"No Start" problem happened this morning. It has me scratching my head. Temperature was 18 degrees. Never had a start problem at this temperature before. Warmer was not hooked up.

Vehicle has new batteries (1000 amp Interstates). Voltage was checked while cranking. Voltage was over 11. Fuel bowl was hot to touch which is normal. Fuel drained (water remover) and was not thick. Glow Plugs were checked at stealership when I thought I had an injector problem last month. Vehicle had a miss. Changed the filters and all fluids. Miss went away and everything else passed. They wanted to do the update to the ECM. NOPE!

While starting truck blew white smoke out the tailpipe. Just would not start. It took 15 minutes to start it.

Any ideas?

 

I'm guessing the wise ones here may say GPR.

 

What kind of shape is your oil in? As Jim suggested, use a multi-meter to check the GPR right after the key is turned on. Good glow plugs won't do much good if they don't get any power.

 

you probabally know all this by now.But if not here is a run down on how to check the gpr/gp circuit.
How to check Glow Plug System

To check the Glow Plug Relay (GPR)
· Be sure the engine is cold, so that the PCM will tell the GPR to turn on. If the engine is hot, you won’t have as much time to check.
· Locate the GPR – Its behind the fuel filter on top of the engine, a little bit toward the passenger side of the valley. There may be two relays there. If so, the rear one is the GPR. It will have two fairly large wires (yellow and brown) connected to one of the large posts.
· With your multitmeter set to DC volts, and 15 V range (if not autoranging), clip the positive (red) lead to the output terminal (with yellow and brown wires connected), and the negative (black) lead to a good ground point (like the battery ground terminal or someplace metal directly on the engine block.)
· Turn the key to ON (do not start)
· If your GPR is good, it should click, and you’ll see 11 volts or so on your meter, then, depending on temperature, it will click off up to 2 minutes later. You should do this a couple of times to make sure it consistently makes the connection.
· If you don’t get voltage with this test, confirm by retesting as follows.
· Remove the two small wires from the smaller two of the four GPR terminals.
· With jumper wires, apply voltage from the battery across the two small terminals. If your voltmeter now reads voltage on the output terminal, your GPR is OK, and your problem is in the PCM circuit that tells the GPR to activate.

To check Glow Plugs.
· Remove the electrical connector on the inboard side of valve cover at the gasket. Press down on the top of the connector latch and pry gently with a screwdriver.
Disconnecting VC harness connector.

Another photo of it loose.

· There will be 9 pins on the valve cover gasket where you removed the connector. The two pins furthest forward and the two pins furthest back are for your glow plugs.
· With your multimeter set to resistance (ohms) and low range (single digits) if not autoranging, clip the negative (black) lead to a good ground point.
· Probe each of the 4 outer pins individually with the positive (red) lead, noting the resistance. Good glow plugs will have a resistance between 0.6 and 2 ohms. If you get infinite resistance on any glow plug, that one is either bad or the connector under the valve cover has come loose.

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Thanks Gang. Just a little too cold at the moment to do this check. It is supposed to be warmer tomorrow.

 

I did the checks, glow plugs fine, replaced the relay as it was not working. Still problem exist. Weird thing is that I got an SES light and then it went off. No danged code though. Is there a sensor I am missing, like maybe a temperature sensor. If so, where is it? That is the only thing that I can think of now.

This danged truck will set a code for everything else, but none for this.

 

There should be a fault code stored if you got a SES light.. what kind of scanner are you using.. I got a SES light and it was my 9 pin connector under the valve covers. It was intermitted... It would work fine one minute and the next it wouldn't..

 

Under valve cover harness is making intermittent contact. you have checked the outside of the 9pin, but it may be the inside that is not seated properly.
If you check for codes you will proably see a 1316, or 127x (x being the number of the cylinder that may have an open circuit)

 

Checked them all. Then had International Dealer Scan with one of their MAC scanners. No dang codes. The dealer then check all the pins and the GPR again. Then checked PCM. Everything appers to be working. I know the circuit also uses a temp switch somewhere. Just trying to figure out where it is.

 

Paul did you pull the valve cover and check the UVCH like Brandon recommended?

 

Or at least ohm it.That would tell you if there is an open in the circuit.
But I agree on the pulling of the cover.A meter isn't going to show you if the plug is making inter mitten contact.It could be just coming loose.

 

Is it possible you ran down the batts when trying to crank before you changed out the bad relay?

 

I don't think it's a sensor since those will throw codes. Besides there's more than one sensor the PCM reads from to determine glow plug operation. Will sticking a screwdriver across the GPR to manually turn on the glow plugs let it start? The intake air temperature sensor you were referring to is installed in the side of the air filter box, but if the PCM does detects it out of range it defaults to a 59 deg reading and affects your EBP & high idle. It also has it's own set of codes.

Do all of your dash lights function normally? Anything not come on, or not go off? As mentioned intermittent shorts will flash the SES but not set a code. Try checking the main engine wiring harness for chaffing against the drivers side valve cover, or above the VC where it goes through a metal bracket.

 

I am not physically able to pull the valve covers. The batts are fully charged. I got it started but with the temps in the 60's, I cannot tell if it was just the relay. I remember an earlier post about an oil temp switch that would prevent the GP's from working.

All dash lights are working. The "wait" light comes on and goes off. The SES light is off.

I have noticed something else also. It does not seem to have the power that it had. Now these problems has me puzzled.

 

dang, i wish I was closer to you, I would come over and help.
It really sounds like the UVCHarness. lack of power, earlier missing, hard start.

ANYBODY NEAR CHARLESTON WV. THAT CAN HELP PAUL TURN A WRENCH?