is good. If not, the wire is broken somewhere.

Later,
Joe

 

[doghead]

Great explanation CAF.

You should only need a 10mm deep well socket to remove the glow plugs.(unless you have one that is "swollen")

The correct original military glow plug application is a wellman 070. It can be identified (installed) by the terminal width. They have a 3/16" wide terminal.

If you choose any other glow plug, it will most likely have a 1/4" wide spade terminal.
I have replaced my original terminal ends on my cucv to a insulated 1/4" terminal end, so I can use whatever glow plugs I want.

Others have filed or ground the terminals on the other brands of gp to work with the original terminal ends.

I installed Wellmans in my truck and for some reason experienced 2 bad gp's in just 3 months. One swelled and was hard to get out, I did get it out without a removal tool. (replacements were sent to me, free)

If you have a bad connection on just one gp, you could start a cycle that will burn out all of your gp's. (if using the original 24v and resistor bank power supply wiring)


I have used the AC60G gp's in a friends truck and he is very happy with their performance.

 

[mr.travo]

So when I OHM check each plug, I can have the truck in the OFF position, right? I want to do this as well (OCD), just so I can make it part of my monthly PMCS.

 

[mistaken1]

So when I OHM check each plug, I can have the truck in the OFF position, right? I want to do this as well (OCD), just so I can make it part of my monthly PMCS.

...snip .... Unplug each wire from the GP's and measure for resistance between the terminal and the hex head area. You should see 1.5 ohms or close to that. If you see 0(no) resistance, than you have a bad GP. ... snip ...

I guess quotes only is not allowed.