2003 Ex 2wd limited 6.0L

Wife's car..low fuel light came on. we usually have about 20-25 miles driving while on the low fuel light (not that it happens often) but wife gave me the truck to go fill and she didn't tell me that she idled (school car pool line)a lot while on the low fuel light the day before. So I went to start the truck, left it idle for about 5 min, transfering stuff into it from my other truck and then it began to chug chug chug..as if running out of gas. I quickly ran to shut it off and not have it starve out. ran to the gas station with a gas can to get diesel, put 3 gallons in it and almost couldn't start it back up. It would crank but not turn over. Then I just held my foot to the floor with the accelerator and it sounded like it was whining up faster and faster until the compression was enough that it turned over and was running. So it ran for a few days fine then wife stopped at a friends and it wouldn't start again. I brought jumper cables..hooked them up to the pasenger side battery (its the only one that I have found works to jump start this truck). and same thing I held my foot to the floor with accelerator and it began to crank faster and faster like whining up then it started running again..like the last time. it wasn't running rough but I drove it hard for say 3 miles to my in-laws and shut her off. Had dinner at the in-laws and after dinner no start. I left it there jacked it up and changed oil/filter and changed both fuel filters. Found the o-ring on the stock fuel drain plug to be worn/chewed up and ordered the newer type extended fuel drain plug. I took both batteries and charged them up as I know the cranking along with the glow plugs drains them hard. So I went to start today with charged batteries hoping that the fuel filter changes and oil change would help. I threw a battery charger jump start booster on the passenger battery as well. She would keep cranking but no ignition. The lights would come on, dash warning lights woud illuminate but she wouldn't turn over...just keep cranking. The sound of the injectors filling when you turn the key to run from off, seems a little less loud. i used to hear this loud motor noise and fuel pump noise. I still hear somthing but much less loud. Maybe I sucked up junk with running th fuel down so low? Now what? Did I kill the injectors? Fuel pump? I read somewhere of a fuel pump kill switch that is somethines tripped on the passenger side kick panel. Truck has only 96,000 miles, has been great. and can't go with a smaller truck as we need it for our daughter who has a wheelchair and other medical necessities. Any help would be gretly appreciated. We're long out of warranty and wife wants to get rid of it, but there is nothing to replace it with. We had a suburban and that was the biggest piece of ----. Thanks in advance guys. I saw the injectors cost about $200 each and didn't know if its a really hard job to do. Is fuel pump easier? Maybe try the fuel pump?

 

So i left the truck for about 3 days when I couldn't start it after dinner that night, and went back to start it and noticed the battery had drained down as it was making this clicking noise inside as the factory theft alarm must have run the batteries down. Weird in such little time. But it was making this clicking noise with the electronics flashing. Maybe it reset the programming or the starter or something.

 

I don't have a diesel Ex, but I do have a yacht with twin diesels... I would change out your primary and secondary fuel filters first. Replace that dead battery 2nd. Listen to the fuel pump make sure it's pushing fuel. If so far all good. Continue to injectors, you may have pushed garbage into them. You also may have an air pocket in your system. Again I'm not a truck diesel guy but have owned several yachts over the years.


Hope this helps.

 

moved to 6.0 forum

 

sounds to me like a weak battery

 

+1

First thing I would do is recharge the batteries and load test them!!

 

Whenever my old batteries would drain. I would get the same "clicking noise with the electronics flashing".
Once I pulled into a store and left it idleing for about 5 minutes, got on the road and lost everything on the dash and radio, it drove for about another 5 minutes until I could pull into another parking lot and it died before I could park.

Check the Alt to while your doing the batteries. Also, open up the secondary filter housing and drain the fuel bowl. Then crank it to see if you have fuel flow from the pump (should take a 1-3 sec.).

Have you checked for codes?