• Steel Soldiers now has a few new forums, read more about it at: New Munitions Forums!

  • Microsoft MSN, Live, Hotmail, Outlook email users may not be receiving emails. We are working to resolve this issue. Please add support@steelsoldiers.com to your trusted contacts.

Strange Crank No Start Condition

dherman304

Member
53
55
18
Location
Texas, DFW
My R1 was running like a top when I left for vacation, when I got back 6 days later I went to move it and it fired right up but died immediatly. Tried to start it again but it just cranks strongly with no start. All maintanance was done recently, new-ish glow plugs and temperature control unit. Wait light comes on and goes off after 8 seconds, clean diesel comes out of filter drain when cranking but no white smoke out of exhaust (its hot in Texas 90 - 100+ degrees)

Only thing I can think to check is measure fuel delivery rate.

Any thoughts?
 

NDT

Well-known member
Steel Soldiers Supporter
10,436
6,487
113
Location
Camp Wood/LC, TX
Is the voltmeter dipping during glow plug cycle? My 6.5 absolutely will not fire off in Texas heat without glow.
 

Dieselmeister

Well-known member
Steel Soldiers Supporter
193
271
63
Location
Flagstaff, Az
Crack open one or more injector lines, and crank it like you said. See if anything comes out. My thoughts - Dead fuel shutoff solenoid? No power to fuel solenoid? Put your hand on the solenoid housing and have someone turn the switch on and off (not start), you should be able to fee the click. If not, check with a volt meter.
 

dherman304

Member
53
55
18
Location
Texas, DFW
Is the voltmeter dipping during glow plug cycle? My 6.5 absolutely will not fire off in Texas heat without glow.
While testing this I found my batteries were at 14v! I have no idea how it started the first time but it did. Added fresh fuel and waiting for the charger to do its thing.
 
Last edited:

Mogman

Moderator
Staff member
Moderator
Steel Soldiers Supporter
6,899
9,560
113
Location
Papalote, TX
While testing this I found my batteries were at 14v! I have no idea how it started the first time but it did. Added fresh fuel and waiting for the charger to do its thing.
Check the voltage on both batteries individually, sounds like you had a catastrophic battery failure.
 

dherman304

Member
53
55
18
Location
Texas, DFW
Check the voltage on both batteries individually, sounds like you had a catastrophic battery failure.
Turns out my charge controller was off and giving me a wierd reading. Batteries are fine.

It has to be fuel related. If its hot outside will the hummer still spout white smoke if its getting fuel? I'm about to do some fuel tests like purging air out of the system.
 

TOBASH

Father, Surgeon, Cantankerous Grouch
Steel Soldiers Supporter
Supporting Vendor
3,569
3,475
113
Location
Brooklyn, NY
Purge water… bad Diesel fuel???

Possible but lower in the probability column.
 

dherman304

Member
53
55
18
Location
Texas, DFW
Im leaving toward bad injection pump. I followed this guide:


Plenty of fuel is leaving the fuel filter/sep but using a 1/4" clean tubing I can see the IP is pulling almost no fluid. Anyone know who much the IP should be pulling?
 
Last edited:

Thunderbirds

Well-known member
258
372
63
Location
Northern Black Hills South Dakota
Im leaving toward bad injection pump. I followed this guide:


and plenty of fuel is leaving the fuel filter/sep but it is pulling almost no fuel to the IP.
I've had an airlock when I replaced my fuel filter. Until I properly bled the system, I also had no-start.

Best of luck.
 

Milcommoguy

Well-known member
Supporting Vendor
1,708
2,261
113
Location
Rosamond, CA
All good points to think about... My 2 cents. After the IP fuel cutoff solenoid testing of clicking if it can be detected? or voltage and resistance of coil checking good... crack open one of the easy to get at injector lines at the easy to get at injector. Easy step to check fuel is on its way to a cylinder. It won't be much so wrap a dry towel around the fitting. Crank the engine over a few times as in three or four easy times to like, Lets go Marybel, lol.

If you have a damp, lightly wet towel keep asking more questions here. If it is dry MY GUESS (ruling out good testing of cutoff solenoid) the IP metering valve has gummed itself up. It can and does happen with the vacation story on pumps with all the other things being culprit too. Lots of easy checks to work thru.

Just my easy guess. CAMO
 

dherman304

Member
53
55
18
Location
Texas, DFW
All good points to think about... My 2 cents. After the IP fuel cutoff solenoid testing of clicking if it can be detected? or voltage and resistance of coil checking good... crack open one of the easy to get at injector lines at the easy to get at injector. Easy step to check fuel is on its way to a cylinder. It won't be much so wrap a dry towel around the fitting. Crank the engine over a few times as in three or four easy times to like, Lets go Marybel, lol.

If you have a damp, lightly wet towel keep asking more questions here. If it is dry MY GUESS (ruling out good testing of cutoff solenoid) the IP metering valve has gummed itself up. It can and does happen with the vacation story on pumps with all the other things being culprit too. Lots of easy checks to work thru.

Just my easy guess. CAMO
I tested the driver back cylander fuel line off the injector and absolutely nothing came out. I opened the IP and poured Diesel clean in it as well as into the injection pump intake line and turned it over a good bit to try and help it move through the system. Ill try to start it agin in the morning.
 

dherman304

Member
53
55
18
Location
Texas, DFW
All good points to think about... My 2 cents. After the IP fuel cutoff solenoid testing of clicking if it can be detected? or voltage and resistance of coil checking good... crack open one of the easy to get at injector lines at the easy to get at injector. Easy step to check fuel is on its way to a cylinder. It won't be much so wrap a dry towel around the fitting. Crank the engine over a few times as in three or four easy times to like, Lets go Marybel, lol.

If you have a damp, lightly wet towel keep asking more questions here. If it is dry MY GUESS (ruling out good testing of cutoff solenoid) the IP metering valve has gummed itself up. It can and does happen with the vacation story on pumps with all the other things being culprit too. Lots of easy checks to work thru.

Just my easy guess. CAMO
BINGO! Last night (while I couldn't sleep) I was thinking of ways to test the fuel shut off solenoid and it was actually very easy, I took the cover off plugged 54 wire back in and had the wife turn the key and nothing. I confirmed it was getting 24V but didnt move at all.
 
Last edited:

Milcommoguy

Well-known member
Supporting Vendor
1,708
2,261
113
Location
Rosamond, CA
BINGO! Last night (while I couldn't sleep) I was thinking of ways to test the fuel shut off solenoid and it was actually very easy, I took the cover off plugged 54 wire back in and had the wife turn the key and nothing. I confirmed it was getting 24V but didnt move at all.
Wasn't clear to me in the bingo story. (not assuming anything) Did you ground the cover to the housing? It is very possible the solenoid coil has open up, and it is one of the tests the boys pointed to here. Sometimes one just as to sleep on it. 🛏

SO... do you really have a BINGO or was it a NO GO, CAMO
 

dherman304

Member
53
55
18
Location
Texas, DFW
Wasn't clear to me in the bingo story. (not assuming anything) Did you ground the cover to the housing? It is very possible the solenoid coil has open up, and it is one of the tests the boys pointed to here. Sometimes one just as to sleep on it. 🛏

SO... do you really have a BINGO or was it a NO GO, CAMO
Well damn, I rechecked the ground I used and it wasnt good. Rechecked the solenoid with a confirmed ground and it opened and closed just fine. Back to the drawing board.
 

Retiredwarhorses

Well-known member
Steel Soldiers Supporter
4,395
4,176
113
Location
Brentwood, Calif
Well damn, I rechecked the ground I used and it wasnt good. Rechecked the solenoid with a confirmed ground and it opened and closed just fine. Back to the drawing board.
have you tried to move the fuel cut off armature with your finger while the cover is off? Does it “effortlessly“ move and spring back on its own?
ANY resistance will deny fuel….
 

Milcommoguy

Well-known member
Supporting Vendor
1,708
2,261
113
Location
Rosamond, CA
Well damn, I rechecked the ground I used and it wasnt good. Rechecked the solenoid with a confirmed ground and it opened and closed just fine. Back to the drawing board.
BINGO !! What did it win? Not another toaster lol.

Sleep or study up on the DB2 metering valve. It's a little fuel control valve down in the bottom center rear (from front of truck) of the reservoir that needs to move freely. Looks like a little wing flipper thingie with linkage. If sticky / sluggish action it MAYBE gummed up.

Since you have the housing cover off, check for play ... flip flop like in the movie. ( I don't endorse statements, just the visual to locate it and action) Pictures worth a thousands words haha. SEE >
Funny statement at end "that what you want to do" LOL

One can refill / top off reservoir, CAREFULLY and proper reassemble cover / wires. Attempt to give it a few tries to start. This may not be the fix or a permanent solution. As I said "a free guess" to get fuel flowing if it is all gummed up.

There's a LOT going on in the DB2 IP and not enough bandwidth here. Save up some $$$ if one need a pump.

Wasn't BINGO a dog? CAMO
 

Dieselmeister

Well-known member
Steel Soldiers Supporter
193
271
63
Location
Flagstaff, Az
"It fired right up and then died". That tells me the pump did inject some fuel, and then the problem started. Was the housing full of fuel when you pulled the cover? Any chance something is plugging the inlet to the DB2? Fill up the pump housing with clean diesel, put the cover back on, and try starting it again.
 

dherman304

Member
53
55
18
Location
Texas, DFW
Going to do more testing.

"It fired right up and then died". That tells me the pump did inject some fuel, and then the problem started. Was the housing full of fuel when you pulled the cover? Any chance something is plugging the inlet to the DB2? Fill up the pump housing with clean diesel, put the cover back on, and try starting it again.
When I opened the cover is was very clean but dry, no diesel. I filled it up with Diesel Kleen. I tried starting it when I first filled it up and again in the morning with no luck.

I wasnt able to mess with it much today, this evening I tried starting it again. Didnt start, so I checked one of the glow plugs and it was light grey at the tip and bone dry. I cracked the back driver diesel injection line off the injector and after a few cranks some diesel came out and it sounded like it wanted to start!

I reinstalled the injector line and it had some smoke coming out of exhaust and even fired off for a milisecond then died. Tried a few more times and nothing. Cracked the injection line again and nothing came out again. I took the hose off the fuel filter and bubbles strarted coming out the end followed by a lot of diesel. I used a fluid extractor and clean fluid came out of the fuel filter housing. Plugged in the injection pump hose back to fuel filter, tried to start it and again no fuel came out the injector line.

Will do more tests tomorrow.
 

Mogman

Moderator
Staff member
Moderator
Steel Soldiers Supporter
6,899
9,560
113
Location
Papalote, TX
Sounds like you are not getting any fuel to the IP, even with the run solenoid in shutdown the lift pump should fill the body.
I would look closely at the lift pump, also have you removed the check valves in the fuel system?
 
Top
AdBlock Detected

We get it, advertisements are annoying!

Sure, ad-blocking software does a great job at blocking ads, but it also blocks useful features of our website like our supporting vendors. Their ads help keep Steel Soldiers going. Please consider disabling your ad blockers for the site. Thanks!

I've Disabled AdBlock
No Thanks