Truck just stopped dead on the road

[HowieE]

My truck just stopped dead while going down the road. This happened 4 times in about 15 mins. and would not restart unless I waited 30+ seconds then it would run fine till the next shut down.
I stopped in at a diesel shop and they said the optical sensor in the pump was bad. I question this. What do you think? If it were optical why would it restart after 30 seconds. I would consider this a thermal problem if time resets it.
Next day I drove 100 miles towing my trailer and no sign of a problem.
Ideas appreciated since I like to travel in the fast lane and that not a good idea with a stalling truck

[MEDiesel]

The same thing happened to me last winter. It turned out to be the injection pump. No SES light, right? I had a lift pump go bad before this, apparently it put metal into my IP,causing it to go bad.

[tanker]

I was with Howie this past weekend and thought it may have been a bad FSD, so I loaned him my spare just in case, but he made it home ok. Kind of strange, but he does have the original pump, so maybe its time . :rolleyes:

[HowieE]

MEDIESEL
How was it deternined that it was the pump and not just the FSD. Without the truck failing and remaing dead long enough to change ot the FSD I am reluctant to just roll over and install a pump.

[MEDiesel]

No, I wouldn't either. I'd try the FSD first. The thing with my truck was it did stop altogether,on a busy street so that I had to make a turn across traffic,truck not running,to pull in to the GMC dealership here in Auburn. I was told I had metal,gel,and water in my fuel. No one told me where the metal came from.I had a bad lift pump about 6 months before,though. GM paid for the pump,I paid $2000.00 in parts + labor to clean the system and replace it. I did lose an FSD on a 97 that I had,it did the same thing yours is.Intermittent stalling.

[tom.mcinerney]

If no codes could be FSD. I think optical sensor should set code. Are screws securing PMD to pump tight? Is there proper lift pump pressure? Was tank more than 1/2 full at times of stalling?

[Jolie]

Just food for thought, but we had a 96 K2500 6.5L TD that would do that. Be driving down the road and suddenly you are diving for a place to get that beast stopped after it shut down, would always restart like nothing happened as long as we waited a few seconds, but dang if it wouldn't do it again.

Four months we went through every imaginable thing, lift pumps, fuel filters, we live too close to a radar, everything.......never any codes stored, nothing. The truck would just shut down, idling, driving 65 down the highway, driving slow, didn't matter.

Finally I got fed up, told the service advisor that HE was going to drive it until it did it to him. Took about 4 days, it did it to him and it turned out to be the PCM. Replaced that and it never happened again. During that same time they had a couple 97's and another 96 doing the same darn thing, all with very frustrated owners. After they fixed ours they replaced PCM's in all those and walla, all fixed. Very strange indeed.

Not saying that's what it is, but its something to check no doubt.

[additive]

All,
My 96 suburban is doing the same type of thing. The engine quits and then starts right up. This is my wife's rig and I don't want to leave her stranded. The rig has 154,000 and I don't know when the Injection Pump was last changed in that I bought it used. No codes are being set with these failures to give me any clue what to change. The lift pump continues to purr everytime I turn the key on and for a bit just after shutdown.

My thoughts are to spend the $1000 on the the new Injection pump instead of the $300 on the FSD and then have the injection pump go out anyway. By replacing the whole thing now, I should be good for the rest of the life of the vehicle. I will also be replacing the injectors and glow plugs while I am at it in that I am sure they have never been replaced.

Does anyone know what the warranty is on factory new injection pumps?

[jspringator]

Additive, the local dealer can pull the service history and let you know if the pump was changed under warranty. It probably was. Mine was replaced at 100,000 miles, and the PMD went out {with your exact symptoms} at about 140,000. I would find out if the pump has been replaced, and if so, spring for the FSD cooler with FSD. With mine, I would be going down the road and the truck would stall, restart immediately. The engine would also abruptly accelerate at idle.

[AC Bingel]

My Suburban did the same thing last winter with 90,000 miles. GM replaced the injection pump under warranty. I spoke with the mechanic at the dealership and he said my pump was fine but the FSD was bad. GM instructed them to replace the whole thing. It runs great now but starts a lot harder than it used to. It would be safe to say its your FSD. Good luck!

[additive]

Thanks guys for your help on this. After thinking it over and all the labor involved in this project, I think I will just start with the FSD and Cooler. This way I can get it on the road quicker. I suppose an extra FSD is not a bad thing to have.

I will try and see if a dealer has any history on the rig. I bought it in UT, and have sinced moved to Mesa, AZ. But I have a hunch which dealer would have changed out the injection pump.

[additive]

FSD & Cooler on order from JK. I am very anxious to get the new one on and see what happens. I have been driving this the past couple of days problem free until I took a group out to lunch today. I really experienced the problem today on the way to the restraunt, but the ride back to work was uneventful. I should have an update in a couple of days.

[Hellbillie]

All
I had the same problem with my 94 6,5TD K1500.
It started with just a stop now and then, and during the next week it got worse. In the end it would stop almost evry 5 min. This would happen at idle, or when driving, didn`t matter. Sometimes i could start right away, or i had to wait some time. No codes during this time.
Bought a new FSD and a cooler from DSG, and replaced it. The truck behaved well for the last 3 months after replacment.

[ucdavis]

Additive-
2 thoughts- first I'd check the new FSD for transistor nut tightness B4 installing. This seems to be a bit of added insurance against failure from sloppy FSD QC. Pop the diamond shapped black plastic caps off the back, use a bare socket, no wrench, & finger-tighten the 4 1/4" nuts. Then, using a wrench, tighten additional 1/4 to 1/2 turn (don't go crazy but make sure they are well snugged). Reinstall caps.
Second, if you didn't order the extension harness for remote mounting of FSD, consider that. The additional heat of intake manifold mount seems to cause many cases of premature FSD death. Also, FSD replacement is a snap once remote.

[additive]

ucdavis,
Thanks for the heads up on that. I ordered the whole kit from JK that has the extension. Hopefully, will see it tonight. Will update once I have it installed. I'll know if it is working as I am stuck driving the suburban until the problem is resolved.

[HowieE]

Here's an update.
I changed out the FSD using Bill Heath's mounting plate and installed the FSD inside the bumper were it can only see outside air temperatures. Take a look at my site for pictures. This after having 2 FSD fail while mounted on a Beta Cooler. If you are using a Beta Cooler consider getting an extension cable and moving it out of the engine compartment to cooler air.
After the changeout we headed for SC for a week. This opened up a new question on the FSDs. With just the changing of the FSD and it's location the truck drove like it has never driven before. Fuel milage went from the old 10.7 to 11 while towing to 12.2. The power levels were noticably UP. Hills that I would have normaly used my propane system on I drove at road speed with power to spare.
Now for the question. Can a failing FSD cause misses that one can not detect. Thus reduced power and fuel milage and maybe an early warning sign.

[jspringator]

AC Bingel, when I had my mechanic check the timing, it was set at 0. I assumed that the dealer retarded the timing upon the pump replacement. I would check timing, and reset at -1.5. This could be the cause of your hard start.

[additive]

Quick question on the mounting of the PMD to the FSD cooler. I recieved a thin piece of plastic the size of the FSD in the same bag as the FSD.

I also recieved a thin gasket with the cutouts for the solenoids. Do I just use the gasket included with the FSD cooler for in between the FSD and FSD Cooler?

[charliepeterson]

Originally posted by additive:
Quick question on the mounting of the PMD to the FSD cooler. I recieved a thin piece of plastic the size of the FSD in the same bag as the FSD.

I also recieved a thin gasket with the cutouts for the solenoids. Do I just use the gasket included with the FSD cooler for in between the FSD and FSD Cooler? I would use the gasket which covers the entire driver with no cut outs. I personally use "blue locktight" on the four mounting screws going into the cool plate to help keep a tight fit. Over time with heat expansion and cool contraction the torque on the screws can loosen the clamping load which shortens the life of the driver.

[additive]

Well, I have the new FSD and Cooler temporarily mounted at the moment and took the rig for test drive. It didn't stall on me, so hopefully this problem is taken care of.

When I bought the suburban, the Turbo Power plastic cover was removed and didn't come with the vehicle. I never thought anything about it until tonight. The spacers holding the plastic cover on are gone as well and so I am not able to mount the FSD cooler in its place. Hopefully, I can get a couple of them from the dealer.

[BETA]

additive!

Didn't you receive an instalation instruction with the FSD cooler?

The HTP (heat transfer pad) with cutouts is far superior in transfer capacity. Please check - www.thedieselpage.com/reviews/beta.htm (http://www.thedieselpage.com/reviews/beta.htm)

DON'T USE LOCTITE

[additive]

Beta,

No instructions came with the kit. I have posted other issues in seperate thread.

[BETA]

additive!

Please mail me your address and I will mail you an instruction.

[Calvin 60]

Hi Guys

I am not sure that the temp problem mentioned is the cause of the sudden engine stopage. I had the same thing happen to me about two weeks ago here in Texas. The weather was cold (about 20 to 30 degrees) and all of my stopages happened just a few minutes after I started. The truck had no problem starting and would run for several minutes then stop to be started again in a few seconds. The truck never reached operating temperature before the stops and once it did the stops would not occur again for the rest of the day. I checked the lift pump and found no problem. I did change the fuel filter and replaced the glow plugs and the thermostats (195). The problem has not happen since. I was thinking it had to do with the fuel shut-off switch since it acted like you had turned off the key ... no hesitation or missing. I have about 108,000 miles on my truck now and had the IP changed under warranty at about 30,000 miles with a high speed miss/surging problem. The PMD was changed at about 60,000. The only time that I have had codes thrown was when they changed the PMD. I guess this problem is puzzling all of us. The weather here can get pretty hot for several weeks and the problem has never :confused: occured when you would expect it to on one of those 105 degree days. What do you-all think.

[mremelman]

Well my wifes 96 Suburban is doing the hokey pokey again. It bucks a little then starts to sound like a Ford power stroke. A couple of times it has been hard to start, then it makes that noise. Turn it off wait 30 seconds and it starts up fine.

The last time it did this was about 2 years ago it was the Crank TDC sensor. That time it almost caused an accident because the computer through 50% throttle at the pump before it went into limp mode (power stroke sound), she was stopped at a light with her foot on the brake fortunately. Apparently missing TDC signals only set a soft codes which can be cleared after 5 or six successful starts. Our SES light has been winking on and off for about 6 months for no apparent reason. Can a bad PSD also cause these symptoms? The injection pump only has about 40k miles on it. And there seems to be no rhyme or reason for the erratic operation, it hasn't been hot, and it has happend when the engine is both warm and cold. All I know is for the last three days the frequency is increasing. This weekend, I ordered an AutoTap diagnostic scanner for my laptop with the enhanced Powertrain data tools. I hope it gets here soon enough for me to dump the codes and see what is happening. I figure it will pay for itself if I avoid three trips to the dealer @ about $100 per trip. Update on the new scan tool to follow. Any suggestions about things to look for while I am waiting for the tool would be helpful.

[Kennedy]

No doubt, warmer weather is around the corner, and FSD cooler orders are coming fast! Looks like a busy spring between that and cooling system upgrades...

[stephen_board]

I guess this will bump thie back to the top.

I was having occasional stalling issues. There have been no patterns to them; just a periodic "I'm gonna quit now" from my truck. Also, no SES during these.

But then there was yesterday. Myself and three friends were heading to lunch. The truck stalled. I flipped into neutral, fired it right back up. I then drove less than 1/4 mile and it burped again but no stall. It just started pouring white smoke (very strong Diesel fuel smell) and it would only run at less than 50 RPM. It was snorting, spurting, etc. Throttle did nothing. Eventually it stalled. After a few seconds it fired right back up like nothing had happened.

It burped one time last night when I was leaving an intersection bu nothing since.

I have checked battery connections, changed fuel filter, and drained water in fule valve several times. With just the stalling, I was leaning towards an FSD/PMD replacement but now I'm really perplexed.

I saw above that someone referenced this possibly being an injection pump problem.

Has anyone else seen this type of action from their trusty steeds? I'm getting a little shy about taking the truck places with it acting like this.

Thanks for any guidance that is provided.

Stephen

[charliepeterson]

99% of the time if the Injection Pump is failing the ECM will log a code. If the truck stalls like you turned the key off it usually is the PMD or less likely an ignition switch except in early trucks. When this PMD fails it will never set a code. When the driver is failing it starts out as a once in a while stall then graduates to more and more with harder starts.

If your stuck on the road pouring tap water on the driver will get you off to a safer place. This driver really gets hot.

[Barry Nave]

To our members that are having FSD issues. Give the SOL-D a try. I'm seeing more members going this way with great results. Just read where a member had the FSD R&R only to have it fail again in a short time. The more SOL-D being used the more we start learning. The ones that are being used now have taken care of a lot of trouble in this area of the FSD issue. This is good to see. As are members have posted, Chris is a great guy to work with. John has posted, summer is coming and the Cooling and FSD orders our coming in.
I still have my FSD mounted cooler as a back up though this FSD mounted cooler gives my truck a code 35. No code related issue,stalling,bucking or even that burb we all have felt at one time or another with the SOL-D.

[99gmccrew]

I was having all the same symptoms as HowieE and a few more. I did pretty much the same thing, replaced the FSD with a homemade heatsink and an extension from Heath. I installed it behind the front bumper away from the heat and with plenty of air flow. (Weather proofed it with silicone)
My stalling problems are gone along with all the hiccups, surging, and missing it was presenting with. The truck, like HowieE's, seems to drive better than ever.

99gmccrew

[Marty Lau]

The ONLY Lasting fix is PMS from the best place on the web....Durabux/shafthost.com. The Orginal from SteakSauce it will fix every and anything that can happen to 6.5 cause 99.9% it's PMD, engine blown, PMD, tranny won't shift PMD, tires flat? yes it's PMD and I've tested them all and this the best, made with only grade A-1 Peanuts to make your truck run better. And backing don't worry about that becasue we never heard of one REAL problem with the PMS....GMD-TROLL
Happy Motoring...... tongue.gif

[fastcat800]

Now I don't care who you are, THAT'S FUNNY!!!!!!

He called me a TROLL when I asked a question in my first post on his board. I asked about the SS FSD cooler and he blocked me from posting and deleted my question. It didn't take me more than 30 seconds to figure out his game.