starting problems
New User
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 17
Likes: 0
So, if you are all out of ideas, I have one for you...
...Humour me on this.
Disconnect your exhaust system. No cat, no muffler...
Then crank it over and see what you get.
A friend of mine had a problem with a Mercedes diesel Unimog agricultural vehicle. This machine would crank over and crank over and not start. One day, I decided to crank the beejesus out of it, when all of a sudden there was a big bang and a bunch of black pieces came flying out and landed on the snow. The engine ran fine after that. It turns out that some small critters were storing hazel nuts up inside the exhaust system and it got plugged. It reminded me of when I was young and we used to put potatoes up the tailpipes of cars. This trick had people stumped for weeks while their cars would not start. I had a fun childhood but not many people shared my humour.
PS: another fun trick is to put a marble in someone's hubcap. This noise will drive them crazy and they probably won't figure it out until they remove the hubcap.
...Humour me on this.
Disconnect your exhaust system. No cat, no muffler...
Then crank it over and see what you get.
A friend of mine had a problem with a Mercedes diesel Unimog agricultural vehicle. This machine would crank over and crank over and not start. One day, I decided to crank the beejesus out of it, when all of a sudden there was a big bang and a bunch of black pieces came flying out and landed on the snow. The engine ran fine after that. It turns out that some small critters were storing hazel nuts up inside the exhaust system and it got plugged. It reminded me of when I was young and we used to put potatoes up the tailpipes of cars. This trick had people stumped for weeks while their cars would not start. I had a fun childhood but not many people shared my humour.
PS: another fun trick is to put a marble in someone's hubcap. This noise will drive them crazy and they probably won't figure it out until they remove the hubcap.
Mountain Pass
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 224
Likes: 0
From: Pulaski, NY
I had a similar problem. If you have dual tanks, switch to the other tank and try to start - it may take a while. The fuel system on these trucks takes a bit of time to get primed and vented, so it can be frustrating to figure out a fuel problem. I had something in my rear tank, and the only way I figured it out was by hooking up a fuel pressure gauge to the regulator. When I ran on the rear tank, the pressure would drop and the motor would run like crap (that is after I finally got it started). I ended up disconnecting the supply line from the rear tank and blowing air through it - I was shocked at the noises I heard going through the lines, there was definitely something in there. Hope this helps, good luck.
Senior User
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 176
Likes: 0
I know it seems pretty straight forward, no smoke, no fuel, must be the fuel system. But it isn't all that simple. That's why there's all this stuff that seems unrelated to the fuel system.
If you have a mechanical fuel pump, open the yellow drain valve on your fuel filter and crank the truck over, you should get a good stream of fuel coming out from the drain tube on the front of the engine. If you have an electric pump, all you have to do is open the drain valve and and turn the ignition to run and it should do the same.
Did you try unplugging the ICP sensor yet? It's on the front of the drivers side head, sticks out at a 45 degree angle and it's a three wire sensor. If you unplug it and it starts you need a new one.
There is not much more that I could tell you that wouldn't be pure guess work. You would have to go for some computer diagnosis, or start swapping really expensive parts, or tearing into things you don't want to tear into without being sure what you are looking for.
If you have a mechanical fuel pump, open the yellow drain valve on your fuel filter and crank the truck over, you should get a good stream of fuel coming out from the drain tube on the front of the engine. If you have an electric pump, all you have to do is open the drain valve and and turn the ignition to run and it should do the same.
Did you try unplugging the ICP sensor yet? It's on the front of the drivers side head, sticks out at a 45 degree angle and it's a three wire sensor. If you unplug it and it starts you need a new one.
There is not much more that I could tell you that wouldn't be pure guess work. You would have to go for some computer diagnosis, or start swapping really expensive parts, or tearing into things you don't want to tear into without being sure what you are looking for.
Last edited by spikebee; Dec 17, 2006 at 09:24 AM. Reason: left something out
Senior User
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 176
Likes: 0
Originally Posted by Iwerk
So, if you are all out of ideas, I have one for you...
...Humour me on this.
Disconnect your exhaust system. No cat, no muffler...
Then crank it over and see what you get.
A friend of mine had a problem with a Mercedes diesel Unimog agricultural vehicle. This machine would crank over and crank over and not start. One day, I decided to crank the beejesus out of it, when all of a sudden there was a big bang and a bunch of black pieces came flying out and landed on the snow. The engine ran fine after that. It turns out that some small critters were storing hazel nuts up inside the exhaust system and it got plugged.
...Humour me on this.
Disconnect your exhaust system. No cat, no muffler...
Then crank it over and see what you get.
A friend of mine had a problem with a Mercedes diesel Unimog agricultural vehicle. This machine would crank over and crank over and not start. One day, I decided to crank the beejesus out of it, when all of a sudden there was a big bang and a bunch of black pieces came flying out and landed on the snow. The engine ran fine after that. It turns out that some small critters were storing hazel nuts up inside the exhaust system and it got plugged.
Thread Starter
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Senior User
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 271
Likes: 0
From: Odessa
tried the ICP sensor and no dice, changed fuel filter and still no start. Where would be a good place to disconect the exhaust system?
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Playing in the Dirt
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 2,302
Likes: 1
From: Southwest Georgia
Originally Posted by jdm5630
tried the ICP sensor and no dice, changed fuel filter and still no start. Where would be a good place to disconect the exhaust system?
Senior User
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 204
Likes: 3
have you tried doing a voltage drop test on the battery cables.i looked back at the previous treads and did not see if we clarified that the engine is cranking fast enough.
if not,take your voltmeter and set the negitive lead on the positive battery terminal and the positive lead to the hot stud on the starter. crank the engine and watch the meter. should not exceed 1 volt at the most depending on the length of cable.
if not,take your voltmeter and set the negitive lead on the positive battery terminal and the positive lead to the hot stud on the starter. crank the engine and watch the meter. should not exceed 1 volt at the most depending on the length of cable.
New User
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 17
Likes: 0
- get a friend to crank it over while you check to see if you have airflow coming out of the tailpipe. Check the suction at the intake while you are at it.
- if you think that it might be fuel related, then give the intake a small shot of starting fluid (ether) and listen for any change in sound while cranking. Be careful with ether, it is dangerous stuff. You only want to find out if it fires or not...
- other than that, get a compression guage and check to make sure that you have good compression. 450psi new (300psi is the minimum for a diesel to fire.)
Diesels ignite by compression, so if you have unrestricted flow and fuel and good compression, then your engine should be running. There is no throttle plate on a diesel, they are wide open and hopefully unrestricted. It is only the fuel flow and good compression that make them run.
- if you think that it might be fuel related, then give the intake a small shot of starting fluid (ether) and listen for any change in sound while cranking. Be careful with ether, it is dangerous stuff. You only want to find out if it fires or not...
- other than that, get a compression guage and check to make sure that you have good compression. 450psi new (300psi is the minimum for a diesel to fire.)
Diesels ignite by compression, so if you have unrestricted flow and fuel and good compression, then your engine should be running. There is no throttle plate on a diesel, they are wide open and hopefully unrestricted. It is only the fuel flow and good compression that make them run.