84 6.2 wont start ''water in fuel light on''

[gotblazers]

I picked it up a few days ago and i gave it 20/40 gallons to give it a full tank and some enzyme additive supposed to clean out the fuel system. Then i drove it home. It needed a jump to start. It had no problem holding 55-60 mph the whole way home.

1.It stalled out on the freeway offramp. Couldnt start it again and it was saying ''water in fuel'' when i tried to start it.

2.we towed it over to a nearby parking lot with the follow vehicle and jumped it for 20 minutes and drove it home another 15 miles and it seemed to have an issue holding idle.

3.I tried to start it the next day and it still said water in fuel so i changed the fuel filter

4. I tried to bleed it but i couldnt find any way to get a hose fitting inside of the air bleed valve to get the diesel coming out nor could i find the return line to the injection pump to hook my compressor to and i would have no way to tell how much psi i was actually putting in anyways with my compressors ****ty old regulator.

5. My dad decided it was a good idea to put fuel down the air bleed screw hole so we put 3 rustoleum paint caps full with a custom made foil funnel of diesel down the hole but theres still no start and its still saying ''water in fuel''.

Ideas,suggestions? Im pretty lost here.

 

[Duntz00]

I don't know about burbs but on my truck I have a valve back by the fuel tanks that is a bleed valve for water, but Im still pretty new to this whole old diesel stuff too.

 

[gotblazers]

I don't know about burbs but on my truck I have a valve back by the fuel tanks that is a bleed valve for water, but Im still pretty new to this whole old diesel stuff too.

I read about that but for the life of me i cant find this thing. Any chance you can snap a few pics of it for me so i know what to look for.

 

[tRustyK5]

look along the frame rail, there should be a petcock somewhere near the tank. Diesel floats on water, so the water is at the bottom of the tank. Open the petcock and you should be able to drain the water from the tank. Stop draining when you see diesel...lol

Look at the stickies in this forum, there is a thread regarding filter changes and proper fuel bleeding procedures.

Quick highlights:

Glow plug check on the quick and easy. Test light with the clip on the + terminal of the battery, use the probe to touch the spade part of the glow plug. If the light comes on you have a good glow plug (~90% of the time)

Crank speed...it's critical to good starting. There is no other source of ignition other than heat from compression. The faster the air gets compressed the higher the temps and the easier ignition happens when the injector pulses. Bottom line, good dual batteries, good starter. Look for a 28MT gear drive starter.

Rene

 

[tRustyK5]

Manual glow plugs. Find the light bluw wire going to the glow plug controller on the back of the engine. Clip it about 6" from the controller. Pull it out of the loom and get it into the underdash area. Get a momentary push button switch, good ground to one side, light blue wire to the other side. When you push the button the light blue wire gets grounded, and this energizes the glow plugs.

Glow plugs, Kennedy "Quick heats" work pretty good. in your climate 4 or 5 seconds of glow should be plenty.

AC60G's are good self limiting GP's too, but they take longer to heat up...so 6-8 seconds for those in your climate.

Rene

 

[gotblazers]

look along the frame rail, there should be a petcock somewhere near the tank. Diesel floats on water, so the water is at the bottom of the tank. Open the petcock and you should be able to drain the water from the tank. Stop draining when you see diesel...lol

I'll have to go and look harder i guess

Look at the stickies in this forum, there is a thread regarding filter changes and proper fuel bleeding procedures.

Quick highlights:

Glow plug check on the quick and easy. Test light with the clip on the + terminal of the battery, use the probe to touch the spade part of the glow plug. If the light comes on you have a good glow plug (~90% of the time)

Do i need to have the key in the on or off position while i do this

Crank speed...it's critical to good starting. There is no other source of ignition other than heat from compression. The faster the air gets compressed the higher the temps and the easier ignition happens when the injector pulses. Bottom line, good dual batteries, good starter. Look for a 28MT gear drive starter.

That explains why it would only start with a jump, IMO the crank speed is a bit low and i think i found what you mentioned http://www.monstermarketplace.com/s.../starter-delco-style-28mt-12v-10t-3-0kw-50215

125 bucks for a starter , Damn diesels

Rene

If i win the lotto im hiring you as my personal mechanic. That glow plug check is focking genius i swear idk how you think of this stuff.

Manual glow plugs. Find the light bluw wire going to the glow plug controller on the back of the engine. Clip it about 6" from the controller. Pull it out of the loom and get it into the underdash area. Get a momentary push button switch, good ground to one side, light blue wire to the other side. When you push the button the light blue wire gets grounded, and this energizes the glow plugs.

Glow plugs, Kennedy "Quick heats" work pretty good. in your climate 4 or 5 seconds of glow should be plenty.

AC60G's are good self limiting GP's too, but they take longer to heat up...so 6-8 seconds for those in your climate.

Rene

Thats awesome man, Great info beause i definitley wanna do this before i start driving it. If i light the glow plugs for 8 seconds and crank it and it doesnt start, Do i need to hit the glow plug switch again while i crank it or before i crank it or not at all. It seems like they'd still be hot for a while

 

[tRustyK5]

Key off for glow plug check. You're checking continuity. When GP's fail the generally lose continuity.

Yes diesel starters are spendier, but prices for those starters have come down a lot over the last 10 years. When I bought one it ran me over $300 US (2003 ish)

Rene

 

[tRustyK5]

This sticky has the low down on correct fuel system bleed.

http://coloradok5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=69490

As for starting with manual glow plugs in say ~40-50F temps. Tap the gas pedal (this allows the HPCA to set the higher idle speed, similar to a choke/high idle on a carb'd gasser) push button for 5-8 seconds, hit the key. It should start.

In colder temps it's the same except you'd hold the gas pedal down a little and maybe glow a second or two longer. Below freezing, gas pedal down halfway or more.

Block cracks aren't the end of the world, it ran didn't it? I say get it running again first before blowing thousands on a rebuilt 6.2.

Another thing to keep in mind, a 6.2 generally will never stall unless there is air being introduced into the fuel system. A fuel line that has a slightly loose clamp is sometimes enough to cause a problem. The leak can be so slight that it can draw in a bit of air, but not actually drip fuel.

Start at the tank and move forward checking every line and connection going forward to the injection pump. Double check every connection, particularly where there are soft lines.

Confirm the status of the glow plugs. A 6.2 will often start with only three or four of eight working, especially in warmer climates. Having them all working will still make it start a ton easier.

Battery and starter we already covered, keep in mind crank speed is crucial.

If you're having trouble getting it started do not crank the starter for more than 30 seconds. It will overheat and you'll be buying another spendy starter. If you have cranked it for 30 seconds, allow the starter a minute or so to cool before trying again.

You have a 27 year old diesel with suspect maintenance and repairs in it's past. Most likely there are half a dozen small problems rather than just one big problem. Get all the systems working correctly and it should start and run reliably.

Rene

 

[max 02]

That the kind of info that he neads, I was hopeing you would talk to him.

Good luck. And don`t give up, it will run again.

 

[gotblazers]

Looks like i got my work cut out for me. Im workin 12-8 until saturday so ill try and wake up early get some stuff done before my day off sunday.

 

[diesel4me]

All goiod info--with Rene's help.I got my first diesel fired up some 8 or more years ago!...one thing though,you have to unplug the wire from the glow plug before testing it with a test lamp,otherwise the light will come on regardless of the glow plugs condition is...

The fuel water drain is located just in front of the hanger on the rear leaf spring closest to the front of the truck..has a little valve you open to drain the water out--you can put a small peice of hose on the nipple of it to help keep the mess from going everywhere as you drained it..

I've put a few bottles of isopropanol dry gas in my diesel fuel a couple of times since I got my truck,it doesn't get driven much and sits a ot..seemed to help it start easier in winter cold with that in the fuel...make sure the stuff says for all gas AND diesel engines,some alcohols aren't good for a diesel...

 

[kennyw]

The only time I have seen the "water in fuel" light come on was when I had an IP with heat soak issues (would not restart when warm).

Another time I bought an M1028 pickup with an extra fuel tank mounted under the rear of the frame. After filling it up, I found it started running out of power. Then it would stall and wouldn't restart... I found out that the extra tank was actually falling out of the truck and pinching off the fuel lines, starving the engine for fuel.

I would start by checking all of your fuel lines from front to back and look for any restricted or leaking lines.