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2000 6.5L intermittently won't start

5.6K views 15 replies 4 participants last post by  Island Boy  
#1 ·
1. Describe the problem you are having in detail:
I have a 2000 K2500 6.5L and it will not start first thing in the morning, most morinings. Last week it did start 3 times. It seems like if I let it sit for an hour and come back it does start and then runs fine all day. I've searched the forums and seems like most problems are solved with the pms or fsd. I replaced both that and the shut off solenoid. Thinking it would solve my problems. But, the next morning, I got nothing.



2. Year of truck/engine. 2000 K2500
3. Odometer reading (indicate miles or kilometers). 170K
4. Indicate the model number on the Injection pump
5. Indicate if you know if it’s a 1500, 2500, 2500HD, 3500, 3500HD. 3500
6. Do you have an EGR on the engine? (An F or an S engine code 8th VIN digit) F
7. Air Filter condition (visual check). new
8. Fuel filter condition (freshly changed, mileage since changed). changed about 2000 miles ago
9. Location of PMD/FSD? (ex. on pump/remote over intake, behind bumper).
On intake with fsd cooler
9a. If remote mounted, describe wiring harness (homemade or purchased from which vendor). purchased harness
9b. Indicate the location and condition of the FSD/IP grounding wire.
10. Outside Temperature (C or F). ___65__ °F

11. Service Engine Light while running?- on/off/intermittent none
11a. Service Engine light does glow during start/cranking/bulb check: Yes/No yes
12.Have you scanned for engine codes? Yes/No no
12a. List exact results on engine codes. none

13. Condition of Battery terminals (removed, cleaned and tightened). like new cleaned and inspected
14. Known condition and age of Batteries. 6 months old
14a. Are batteries a matched set of same age? yes
15. Condition of Major Grounds (removed, cleaned and tightened) good

16. Does engine crank, or "turn over"? yes
16a. Does engine start and run? no
17. If engine does not start- Crack injector line: do you have fuel? Yes/No yes
18. Does your Wait To Start light come on? yes
18a.Number of seconds WTS light is lit.5-6 seconds
19. Engine Cranking speed (if you have an accurate tachometer).

20. Are you experiencing Stalling? no
20a. Describe the event (upon startup only, down the road, hit a bump, etc...)upon startup first thing in the morning, vehicle is in garage
20b. Do you notice loss of dash or instruments? no
21. Check turbo inlet and air filter for obstructions. check
22. In a no-hot start, pour a bottle of room-temp water on the injection pump. Does it start now?
23. Lift pump test - Describe results. good

24. Upon cold start, does the radiator hose get hard quickly? Yes/No
25. Upon cold start, do you have excessive white smoke? Yes/No no
26. Do you have excessive cranking time before the engine starts? Yes/No
27. Have you used the block heater? Does it affect engine starting? (only try for starting problems).
28. Are all glow plugs in proper working order? yes when it does start they work fine. replace about 8 months ago

29. During hard acceleration, do you have excessive black smoke? Yes/No no
30. Do you have any unusual exhaust smoke issues? no
31. Turbo check out - Pass/Fail
32. Indicate fuel that you are using: Bio-Diesel, #2 Diesel, SVO/WVO, other pump diesel
32a. If running Veggie Oil fuel setup, indicate details of your conversion (homemade or packaged system).
33. Are you using any fuel additives? If so, please list.
34. Upon unscrewing fuel cap, do you have a large vacuum formed in the tank? Yes/No
35. Do you have any service history available that might pertain to the problem you are having? had this thing for 8 years, no
36. Please indicate any modifications to the vehicle that might help us diagnose better. ____________none______
 
#2 ·
Welcome!!!

If the LP is working. The PMD on intake is always a suspect.

Unfortunately, the intake for PMD location is the worst and hottest place.
You may want to get a new PMD and an extension cable, reuse the heatsink and put it outside the engine hood.
 
#4 ·
I have to ask, how new? on the intake, it can go bad as short as 1 month or two. Unfortunately.

Another thing is to make sure that all the electrical cables are good. Load test the battery one at a time, etc.

New does not mean it works. There is something called infant mortality for these parts especially now when parts are made in China.
 
#6 ·
I had posted a similar issue, and it turned out to be the glow plug controller. Take a screwdriver and jump the terminals of your glow plug controller, you will see a spark..leave it there for a few seconds..then go try to start your truck. It's possible that the controller has failed and is not lighting up your glow plugs. Just a thought! Good Luck!
 
#8 · (Edited)
Sorry, it is a good tip but the method of doing it is very bad. That spark can burn you or anything around you including your engine.

I know diesel fuel won't spark but the electrical cables can burnt very easily.
 
#10 · (Edited)
You can measure the voltage on the GP controller. Should be hot all the time. They are high current parts.

If you have to do it, do it with a very big cable (like jumper cable). The small cable can melt, don't ask how I found it out.
 
#11 ·
I don't know what I did, but this thing has been starting everyday since I found the glow plug controller. I must have had a lose or bad connection on it somewhere. The only thing I did was unplug the connector and plug it back in.
 
#12 ·
That is the most common things engineers do. LOL!!!

If there is oxidation on the pin, the reseating helps remove the thin layer of things.

In some cases, I have to do it with the fuses also.
 
#13 ·
apparently this was not my problem, for two months or so this thing ran and started great. now, i am having problems again. i now noticed that when it does not start, the security light is flashing. when it is solid it starts
 
#15 ·
#16 ·
I had a similar problem. It would crank but not fire. Found out it was an air leak in the fuel line with no drip. I found if I primed the fuel manager and purged the air it would start.