suburban stalled and won't start

[fresburb]

have a 99' suburban 6.5. truck has 102,000mls on it. the engine and fuel injection pump have about 10,000mls. last week i had no high end power and was hesitating on acceleration. i changed the fuel filter and problem went away. now tonight i started it and it stalled after about 15 seconds while idling and now wont start. I know the fsd/pmd is well covered here but how do i know if that is the problem? how can i test it? i've seen others mention oil pressure switch and ignition wire harness. any help would be appreciated

thanks,
Rich

[JohnC]

The first thing that comes to mind is that the tank is contaminated and your new filter has suffered the same fate as the old one. Also make sure the lift pump is running when it should.

[fresburb]

this morning i cranked it and it took a few extra seconds to turn over, but it started. i shut it down and restarted it several different times; each time it started right up.
Do you still think it is fuel filter related? or lift pump?

is there another filter between the gas tank and the primary filter??

thanks in advance,
rich

[Hubert]

Sorry to say still no real way to test FSD/PMD except replace with known good one to verify its not the problem. You might want to obtain a back up. Some have reported taking back off and tightening transistor screws back up. You'll have to read the threads as I have not tried it.

If it comes and goes like that sounds like FSD/PMD or electrical gremlin.

Only one OE fuel filter on the 6.5 trucks. If its quiet with my door open (and I hold my door shut sensor in) with all accesories off I can hear the LP come on with key on during WTS cycle.

[fresburb]

thanks for the responses guys. i'll check out the lp. i'll probably have to buy the fsd :eek: relocation kit. 500bucks man thats a lot of cabbage

[atom_c]

Your IP and PMD/FSD should be under warranty. Last summer I told the dealership near me about my stalling symptoms and that I thought it was the PMD. I asked if they replaced it under warranty would they put the new FSD on the cooler I supplied. They did, no questions asked. I then made my own extended wiring harness and mounted the cooler in the bumper behind the license plate. It has worked great so far, but making the harness was a PITA. (This was after I visited the dealership on the other end of town. I let them diagnose and then rip me big $ for a VSSB module which, of course, did not solve my stalling problem :mad: )

I have heard (and found) that not all dealers would be so obliging as the one near me. You might have some options that won't run into big dollars. Good luck!

[Perry]

My once very reliable Suburban finally left me stranded a few times over the last month, and the problem was finally diagnosed as a fuel problem at the tank.

My Suburban rarely gets driven and algae formed in the tank which started corroding the inside of the tank. And the metal particles from the tank along with the algae clogged up the fuel strainer inside the tank. The Suburban would drive fine after sitting, but after driving a while it would die again. I think when it was resting, the particles would settle out of the fuel tank strainer and would plug up again after an extended drive. So I had the tank cleaned, tank strainer replaced, and lines flushed.

My first order of business after getting the Suburban back was to go to my local marine supply store and get some diesel algae killer and fuel stablizer, hopefully I won't have this problem again.

[jspringator]

Congrats to John C for nailing it on the first post!

[fresburb]

Originally posted by atom_c:
Your IP and PMD/FSD should be under warranty. Last summer I told the dealership near me about my stalling symptoms and that I thought it was the PMD. I asked if they replaced it under warranty would they put the new FSD on the cooler I supplied. They did, no questions asked. I then made my own extended wiring harness and mounted the cooler in the bumper behind the license plate. It has worked great so far, but making the harness was a PITA. (This was after I visited the dealership on the other end of town. I let them diagnose and then rip me big $ for a VSSB module which, of course, did not solve my stalling problem :mad: )

I have heard (and found) that not all dealers would be so obliging as the one near me. You might have some options that won't run into big dollars. Good luck! I bought this truck about 5 months ago. The guy I bought it from in Utah had the engine replaced even though it was just out of warranty. I guess he has a good relationship with the dealer so they agreed to replace it but only with a 1yr 12,000 mile warranty which it is now passed.

[fresburb]

Originally posted by James Springate:
Congrats to John C for nailing it on the first post! I've been starting it and driving it trouble free for 2 days without doing anything to it. I wouldn't think it is the fuel filter but then again what do I know thats why I'm asking :confused: .

[twaddle]

How many miles has the truck done?
If less than 120,000miles the fuel injection pump including FSD should be covered by the extended warranty.

Good luck

Jim Twaddle
Biggar, Scotland

[fresburb]

is the extended 120000 mile warranty for the injection pump/pmd because of the known problems? truck is under 120,000. has 102000 now

[twaddle]

Check out this thread from the reference section with regards to the extended warranty.

http://www.thedieselpage.com/members/DSwarranty.htm

If talking to the dealer I wouldn't mention the recent engine replacement just in case it causes problems with them handling a warranty claim on the fuel pump.

Is the "Service engine soon" light staying on constantly meaning fault codes are being stored in the PCM.
Anytime I have had stalling problems I have never had any codes.

And yes the extra warranty was due the fuel injection pump related problems although I and many others now believe that the pump has only caused a fraction of the stalling failures.

Check as many connectors and ground connections as you can lay your hands on to eliminate the simple things first if it definately not a fuel supply fault.

Good luck

Jim Twaddle
Biggar, Scotland

[fresburb]

Jim,

The ses light has not come on at all. its been running great for 4 days no trouble starting either. I'll check the connections and then maybe head to the dealer. Thanks for the info.

[Perry]

Originally posted by fresburb:
its been running great for 4 days no trouble starting either. If its a fuel tank issue like mine, it will drive fine, and all the sudden, just not want to run. After mine died the first time and I had it towed to the dealer, they said everything was fine as it started right up and idled for an hour, but they did offer to replace the PMD for $900 as they said it was probably failing, thus my random stalling problem. I drove it home from the dealer, drove it around town for a week without problems.

As it was a random drivability issue, I called Bill Heath and his advice was to bring it in and he would see what was wrong with it. Armed with my AAA card, I did the 100 drive without incident, and within 10 minutes of being under the hood saw that my fuel filter had black gook over it, and when they did a fuel flow and quality test, more black specks came out, and he suggested right away that I need to go to a shop that could drain the tank, clean the lines and get my tank filter replaced. I felt silly wasting his time for something as simple as that, but at least while I was there, he set my pump timing, installed a high output lift pump, and we took a spirited test drive up the mountains while plugged into his TechII to make sure my motor was running top notch.

I almost made it home, the Suburban died within 10 miles of home. This time, I discovered that if I let is sit for 5-10 minutes, I could get it to start and run and I was able to move it a few blocks into a parking lot before it died again. So I had it towed home, and promptly made an appointment to have the tank dropped and cleaned. After sitting a few days, it had no problems starting a driving to the shop to have the fuel tank done. When the shop dropped the tank, it was as Bill predicted, my tank sock was plugged.

So before you think you are out of the woods, look at your fuel filter again, and if its already dirty after a week of driving, your tank filter needs to be replaced and tank cleaned.

[fresburb]

Originally posted by Perry:


So before you think you are out of the woods, look at your fuel filter again, and if its already dirty after a week of driving, your tank filter needs to be replaced and tank cleaned. You may be right. I may just have to drop the tank and check that sock filter. thanks for the info Perry