Intermittent Start but runs good when it does

[ihc1470]

In your very first post you said you had fuel. Do you? Have you rechecked to make sure?

 

[Beef_Cocaine]

When I ran yesterday and today I was not getting fuel initially on the first start up in the morning without the added ether. Throughout the rest of the day I had fuel but when it sat stopped for longer I had to give it some throttle on start up to keep it going.

 

[asmith]

You could run a fuel line into a jug and try to run the truck off that, to eliminate all the stuff before the pump. Maybe that could help you narrow down if you have a fuel delivery issue or not.

 

[IDIBOBS]

When I ran yesterday and today I was not getting fuel initially on the first start up in the morning without the added ether. Throughout the rest of the day I had fuel but when it sat stopped for longer I had to give it some throttle on start up to keep it going.

How do you know you were not getting fuel?

 

[Beef_Cocaine]

I was watching the exhaust for smoke. I'll crack an injector line before starting today and confirm

 

[franklin2]

Still sounds like a glowplug issue to me. If it was a air problem, it would start right away and then stall. That is because even though you have air in the fuel lines, you still have fuel in the injection lines. Fuel will not drain back out of the injection lines.

Something else I am finding out about diesels; They do not like to run on just ether only, they need fuel with the ether. That tells me you do have fuel, and the ether is helping it to fire because there is not enough heat in the cylinder.

If you are confident your glowplugs are working, then it might be a low compression/worn out engine problem.

 

[Beef_Cocaine]

Okay, I'm going to go through the GP system again once the rain stops.

 

[Beef_Cocaine]

Turns out it was the glow plug relay. Starting just fine now. I went through 4 of them from Napa. None of them worked. I called a yard in Bellingham WA and they pulled one (stamped made in the USA on it) sent it up and now it starts up without having the block heater plugged in

 

[IDIBOBS]

To each their own

Ether is a tool

So is a large impact wrench

Both can break things

Both have specific uses

Just my opinion, we can agree to disagree

This is the problem with this world. Ether should never be used in a diesel. It ignites. Diesel does not. You’re basically putting gasoline in your intake. Ether is a band aid for a problem that you don’t know or are unwilling to diagnose and repair. It has no place in a diesels mechanics tool box.

 

[IDIBOBS]

Turns out it was the glow plug relay. Starting just fine now. I went through 4 of them from Napa. None of them worked. I called a yard in Bellingham WA and they pulled one (stamped made in the USA on it) sent it up and now it starts up without having the block heater plugged in

I’m figured that from the beginning. All these guys jump to bad motors and what not and do t start at the beginning. Glow plugs/controller/wiring must work correctly to start these trucks reliably. It’s very rare to have actual mechanical issues result in a no start.

 

[ihc1470]

One has to also go with what the poster says has been done. Very first post said glow plug system had been tested and all was fine, plenty of fuel, block heater plugged in, no air found in fuel system, etc. That was the reason a starter was suggested as a possible issue. There are ways to test startering systems before replacement, as I hate throwing money at an issue just on a guess.

Glad to OP got things sorted out and going again.

 

[KansasIDI]

This is the problem with this world. Ether should never be used in a diesel. It ignites. Diesel does not. You’re basically putting gasoline in your intake. Ether is a band aid for a problem that you don’t know or are unwilling to diagnose and repair. It has no place in a diesels mechanics tool box.

I’m willing to agree to disagree. The question is, are you?

 

[miked]

Right from john deere.
My 3130 had a port to screw on an ether can right inside the cab.
Never used it as I kept it plugged in.
But this set up was not unusual and I knew farmers that used ether for years without disaster.

 

[IDIBRONCO]

It ignites. Diesel does not.

Not at all true. Ignition of fuel, whether solid, liquid, or a gas, is when it burns. Ether explodes, diesel fuel burns.

 

[franklin2]

Right from john deere.
My 3130 had a port to screw on an ether can right inside the cab.
Never used it as I kept it plugged in.
But this set up was not unusual and I knew farmers that used ether for years without disaster.

Yep. There is a lot of equipment out there that had optional ether kits that mounted under the hood and had plumbing that routed the ether to the intake. Of course those engines did not have glowplugs.