Slow slow crank

[AlexFolino]

This is my first post and i really enjoy this site. A brief description i just picked up a 1998 K3500 4x4 6.5L with 13800 on it. When i got the truck driving it home at around 65mph the tach started to bounce around violently and a check engine light came on. Set a DTC of Incorrect Gear Ratio. p0307 i do believe.. thats for another day though unless one of you have an idea about what it is.:confused:


Main reason im posting is the other day when i had the truck at work i had a lot of trouble getting it started, i knew i had bad glow plugs and at 37F outside and 2 very weak under rated cca batteries(prev owner put 2 car batteries in it at 500cca so i could get it home), i knew thats why it was hard to start. Well this previous Saturday i came in to a bit of money and installed 2 brand new 1000cca batteries, new terminals, new belt, new alternator, new boost sensor, glowplugs,and a new fuel filter. I had a buddy of mine push the truck in to work so i could do the work since the old batteries i turned in for a core. After installing all this stuff, the truck cranks over so slow that im pretty sure you could turn the engine over quicker with a ratchet and socket. You can actually read the words on the belt as you crank it. It appears as if like only one battery is hooked up. Before replacing all this stuff the truck was cranking over just real slow as the original batteries were discharged. I checked over my connections and grounds a million times, fuses, load tested my batteries to make sure i wasnt sold bad ones,etc. Everything checks out fine. I remember seeing light smoke from the passenger battery cable/terminal last week when cranking the piss out of it to try to get it started. The starter thats in it looks old as the hills and although cable connections are clean and tight to it, do you think my issue is just a very weak starter that i possibly killed? Old Delco Remy unit that literally looks original. The truck ran like a bat out of hell minus that tranny issue when i parked it last tuesday night. Any ideas are greatly appreciated! Im up till usually 12am here in PA so even a phone call would be great as this truck i found out will be my daily driver very soon here. 412-877-2857

[Rhett94]

Make sure you have the 2 batteries wired together correctly, and see if your battery cables are toast.

Does kindof sound like you starter is toast, the starter on my hotrod 400 sbc got f'd after it got superheated by the headers so many times.

[AlexFolino]

I compared the battery hookups to a schematic for the truck and another 6.5L of my friends.

[racer55]

There is supposed to be a lead spacer between the + cables on the passenger side-they get lost and is what makes the cables have a connection in stock form.

I cut the stock terminals off and crimp/solder on new copper eye terminals,then I get a 3/8" bolt that has enough thread to screw a nut on and go through both cables and bottom in the battery.
Hold the bolt and tighten the nut onto the terminals.

[AlexFolino]

Thats what i did to all my positive terminals, i crimped on a copper eyelet and ran a proper battery bolt. My negative retain the stock setup of a side mount battery yet just i put new side terminal ends on it. I checked it over this morning before work started and the cables themselves do not get hot when cranking. Im leaning towards a starter at the moment..

[racer55]

As long as the cables don't get hot and are flowing current,the starter would be my first look.

[Robyn]

The starter is definately on the hit list. Be sure that the bracket on the motor end of the starter goes back on.

The easy way to get the starter off is to remove the RH front wheel and access the starter wires and the bracket through the inner fender flap access hole.

Trying to get at this stuff from under the truck is a PITA.

Be sure the cables are good, as even the ground ends where they bolt to the engine block can go sour.

The cable that crosses the header is the +++ cable

The alternator feed connects to the LH battery, and this will charge both batteries.

Once you get the rig going, be sure that you get 14V at both batteries.

Once you get the connections all fixed and the starting issue taken care of, the other issue may go away.

Keep us posted

Missy

[AlexFolino]

Im going to put in a starter on Friday most likely(payday). The other issue is the p0730 incorrect gear ratio that kept coming up.

[DmaxMaverick]

P0730, "incorrect gear ratio" usually indicates slippage, either clutch/band, or TCC. Under what conditions does it occur?

[DennisG01]

Are you sure ALL (including at the starter) cables/connections are REALLY tight? I had a very similar experience and it turned out that although the connection at both the starter and the battery looked tight, I could actually move it a bit by hand (it was not so loose that it wobbled, though). Once I tightened them - golden.

[AlexFolino]

The transmission DTC would only occur once in a blue moon at 65mph upon acceleration(changing lanes, etc)


As for the starter, i removed the cables to it saturday and cleaned them then reinstalled them with no luck. I wish it was that though, money is a little tight right now :mad:

[AlexFolino]

Sorry for taking so long to reply to my post but i did a bunch of stuff to this truck since..

Previously mentioned i had a really really slow crank. Turned out to be the starter. So since then i put 6 new tires on, rebuilt the transmission, and changed the boost solenoid valve. Finally brought the truck home last week and the Check Engine light came on yesterday. I still have the Turbo Performance code in which im going to investigate all vaccuum lines and such. However, a new code is there now. P0231 i believe it was for fuel pump low voltage. Also i notice my fuel gauge is erratic. Where do i start from here? I assume this could be a grounding issue for both and i did not have the fuel pump code prior to the transmission that i replaced however i know everything went back to together correctly and my fuel pump relay is good. Where are the grounds for the lift pump and for the fuel gauge?

[AlexFolino]

any suggestions?

[DennisG01]

I picked up some (maybe most... ;)) of what I'm going to mention from searching and reading things here on The Page over the years - most recently from something Tim "Turbine Doc" mentioned regarding that code. If I remember correctly, he said it's actually a code for the IP, not the lift pump, but I could be mistaken on that. Either way, I think you're on the right track to check some grounds. The lift pump (and fuel level sensor) ground is a small gauge wire attached to the top of the frame rail, about 6" - 12" behind the fuel filler neck.

Another thing you could do (if for nothing else than to rule out the LP) is check for voltage at it when you first turn the key on (no need to actually start). Check across the pins and you should get 12v. Then check from the + pin to the frame (ground) and you should still get 12v. It could just be that the pins are dirty and not making a good contact and sometimes just plugging/unplugging a few times will help.

Another thing is to perform a resistance check from the - pin to the frame and you should get awfully close to 0 (something like less than 1 ohm). It should read something, though, not exactly 0. Be sure to do this with the key completely off, otherwise you could damage your meter, or at least pop the fuse.

On another note, regarding the fuel gauge, I sometimes see my needle doing weird things when it's very cold outside - such as reading WAY, WAY past full. But that, I believe, is just the nature of the beast with these senders as they get old. Once things warm up, the metal expands agains and reads correctly (or, "normal", anyways).

[DmaxMaverick]

It seems you're on the right track. Tackle one problem/code/issue at a time, easiest first. Test the vacuum pump, use a vacuum gage on the inlet (suction port). It should draw 20"+ at idle (more is better, up to about 26", but that's enough to eliminate it as the cause), the WG actuator should be seeing about 15" at idle (it's modulated), and the actuator should be holding the WG tight.

Grounds, grounds, grounds. Check them all, from the battery terminals, to the engine/frame connections and all bonding straps.