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Need Help with 6.5TD Ticking Noise and Hard Start

19K views 52 replies 13 participants last post by  turbovanman  
#1 ·
Hello All,

First off I'd just like to say how awesome this forum is and I have already spent many hours familiarizing myself with my new to me truck. I bought a 1995 Silverado K2500 a month ago and it came with this hard starting issue and ticking noise. The ticking noise is what concerns me the most at this point. I think its injectors and you can read below why I think this, but I dont have enough experience with the noise of 6.5s to be sure. I would love to tap into your expertise before I go blowing money on unnecessary parts. Here is what I know so far:

1. I tried running without the belt and it still does it so its not the vac pump
2. It failed the petcock test and it turned out to be ops and lift pump so i replaced ops, lift pump and fuel filter (Ticking noise still there afterwards and still starts hard)
3. Checked harmonic balancer for tightness and seems to be good
4. Did some stethoscope analysis and found the following results:
stethoscope against valve cover: faint but present ticking
stethoscope against injector pump: only whirling noise of pump
stethoscope against fuel injector lines: very loud and distinct ticking, the loudest surface i could find
stethoscope against injectors: not as loud as the lines but distinct here too
I did try to check for temperature differentials in the injectors but it was inconclusive. couldn't get a good read on the far ones under the turbo.

It seems to point to injectors, but i am new to the 6.5 so i made a video for you guys to check out if you get a chance:

6.5L TD Diesel Ticking Noise - YouTube

This is a cold start, not started in a few days, around 12 Celsius outside. I did not pump the gas pedal or anything. Just waited for the glow plugs and gave her a whirl.

Here is my attempt at the DieselPlace Diagnostic Sheet:

2. Year of truck/engine. 1995
3. Odometer reading (indicate miles or kilometers). 328000 Kilometers
4. Indicate the model number on the Injection pump (starts DS4 or DB2......). DS4 I beleive
5. Indicate if you know if it’s a 1500, 2500, 2500HD, 3500, 3500HD. 2500
6. Do you have an EGR on the engine? (An F or an S engine code 8th VIN digit) yes, S engine
7. Air Filter condition (visual check). good, its a k&n
8. Fuel filter condition (freshly changed, mileage since changed). brand new
9. Location of PMD/FSD? (ex. on pump/remote over intake, behind bumper). heath diesel pmd underneath
9a. If remote mounted, describe wiring harness (homemade or purchased from which vendor). heath
9b. Indicate the location and condition of the FSD/IP grounding wire. unknown
10. Outside Temperature (C or F). _____ ° 12 C

11. Service Engine Light while running?- on/off/intermittent no
11a. Service Engine light does glow during start/cranking/bulb check: Yes/No it does now, i had to replace it, came burnt out with the truck
12.Have you scanned for engine codes? Yes/No yes
12a. List exact results on engine codes. had a code 13 (solenoid) on it when i checked it after fixing the bulb. I cleared it for now and has not yet returned. could be old code? i do not have a stalling issue.

13. Condition of Battery terminals (removed, cleaned and tightened). good
14. Known condition and age of Batteries. seem good, one is 2 years old and the other is may be 5 but not sure, came like this
14a. Are batteries a matched set of same age? nope
15. Condition of Major Grounds (removed, cleaned and tightened) not checked yet
15a Have the batteries been individually load tested? no

16. Does engine crank, or "turn over"? yes
16a. Does engine start and run? yes
17. If engine does not start- Crack injector line: do you have fuel? Yes/No
18. Does your Wait To Start light come on? yes
18a.Number of seconds WTS light is lit. about 5-8 seconds
19. Engine Cranking speed (if you have an accurate tachometer). unsure

20. Are you experiencing Stalling? no
20a. Describe the event (upon startup only, down the road, hit a bump, etc...) ticking noise is all the time, follows the rpm, but stays the same level of noise
20b. Do you notice loss of dash or instruments? no
21. Check turbo inlet and air filter for obstructions. not yet
22. In a no-hot start, pour a bottle of room-temp water on the injection pump. Does it start now? n/a
23. Lift pump test - Describe results. failed, engine stalled and would not start again. changed ops, lift pump and new filter. runs fine now.

24. Upon cold start, does the radiator hose get hard quickly? Yes/No did not check
25. Upon cold start, do you have excessive white smoke? Yes/No yes
26. Do you have excessive cranking time before the engine starts? Yes/No yes
27. Have you used the block heater? Does it affect engine starting? (only try for starting problems). did not try
28. Are all glow plugs in proper working order? have not yet tested

29. During hard acceleration, do you have excessive black smoke? Yes/No dont think so
30. Do you have any unusual exhaust smoke issues? alot of white smoke at startup especially cold
31. Turbo check out - Pass/Fail wastegate seems fine, but the boost gauge needle bounces around, but that's another story for another day!
32. Indicate fuel that you are using: Bio-Diesel, #2 Diesel, SVO/WVO, other just plain 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. no
34. Upon unscrewing fuel cap, do you have a large vacuum formed in the tank? Yes/No it does hiss upon opening, but i tried starting it with the cap off and its the same hard starting issue.
35. Do you have any service history available that might pertain to the problem you are having? injector pump has about 70000 kms on it. Injectors are of unknown vintage, could be original! not sure.
36. Please indicate any modifications to the vehicle that might help us diagnose better.
 
#2 ·
First of all, :welcome2: to the Forum!

Listened to your video. Here are my thoughts:

The starter seems to be turning too slow (at least to me). So start by doing this: http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/2755252-post5.html and this: http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/63...-6-5l-diesel-engine/163087-grounds-grounds-grounds-importance-good-grounds.html

If doing those two things do not help increase starter speed, then I would replace the batteries. With the age of them, especially the 5 yr old one, and that they are not a matched set......Get a matched set of batteries with at least 750 cold crank amps.

Also check the battery cable lead to the starter. Make sure they are clean and tight.

If none of that works, then you are looking at a new starter, or having your starter rebuilt.

Also make sure there is a bracket on the front of the starter that is bolted to the block. If there is not one, get one on there ASAP! The starter will crack the block where the two mounting bolts are if there is no bracket. See the FAQ's "Starter Bracket" reference and look at the links.
 
#3 ·
Based upon the mileage and unknown past service record I would suspect knocking injectors and replace them. They need to be replaced every 100k (miles) anyhow so it would be a good investment. Even if it doesn't cure your problem it certainly eliminates a prime suspect. ~FH
 
#4 ·
Sounds to me you have a few non working Glow plugs as well.
IMO to get your truck in good shape and starting good.
1.Check, clean and tighten all battery cables & grounds.
2.Replace all glow plugs. Don't bother testing them just do them all.
3.Get 2 new matched batteries.
4.New injectors.
I listed from least cost to most. You don't have to do them all now if budget does not allow. But if you get them taken care of while the weather is warm it will save you many headaches next winter. start with #1 (Free) and work your way down the list.

You really should be using an additive like Power service Diesel kleen. These older trucks need extra lube for the pump and injectors. Many here, including me, also use TCW2, outboard 2 stroke mix. 1/2 oz per gallon of fuel to lube the pump/injectors. It may even quiet the ticking. But fron the vid you posted I really did not hear anything abnormal Except the slow starting. These are noisy engines. If they don't sound like the world is coming to an end when you start them up there is something wrong
 
#5 ·
sounds like i need to do the injectors. Thanks Tommygunner I will do all of the suggested options. In terms of injectors i have noticed sellers like Accurate Diesel and SS Diesel Supply online. Are these guys reputable? Have any of you had experience with them? Thanks again, very useful info! I only have so much time to spend on the truck so narrowing it down helps huge amounts.
 
#6 · (Edited)
Rock auto has some of the best prices on injectors. I have bought from SS. Don't have a problem with them. Some here don't like him because he hypes his products. You cant believe everything you read there. The injectors on his site for 300 are most likely rebuilt. Don't fall for the marine injector hype. Stock injectors are all you need.
Rock auto has New Standard motor product injectors for the same price. I have not heard any complaints about them. If you want to spend more AC delco or Delphi injectors are excellent choice. Stay away from Chinese injectors.
Never delt with accurate diesel but many here like them.
 
#7 ·
So I bought Those New Standard Motor Products Injectors, They are made in china though as i noticed on the package. However they did not have the Bosch ones when i ordered a month ago and now they do though! Oh well, I heard the Bosch are made in India anyways so i am not sure how much more reliable those would be. I will get them pop tested/calibrated by a local diesel shop before i put them in and let you guys know how they turn out.
 
#8 ·
Any update on the injector install?
Did is solve the ticking issue?
 
#9 ·
So I got her back together yesterday finally after a couple weeks of on and off wrenching. I changed all the injectors and the glow plugs, and while I had it open I checked all my lifters which all looked and felt good. the good news is it starts awesome now so that problem is solved. The bad news is the ticking is still there. I had all the new injectors tested and calibrated. The shop said none of the injectors leaked but their popping pressures were all over the place. Unfortunately though one of the injectors leaks and I am going to have to pull it out to see what's going on with it. Furthermore I cracked that stupid heater core inlet tube at the bracket weld so that needs fixing. I found a fix on the sure about how to do it with a hose, a barb and a aluminum rod. We are off to a rocky start but I still have confidence she can be fixed!
 
#10 ·
New injectors will tick for a while, they need to work them selves in, try using lucas upper cylinder lube and injector cleaner" great stuff for lubing injectors, I had an injector stick and throw a balance code, ran that through the tank( after intense investigating of course) and it cleared it right up, code gone, knock ("tick") gone 700 km of driving and that in the tank still hasn't come back.
Though I'll be doing injectors soon since it happened once, it could again, thought I'd suggest the lucas even as an injector "break-in" lube.
 
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#11 ·
I'll try that. I have some suspicion that the ticking is still fuel related somehow because when I put the stethoscope all over the engine the injector lines are the loudest, so loud in fact I almost need hearing protection just to listen to it! maybe it's the injector pump that needs lube so we'll see what happens with the treatment.
 
#12 ·
Update on the work: So I was wrong, the truck still runs like poo for the first few seconds on a cold start. It turns over for way less time but still sputters and coughs. I am still suspecting GP system maybe? I checked for power at all the plugs when i changed them and it was good, the plugs themselves are brand new duraterms. Maybe i need to change the connectors at the plugs, they look original still.Additionally I still haven't solved that damn leaking #7 injector, its driving me crazy. I thought it was the rubber nipple cap because i saw it weeping from a hole in it, but then i put it all together again and it is still leaking. That truck is going to give me a heart attack. Argh. I am going to have to pull it out again. i will try the talcum powder trick i found somewhere on this forum to see if i can pinpoint the location of the leak. Why are the leaky injectors always the hardest to reach ones!?
 
#13 · (Edited)
Murphy, that's the reason, Murphy, if he wasn't dead I tell ya I'd kill him myself!:HiHi:

When I changed to the bosch gp's from the 9g delcos I too had a harder time starting then before,9g's heat up fast but burn up and swell faster too, they covered for the other issue. All the GP system worked great, it actually was the ECT sensor in the coolant crossover telling the ecm warmer temps so it shortened the GP time.

While sitting for any length of time a fuel leak under pressure can become a air into the fuel system, so I'd focus on that first.
 
#14 ·
Just a thought. I dont like this but is a way to find out if the ticking is fuel related.
Rev the engine to 3 000 rpm and let your foot of the gas immediately, so it returns to idle.
Now you have an idea of how the engine sounds.
Now do the same again. Rev it up to about 3 000 rpm and this time turn the ignition off. This causes IP to close and no fuel is being injected and the ticking should be gone. If it is still there, then its not fuel related.
Oh and if rpm drop to about idle, turn key on so the engine idles. Just for the turbo sake.

Hope this sheds a bit of light.
 
#15 ·
Agree with 65madness.
I would fix the leaky injector first.

Some injector leaks from where the injector body meets or where the injector thread to the hole.

GPs got nothing to do after the engine is running.
It aids in starting but it is not a factor after engine is running.
 
#16 ·
Sounds good lets put out the fires first (literally seeing how its dripping on the exhaust) and I'll let you know what happens. The injectors were pressure tested and calibrated by a local shop. I'll try to see if its leaking at the body division, maybe the shop didn't' re assemble it appropriately after installing a shim or something like that.
 
#17 ·
Did the ticking noise change at all? Did you use new return lines?

If the noise didn't change, I'd say you have a rocker arm or lifter issue. How did you check the lifters?
 
#18 ·
Hi Turbovanman,

The ticking did not change. I did use a Delphi return line kit. I did remove the valve covers when i checked the injectors and all the lifters seemed solid to the touch anyways. There was no up/down play in them. They had some side to side play but I was told this was normal. all the plastic buttons looked in good condition and were all in place. I am hoping maybe it's this externally leaking injector that is still ticking but who knows. I'll fix the leaking injector and hopefully it sounds better. Otherwise the only other thing it could be is the IP (I've changed the lift pump, OPS, filter, all the injectors and all the return lines. I am running it until its dead if it is! The IP was changed less than 60K kilometers ago. Already have a thousand dollars of parts in this thing and I only put 300kms on it since i bought it in March. Gotta start getting some return on investment!
 
#19 ·
Oh and as I had mentioned in a previous post when I use the stethoscope to find the ticking noise it is exponentially louder on the injector lines more than anywhere else. Like I'd say 20 times louder than the next loudest place.
 
#20 ·
Ok. Usually changing something that was bad would change the sound, so to me, that rules out injectors. They will be like as they are mechanical in nature and require pressure to over come the internal spring.

IP's don't make that type of noise so I'd lean towards valve train. I would just drive it and see what happens. Try running an oil cleaner before you next oil change and add some Lucas after. That's fixed some lifter noise's for me.
 
#22 ·
Seafoam works well. Run it for the allotment of time recommended on the can in the crank case before you do a fresh change. Also, choose a quality oil filter. I always run a duramax ACDelco # PF 2232.. or a cross referenced WIX. Choose a good 15w-40 diesel oil, and some Lucas oil additive.
 
#23 ·
Is that the stuff called seafoam motor treatment? BTW, Update on the leaking injector, not only was my return line nipple stop fix not working but it was missing altogether! The injector was just merrily spewing my expensive diesel all over the highway. Have no ideahow that came off. Anyways, I put a new plug on it and I will monitor it.
 
#25 ·
I like LubriMoly oil flush products, they work awesome, SF is good stuff too.

I really like the Lucas stuff, and I've tried a lot.

A good synthetic 5w40 can't hurt either.
 
#27 · (Edited)
Stop leak and cleaner are 2 different things.

For SeaFoam, just get the plain SeaFoam.

I am leery on doing more than that.
Stop leak never stop a leak if the leak caused by something mechanical like a hole.
The stop leak can stop a leak by swelling the gasket/o-ring if they are somewhat dry.
But it will not swell any gasket/o-ring that is already breaking.

As for cleaner, it will help if the noise is caused by some build up internally and that build up can be cleaned. So, it will not hurt. But if it is caused by something that is worn out, then it will not help. Oil thickener may help lessen the shear on those worn out parts, therefore, reducing the noise.

This is just some common sense after reading so many forum on different issues.