Infuriating Starting Difficulty

[DieselD62]

Hello all,

Is the IP in the 6.2 (1984) known for the famous govenor weight retaining ring failure like the DB-2s in the 5.7 diesel was?

Dave

[BobND]

Unless your 6.2 pump has been updated, it has the same plastic governor dampner ring as the 5.7's had.

[DieselD62]

It does not have the metal tag stamped with the letter E on the solenoid housing cover, so I suppose that having the crap ring is a real possibility.

Been trying to start it for 2 days now. Nothing, not even WD-40 is working. I am very dissapointed. The truck ran fine up until that point. I was low on fuel and she started sucking air, after adding HHO, that is when the trouble began. It started idled for 20 seconds then died and hasn't been able to start since. Not even the faintest little 'kick' while cranking, not one glimmer of hope.

[BobND]

Whether or not you have the plastic governor ring, if you ran it out of fuel, it should start if you get the air out of the system.

Have you removed the housing pressure regulator,(after disconnecting the return line from the top of the pump) to allow for easier bleeding of air from the IP, and also to verify that there are no pieces of the infamous ring clogging the HPR?

Also loosen several fuel lines at the injectors to let air out. (Have you verified that the lift pump is suppling fuel to the IP?)

[DieselD62]

BobND:

fuel in tank: check

new filter: check

return line fitting removed and inspected for debris: check

lift pump: cranked over and fuel came out of new panel filter with bleeder screw open: does this proove lift pump is working?

fuel solenoid makes audible click when ign. switch on and wire is disconnected and connected repeatedly.

Batteries: matched set 1 year old, fully charged, new alternator 2 months old.

Terminals: bolt/jamnut set-up

Starter: non-gear reduced and spins at 125% normal RPM when boosted with jumper cables even with fully chaged batts.

WD-40 'misted' over intake plenum: No results

Glow plugs: partially swollen, but worked OK days ago. replacemnet not an option right now.

Glow Solenoid: POS, IMHO. I must jump the thing because it cyles for 2 seconds everytime I turn the IGN switch. In the mornings, I have to cycle the key at least 10 times to get adequate 'glow time' prior to start up.

I am going to wire the plugs directly to the batteries and see if any change is evident. Another all-nighter. entering day 3.

Dave

[BobND]

Some thoughts...

I use an ammeter to check each glow plug individually for current draw. Connect the ammeter's (+) lead to battery (+), and touch the ammeter's (-) lead to one glow plug at a time and note the current draw.

Do you have a block heater you could plug in for a few hours to make it easier for the engine to fire?

Since your not getting any results with the WD40, could there be a timing chain, camshaft key, or even a broken crankshaft problem???

[DieselD62]

I'll try those tomorrow when I can borrow an ammeter.

Just replaced the crank balancer several weeks ago- keyway & key in good shape, no damage. It had a wobble to it and I went with a new unit.
not in a position to diagnose cam sproket or timing chain. Belts rotate when cranking.

Would there be interference between piston & valves in the event of a chain failure?

This crappy forum software enrages me almost as much as my 6.2 right now. Ignore post: 6.2 it was a respose to this.

Dave

[DieselD62]

Block heater has been plugged in for 2 days now.

[britannic]

WD40 will no longer start a diesel; they changed the propellant and recipe. If you have functioning glowplugs, you run a real risk of fire or blow back when introducing combustible liquids into the intake.

[DieselD62]

I know all about blowing a head gasket this way. Thanks for the info on the WD-40. Will a mapp gas torch used in a back and forth motion across the two plenums introduce enough heat to by pass the glow plugs? As you can tell my patients for this behavior from my engine is very low to put it mildly. As for a fire, I'll take my chances.

Dave

[DieselD62]

While having an assistant crank the 'dragon lady' over, I noticed the WIF light came on for the first time in 2 days- nice of it to tell me now, that is if it's not lying. (Note: assume all factory guages lie, because they do)

BTW, putting a torch down into to intake does not work.

If this is water contamination, is the IP done for? What is it's tolerance for taking a slug of water?

Dave

[jcomp]

Are you sure it's not still airlocked? Did you bleed the air out of the system at the injectors?

[DieselD62]

One of the last things I did.. bleed the air at injectors. Should have been the first. Waiting for the batteries to charge to see if it does any good. When I cracked each one, no fuel evident, once the engine was cranked for a good long while, fuel was evident at each injector. I know this cooks the starter, but have been wasting enough time checking on things in a half-assed manner and the injectors are something I don't want to come back to. On top of that, they should have never put a non gear reduced unit on it to begin with.

[jcomp]

I once managed to airlock mine while changing a filter on the side of the road. :rolleyes: Buying contaminated diesel fuel really sucks. Even after some fuel was coming from the lines it still needed more bleeding before it would start.

The cranking isn't so hard on the starter if you crank for about 10 seconds and then give it a minute to cool. Also, removing the glow plugs will help the starter.