High altitude starting

[hot rod hauler]

I have a 94 6.5TB 3500 with 186K miles.
I live at 5800ft elev. in Arizona. On a trip
to California I stayed with friends at 500ft
above sea level. Each cold start at 500ft.
for the week I stayed the engine would start
on the first try and no smoke. When I returned home to 5800ft the engine went back to it's
old way of starting, that being two or three
trys and blue smoke for a short time. I know
of gas engines that have high altitude compensation systems. Do the 6.5 diesels have
this also and could this be acting up?

Thanks for any help on this.

Bill

[Jim P]

Beings that your truck is a 94, it would have electronic injection and the computer does compensate for higher altitudes by allowing more boost pressure from the turbo but that will not help any during starting because the turbo will not be making any boost yet.

About the only thing you can do is make the glow plugs stay on a little longer or get the quick heat glow plugs. Either one would make it start much better.

[Johnny B.]

Bill, I experienced pretty much the same thing on a trip to Wyoming this summer. My truck starts fine with minimal white smoke while starting in Indiana. While in Wyoming 7000'-9100' where I camped I thought I had a tank of bad fuel since my truck smoked for several minutes and ran really rough as if it was flooded. I also had to crank it for several seconds often having to try three or more times. You would have thought that I was fogging the mosquitos when starting the truck at the high elevations. Unlike you I have the mechanical pump.

I changed the fuel filter and did not notice it being very dirty and did not find any water. It still smoked and ran rough for several minutes after starting either warm or cold. I dumped some Power Service 911 in and ran a tank through. I didn't notice any improvement until I decreased altitude through Nebraska.

[bobt]

Hi. Higher altitude means less air for the same amount of fuel at startup resulting in a richer fuel/air ratio. Frequently causes smoke at startup plus more cranking effort to start. I experience both of these symptoms at high altitude. However, I don't get the rough idle that other occasionally do.

[StephenA]

Although I have no idea why, my 92 mechanical with 170k, original glow plugs, injectors & IP starts right up at 11,400 feet in the rockies when dead cold... like zero degrees. 5 seconds of white smoke & it runs as usual- only a little black smoke when below 1700 RPM, or a lot when lugging.
No altitude compensation on this beast, right?

[Johnny B.]

Two years ago I didn't have one problem. I'm wondering if it may be leaking injectors or bad glow plug(s).