starting realy hard

[allformike]

after sitting over night, it took me a long time to get it fired up. i usuealy only have to cycle the plugs once or twice no matter how long it sat or cold it was. so do you guys think it's time for some new gp's? how can i test them to see if they are working?

[john8662]

They're one of the suspects for poor starting.

Testing them is pretty easy, but this method doesn't identify in-between plugs, those are aren't glowing to their fullest potential.

All you need is a test light.

Connect the lead to your (+) battery terminal under the hood, for the bank you're working on (nearest battery). Then, unplug the glow plug connector of the plug you're going to test, then touch the pointer side of your test light to the prong/terminal of the plug. If it lights, then the plug is likely good. Continue this for all 8 plugs.

When glow plugs fail, they're much like a light-bulb in that there will be an open circuit when they fail, hence the no light on your test light (no source to ground).

[allformike]

so after i got out of work tonight, the truck cranked over a few times then sputtered. i let off the key and went to try it again. but it just clicks. i tapped the starter and still nothing. i then checked the wires to the starter and put jumper cables on and still it only clicks. i never got it started. so what's up with that. i evan moved it back a few feet to make shure the starter didn't get stuck between teeth on the flywheel, but still it only clicks:mad:. any thoughts.

[80Sierra]

My 96 4.3L did that to me, wound up being a bad solenoid

[DmaxMaverick]

Battery connections and grounds. Can't say it enough.

[Robyn]

These engines require top notch power to the system.
The engine requires not only good glow plugs and good fuel delivery but also good cranking speed too.
The minimum cranking speed is 200 RPM.
The power required to turn the 6.2/6.5 over is considerably more than even the nastiest big o'll rat motor.

Poor batteries, cables and such will lead to the failure of the starter due to very high current draw (Brown out).

You need to isolate the current condition of the system. You may have a worn out starter as well as other contributing factors.

Once the batteries and the other components are up to spec, things will probably work fine.

Never use the little cable ends that clamp onto the cable. They will get you off the side of the freeway and home in a pinch but are not suitable for continuous use.

The side terminal cables corrode inside where you cant see it. Down under the rubber jacket and even under the crimps on the grounds where they bolt to the block.

If the rig has not had a set of cables in a long time (Since new) toss the lot of them and get a fresh set. Best thing is to use some heavy welding cable and solder on copper eyes and go to bolt type top terminal batteries or the Jello batteries that come with both side and top terminals.

This will eliminate the issue once and for all. The factory stuff is surface soldered and crimped but the core of the cable corrodes leaving very little left to do the job.

A new starter may well be in order too.

You are probably seeing some effects from road salt on things too.


Good luck

Robyn

[allformike]

i replaced both the batteries about a month ago, and the starter just before christmas. i don't know about the battery cables, they should be changed. it has never did this before that's why it concerns me. thanks guys, i think with this i should be able to figure it out, unless you all have more to add.

[Subzilla]

Changing the fuel filter has resolved a hard starting problem in the past. It's cheap and easy. Let us know what you find.

[allformike]

well it started fine this morning after fixing the terminals, went up town, came back, went to start it to go to work and it just clicks. but the jumper cables on it and still it only clicks. we left the cables on for almost 20 minutes and it still just clicks. my only thought is the starter or the solinoid. any thoughts.

[Robyn]

Starter solenoid contacts could be used up and or the starter could have a bad segment in it.

Get the starter off the little beast and see whats going on.

If your starter is a direct drive, dont let some parts dude try and sell you a gear drive.

The direct drive starters are head and shoulders above any of the gear drive units.

Your starter is probably used up. If its a high miler then a replacement is in order.

If you have a quality "Auto electric" shop that can do a good rebuild for you it will be far better than any parts store rebuilt.

Been there done that.

Best

Robyn

[80Sierra]

Really? I'd always been told that the gear reduction starters from the 6.5Ls turned the engines over faster with less amperage draw?

I still say you should be checking your solenoid though. Is it clicking rapidly when you hit the key, or is it clicking solidly and staying that way until you let go of the key?

If it it the second behaviour, then you either have a couple dead coils in the starter which gives it a "dead spot" and greatly reduces it's power, or your solenoid is not making proper contact internally to provide the power to the starter motor.

Personally, mine was the second problem. The original solenoid would work great for months at a time, then all of a sudden it would just start clicking like you are describing, it'd throw the bendix into the flywheel, but would not energize the starter motor.

I personally just replaced the starter with a Bosch mini / high torque gear reduction starter and never looked back. Eventually put the old starter on a 305 I had picked up that didn't have one after I replaced the solenoid, hasn't given me any trouble since.

[More Power]

The original 6.2 in what became the 6.5TD Project truck had 135,000 miles on the odometer (4.10 gears/TH400) when I bought it. It started hard. The engine had good compression, and the original owner had replaced the fuel injection pump, injectors, glow plugs, starter and batteries in an attempt to solve the problem - but never did. I think this was why he was somewhat anxious to sell it.

The problem, I discovered, was actually due to a worn out timing chain. The timing chain had worn to point that it produced 4-5 degrees of timing chain slack. I discovered this by attempting to set the DB2 injection timing, and no amount of pump rotation made a significant difference in the engine response or starting ability. A new timing set made a night/day difference.... ;)

Jim

[allformike]

turns out i needed a alternator:rolleyes:. whatever, it starts again. if it happens again i'll report it. thanks guys

[allformike]

well it started fine this morning, went to start it after sitting for 2 hours to go to the store and it clicked again. put the jumper cables on it and still no crank. took them off since i was very angry, cycled the plugs a few times and she came back to life. is it not cranking cuz i didn't cyle the plugs enough or what is the deal with it? kinda confuses me. any thoughts?

[allformike]

well i went through and tightened and cleaned all the grounds and replaced the braided line grounds, and cleaned and re tightened the terminals on the battery and the starter and she roared back to life. i took the batteries in and had a load on them and they came out perfect with them both having 950 cca and just over 1100 ca. if it happens agian i think i'm just going to cahnge the starter and have a completely new setup, new batteries, alternator, bigger ground and power cables, and a new starter, i'll keep you guys posted.

[allformike]

every morning when i go out to fire it up, it will click one time, turn it off, then it will cranks again. why is this?

[allformike]

well it won't start again, i checked it with the meter and it had 12.41 voltage, all the connection are solid, so do you all think that my starter is bad? it is really frustrating me that i;m not sure if it will start if i shut it off.

[joe bleaux]

allformike,

Have you considered that when you had your batteries load tested, that they were freshly charged and now, after sitting for some amount of time, you measure 12.41 volts on the meter, that they are somewhat discharged?

It is impossible to determine the state-of-charge of a lead-acid battery with a volt-meter however, 12.41 indicates that it/they are not fully charged.

I have read along of your travails with this problem but I can't recall all that has gone before.

If you have a charger of that is a tapering charge and is capable of at least 10 amperes initially, try to leave it on the batteries for an hour or two before starting and see if it starts then. If it does, repeat the one or two hour charge and that MAY indicate that your batteries are not quite up to snuff IF, you can't start after leaving it off-charge all night and trying to start the next morning.

Joe




well it won't start again, i checked it with the meter and it had 12.41 voltage, all the connection are solid, so do you all think that my starter is bad? it is really frustrating me that i;m not sure if it will start if i shut it off.