Ciulster
Registered User
So I have been messing around with my 6.9 IDI for awhile now trying to get it nice and reliable for the winter but I've still been having some issues starting it up. First off the engine has roughly 260,000 miles on it. Brand new rebuilt injection pump, fuel filter, fuel return lines, and two 950CCA batteries. The truck cranks over super fast so I know it is not a battery/starter issue.
I've looked around but every post I could find pointed me to air in the lines. I have tested the Schrader valve and looked for leaks all throughout the system. I can 100% confirm there is no air in the lines (no bubbles or drain back at all) and it is getting more than enough fuel. During excessive cranking it pukes unburnt fuel in the form of white smoke out of the exhaust so I know it has plenty of fuel.
Glow plugs were replaced last year but are on a manual push button system. I've never cycled them for more than 10 seconds at a time and no less than 5 second rests in between. I usually aim for 10-15 second rests. I crank and depress the accelerator halfway. The truck does not like firing and will usually only kick on one or two cylinders. Subsequent glow cycles and starting attempts later it seems to gain more and more cylinders before finally running under its own power. I have a video showing how hard it is to start right here:
This cold start was done when it was roughly 50 degrees out. Notice the white smoke billowing out of the tailpipe after the first crank attempt and it slowly gaining cylinders after I glow a second time. I do not want to drain these brand new batteries right away just to get this thing started every day! It seems to be getting worse every day that goes on.
The truck runs absolutely PERFECT once it is running. Lots of power and no smoke aside from the little puff of black occasionally. If I shut it off for more than 5 minutes the truck will not restart unless I floor the accelerator and give it a little bit of glow plugs, which is leaning towards the symptoms of a heat soaked injection pump which I know can't be right because the darn thing is brand spankin' new!
So my question is, is this likely burnt out glow plugs or weak injectors? Or possibly even incorrect timing? Injectors have never been replaced as far as I've owned the truck and have unknown amounts of miles on them. Without glow plugs if I spray a little ether or WD-40 down the intake the truck fires up right away, and therefore probably has good compression, but dies as soon as it runs out of starting fluid to burn. Is it possible that I have caused a few glow plugs to fail during the abuse with weak batteries they saw last year or is this more likely a worn injector problem?
I've looked around but every post I could find pointed me to air in the lines. I have tested the Schrader valve and looked for leaks all throughout the system. I can 100% confirm there is no air in the lines (no bubbles or drain back at all) and it is getting more than enough fuel. During excessive cranking it pukes unburnt fuel in the form of white smoke out of the exhaust so I know it has plenty of fuel.
Glow plugs were replaced last year but are on a manual push button system. I've never cycled them for more than 10 seconds at a time and no less than 5 second rests in between. I usually aim for 10-15 second rests. I crank and depress the accelerator halfway. The truck does not like firing and will usually only kick on one or two cylinders. Subsequent glow cycles and starting attempts later it seems to gain more and more cylinders before finally running under its own power. I have a video showing how hard it is to start right here:
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This cold start was done when it was roughly 50 degrees out. Notice the white smoke billowing out of the tailpipe after the first crank attempt and it slowly gaining cylinders after I glow a second time. I do not want to drain these brand new batteries right away just to get this thing started every day! It seems to be getting worse every day that goes on.
The truck runs absolutely PERFECT once it is running. Lots of power and no smoke aside from the little puff of black occasionally. If I shut it off for more than 5 minutes the truck will not restart unless I floor the accelerator and give it a little bit of glow plugs, which is leaning towards the symptoms of a heat soaked injection pump which I know can't be right because the darn thing is brand spankin' new!
So my question is, is this likely burnt out glow plugs or weak injectors? Or possibly even incorrect timing? Injectors have never been replaced as far as I've owned the truck and have unknown amounts of miles on them. Without glow plugs if I spray a little ether or WD-40 down the intake the truck fires up right away, and therefore probably has good compression, but dies as soon as it runs out of starting fluid to burn. Is it possible that I have caused a few glow plugs to fail during the abuse with weak batteries they saw last year or is this more likely a worn injector problem?