Hey guys,
So it's -11* outside with a real feel of -40* and my 05 6.0L won't start despite being plugged in. I've got to be somewhere in an hour and didn't know if anyone was on this morning that could give a quick response? I'm new to the 6.0 game and could really use any pointers. It sounds like she wants to start after awhile it cranks a lot faster. Just keep trying to warm the engine up? Get another ride? Anything helps.

Thanks

 

Did you prepare the fuel with any type of anti-gel?

At those temperatures, the paraffin wax can drop out of diesel and clog the screened pickup and the fuel pump (HFCM), although in your area station fuel showed be adjusted to help with that. If it's it gelled, there's no quick fix in an hour.

 

Usually you only get one or two tries from the batteries when this cold. Get 2 good jump pacs. or a jump. Dont want sit there and crank with low batteries, bad things can happen.

 

Do you know what oil it has in it? For -11 (what it feels like doesn't count) you need a 5W40 synthetic.

Did you change oil filter and fuel filters (2) when you first got it?

There is a drain plug (6mm hex) on the primary fuel filter housing (called the HFCM) under the drivers side frame rail. This is the water drain plug. You might want to drain some fuel out of it and see if there is any water or solids in the fuel.

You can google youtube videos on about everything these days.

Lastly - you need a scantool to read engine parameters and codes.

Download ForScan Lite to a smartphone and get an ELM327 OBDII adapter (WiFi for iOS and BlueTooth for Android). About $40 total. ForScan is a great coder reader.

 

Thanks guys. It started up the second time I tried and I added some fuel additive to it. I made it to where I was going but it stalled in the parking lot (lucky me). Started up again no problem after my appointment but then stalled on the middle of the busy road (not so lucky). Batteries were dead so I got a jump and it started up. I talked to a buddy with a diesel and he said that I should probably get the fuel filters changed. I took it in and asked them to change the fuel filters and asked how much it would be to change the oil to the 5W40 synthetic. They quoted me about $275-350 for both oil change and fuel filters. I told them just the fuel filters. Is this a normal oil change??? Thanks for all the help I'm hoping I'm not in over my head.

 

Mark, I don't have a smartphone but what is the next best cheap option?

I don't remember what oil it has in it. (Rotella maybe? I don't think it's the 5W40 synthetic)
I didn't change the oil or fuel filters when I got it. Didn't know I needed to but it makes sense.
Can checking the fuel for water wait till it warms up? I don't have a shop to work on it lol.

 

The battery situation can get you over your head real quick, things under the hood don't like low voltage.

With a new acquisition, I would get the batteries fully charged up and tested. The battery situation could have been part of the starting problem in the first place. If they are an issue, replacing those for as little as $200 could be the best prevention you can make. But based on your comments, how proficient in automotive mechanics are you?

 

Super limited. Know next to nothing about diesel and the basics of gas engines (can change oil/filters/sparkplugs etc). I'm a vet student so not my area of expertise. Been trying to learn as much as I can from these forums which are super helpful. So you're recommending replacing both batteries? They dealer I bought this from was a typical used car lot and SUPER sketchy. Batteries look like they've had some wear on them so probably a good idea. Thank you Jack. Sorry for not knowing much else to be help.

 

Rotella 5W40 would be fine. Not that hard to change, you just need a drain pan that will hole 4-5 gallons. Change the oil after the engine has heated up. It will drain slow at -11*F otherwise.

You need to make sure that the oil filter cap is an OEM one and not a tall aftermarket cap. The OEM cap sits about an inch above the housing. The taller ones are twice that. Get an OEM oil filter also. The first one you can get at a dealership, but the others can be obtained on-line for a lot cheaper. I use DieselFiltersOnLine.com. Oil change interval of 5k miles is recommended.

Be aware that the fuel filters really need to be OEM also! Change them about every 10k miles.

As mentioned above, keeping the batteries and charging system healthy is very important.

As far as a scan tool goes, you can download ForScan to a laptop or a tablet and IIRC the software is free. You will still need an adapter. I like the BAFX brand. With a scantool and this forum, you can solve a large percentage of the typical problems that might arise.

As far as not knowing diesels goes, you can learn all you need to know here. Just be aware that most folks here know the engine very well and the advice you get here will almost always be good advice. That said, we tend to be conservative and you may not need to do all we will probably recommend. That said, we will do our best to keep you from having a MAJOR expense!!!! Just ask questions when you get advice. We have no way of knowing what you can afford and what you can't.

 

Yes, get good batteries (2 of them) and be prepared to spend extra money. Good AGM batteries can handle the load the glow plugs, starter and FICM put on them prior to the alternator taking charge. Bad batteries can cost you thousands in replacement parts (FICM, injectors etc.)
Don't go cheap with a diesel, good synthetic oil, and OEM filters are a must.

 

Replace if bad. This is just one part of the puzzle.

Knowing your ability will change the way many of us will respond, shorthand can get confusing. Mark has posted good references that are found in the tech area.

Diesel's of this size demands a lot of the batteries. And the electronics (FICM, Fuel Injection Control Module) which is expensive will get hurt by cranking the batteries to a low voltage. Auto parts stores will test batteries for free once you get them there. Battery quality ranges and auto parts stores are not the cheapest. Often, if the truck is on-site they will change the batteries for you if needed. AGMs are better but expensive. Walmart batteries can be out the door under $200, and while not the highest tech, get it done for a reasonable cost.

I'll through a video of mine here as I did it quickly to help someone else who was a newbie to the forum and diesel. The funny thing about the video is I threw it together without much polish or thought, yet it is my higher viewed. Crazy.

Anyway, there are people here who can help you on your journey.

 

Thanks fellas. Really appreciate it. After class I'll go to NAPA and have them test my batteries. I've already been in there a few times and got to know the guys pretty well. I'm also ordering OBDII adapter and ForScan as we speak. Will update this afternoon.

 

One thing that I didn't see mentioned, is the block heater - you can hear the coolant 'sizzle' when the heater has been plugged in for a few minutes
it is a 1000 watt heater, so even the cord may warm up a little - it is possible that the cord is damaged or the element is burned out

An hour or two should be all that is needed to warm the block, the heater is located on the passenger side just above the starter
you can use a timer, or just go out before coffee and plug it in -- tho with strong batteries and glow plugs functioning, I have not had trouble down to zero

When the temp is below 40*, you should start using anti gel like Power Service(white) -- do this before you need it, otherwise the paraffin crystals have already started and are really difficult to get out until the fuel temp Is above 60*
most fuel supplier start blending fuel early on before cold weather hits, but a truck that sits a lot may have summer fuel in it -- this will be a problem in cold weather

 

In the trucking industry some have talked about diesel with bio fuel has clogging issues at higher temps, especially last winter.

Good point about the block heater, although it won’t do anything at the tank and HFCM for those just learning about these trucks.

 

Yeah I had the block heater plugged in. It works well but I think my main issue was I didn't have the fuel additive in there. Now there is fuel additive and I changed the fuel filters. Still need to look into the batteries.