Diesel engine question.

[Oh Haha]

My work rig wouldn't start this am. The same thing happened last week one day as well. After a jumpstart from our mobile tech it ran fine all day.

We plug the block heaters in overnight and mine truck was plugged in from about 3pm Friday until 6:00am today. The truck is an International with a Cat engine.

I jumped into another rig and left but had called the repair service so I didn't get to talk to him. When he arrived, he jumped started the rig and it fired right up.

One of the guys I work with thinks that the reason it wouldn't start is that the block heater power was not continuous over the w/e. Ours are on timers.

The truck I drove had sat for over a week without being plugged in at all and it fired right up. It's a 2009 GMC with a Duramax.)

Nothing int he truck was left on over the weekend that would have drained the batteries.

I'm not up on diesel engines but it seems dead batteries pretty much have the same symptoms no matter the type of engine.

Anyone have ideas to share?

[speeder]

Dead batteries definitely have the same symptoms on diesel engines as gas ones, the only difference is that a diesel will never crank fast enough to start w/ a weak battery but a gas engine frequently will.

[TimT]

I have my trucks block heater hooked up to a timer....Even with that it just wont start recently... Installed new batteries.....starts easily...

I got 5 years out of the old batteries.. so am pretty happy with them Duralast Gold top

The modern Diesels need batteries with full power and reserve..Found out that some of the injections circuits etc on my Ford PSD run at 48V the batteries need to have 12+ volts to start and ampacity to turn the engine at enough rpms to ignite the mixture..

Get some new batteries..

[Oh Haha]

That's what I thought, Tim.

I doubt we'll get new batteries, though. The rig is set to be returned to our leasing company in January.



None of the other trucks in our yard, which are the same unit, had any problems starting. The mileage and hours vary between them.

Thanks for the help, guys.

[byfdinky]

My 2002 Ford Ex with the 7.3 Turbo Diesel had no problem last week with the low about 24 degrees. I don't plug it in anymore since I installed two yellow top Optimas. Even up north in January it will fire. Does need to crank allitle.

Was it slow to turn over due to the weakend battery, or was it a fuel problem? Also, check your fuel filter and water separator.

Get it ready because you know whats coming!

[TimT]

One thing that really confirmed for me that fresh strong batteries are required for the modern Diesels is that I installed a monitor... scangauge I am able to monitor the battery volts, and the voltage the fuel injector control module is outputting..

The injectors work @ 48V on my truck...

I noticed that if my 5 y/o bateries sat for a few days... they would dwell down to 12.1 volts from 12.8.. sometimes less than 12..

I would cycle the glow plugs once or twice... then crank.... cranking volts would quickly drop to 7-8 volts... and the control module voltage would drop in to the 35-38 volt range...

The injectors wont even fire then... so no start...

New batteries and it happy happy joy joy..

[speeder]

Yep and one weak battery out of the two will make you cry on a cold morning. They always need to be replaced in pairs. Expensive but they start like a champ w/ new batteries.

[speeder]

It's a timely thread because I'm looking at used diesel PU trucks right now. Very used.

[Oh Haha]

The truck is an International with a CAT 444 engine.

It was slow to turn over. Fuel/water wasn't an issue.

I'm going to try to get it to the dealer this week and see if they will replace the batteries(all 3 of them).

Our leasing company doesn't like to replace parts until they are completely worn out.

[M.D. Holloway]

Fuel gelling?

[john70t]

Slow diesel cranking sounds like batteries.

Also consider a thermal blanket and/or other insulation.
No sense in trying to drain the ocean.

[VINMAN]

I put new batteries in my truck every year. Whether I need them or not. Cheap insurance.

[dennis in se pa]

I believe that if it started with a jump the answer is apparent. Properly maintained batteries last for years. Keep them full of distilled water and fully charged.

[rfuerst911sc]

Have the batteries tested to see what life is left in them. Also check your cables. Last week my GMC/Duramax out of the blue lost ALL power. No warning nothing. Turned out to be a bad positive battery connector on the drivers side battery. Replaced with new connector along with corrosion gel and works great.

[Drisump]

I go through a pair every three to five years or so...and I don't live in a place that gets much below +25. Diesels require full wack out of their batteries and like everyone else, I think that's the problem. Cheers

[NO LIFT]

New batteries.

Batteries in medium and heavy duty trucks are susceptible to vibration since most are located in a box that is attached outside the frame rail. Vibration is bad for battery life. A piece of rubber mudflap under the batteries is common.

Trucks these days have a great deal of electrical items, ECM's for the engine, brake ABS, even the turn signals.

Your shop will probably have several operators that need batteries this time of year...and go ahead and replace all of them!

[dmcummins]

I just replaced mine on my 2006 Dodge. It still had the original's in it. Had trouble starting it the other day and had to put a charger on it. Figured its time since they were 5 years old.

[Joeaksa]

Originally Posted by speeder

Yep and one weak battery out of the two will make you cry on a cold morning. They always need to be replaced in pairs. Expensive but they start like a champ w/ new batteries.

Good advise! Never replace just one battery on a diesel. Just asking for trouble.

[gtc]

Originally Posted by john70t

Slow diesel cranking sounds like batteries.

Also consider a thermal blanket and/or other insulation.
No sense in trying to drain the ocean.

This is what I was going to suggest also - battery blanket or heat pad.

[MotoSook]

Originally Posted by LubeMaster77

Fuel gelling?

They got it started both times with jumper cables....doubt it's a fuel problem.