My FIL's truck wont start. Its a 96 model with an auto tranny. Lemme start from the beginning. It started off just being hard to start, he was spraying it with starting fluid to get it going (I know its a no no and I told him). Now it wont start at all. He replaced the fuel pump and I have told him to check the HPOP level, Fuse 22, CPS (tach when cranking). After he put a new fuel pump on it he did get it to start once by taking the lid off the fuel filter and bumped the starter to make sure it was getting fuel. It stated and ran for a while, but he says the tranny was shifting hard, then the CEL light came on. After he shut it off it now wont restart.


P.S. I know a few of the glow plugs are bad (relay good) but there should be enough good ones for it to start.

 

Fist thing I would do is charge the batteries make sure they get a good charge before tying to start it again,maybe try plugging it in for an hour or so.

Is there white smoke out the exhaust when trying to start it?

When he got it running how did it run? like crap or good?

 

Batteries have good charge. He said it was turning over fast. Said he cant see the tailpipe to watch for smoke (dually). Said it ran good when it ran for that short time other than the hard shifting. Im thinking the computer went to limp mode and thats whats causing the CEL and hard shifts. Hes too darn stubborn and cheap to get it scanned for codes, would rather gripe and ask me whats wrong with it...LOL. I'll try to convince him to have it scanned.

 

Most auto parts stores will pull codes for free, just don't let them tell you what is wrong with it. Get the codes from them and post them up here and it will help alot.

 

None of the ones arround here can scan diesels, besides that it wont start to take it there. I know a diesel mechanic that will go to him and scan it for $50. Thanks for the suggestion though.

 

It is OBDII, if they are telling you they can't scan a diesel it's probly cuz they don't know how. It uses the same protocol as a friggin 96 taurus, and they can scan that lol.

$50 is a steal to scan it. FYI I have to tell my scan tool my 94.5 is a 97 to get it to comunicate but that just might be my software.

 

$50 bucks isn't that bad ,It cost me a case of beer my last time But I live in CANADA and beer is our second currency LOL

 

I have some corrections to make. After I checked arround the parts stores readers do scan diesels, guess they have upgraded since I checked last. AutoZone has one they let me use with their loan-a-tool program. Mistake #2 the truck is a '95 model. The scanner showed no codes even though the CEL is on. I did find that the ICP sensor was broken. Not shure if he did it in the fuel pump swap or if it was already like that. Will the ICP cause a no start condition? We did get the truck to start while I was there (starter fluid) ran great and restarted with no problem. I am thinking the broken ICP is causing the no start, has thrown the CEL and put the computer in Limp mode thus the hard tranny shifts.