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diesel issues and questions?-update: fuel tank leak

Well I tested the pump and it barely pulled any fuel through. So I pulled the old one out. Thats as far as I got tonight, went to dinner and got side tracked. Just got to finish putting the new one in tomorrow and I hope that it will start after that. I really need to degrease the engine and spray it down, lot of caked on oil.
 
Yep :D Ill get it finished today sometime. Gotta work but at least its in the shop and not sitting out getting snowed on again! Hopefully my bosses dont mind, after all we are a car audio shop and now it reeks like diesel fuel in the back :doah:
 
Well she is alive and kicking! Got the lift pump changed out and got all the air out of the lines. Wouldnt start right away and tried about 10 times (with time in between). I think the glow plugs are shot and I will be checking them this next week and getting Kennedy Diesel glow plugs. Had to use a bit of ether to get her going (i know, i know, bad idea). But she finally cranked over and ran good. Went to the gas station and put some fuel in. Hopefully she starts up easy in the morning.

IF NOT, what would cause hard starts besides bad glow plugs? I do have a resistor in the controller so they stay on longer (doesnt help much if they are shot). Anything else to check.

I am also going to take it to a car wash and spray the chit outta the engine because it is caked with 25 yrs of oil! Anything I should be wary of spraying?

Thanks for all of the brotherhoods help on this one :thumb: Exactly why I became and always will be a member here!
 
Glow plugs are #1 for bad starts. Other contributors are slow cranking speed...when the motor turns over quickly the intake charge gets compressed very fast, and this creates enormous heat. That is a good thing. The slower it turns over, the slower the intake charge compresses and the less heat you have. That heat is your 'spark'.

There is a thing called the HPCA (green wires on IP). If it is not working it will be harder to start.

i'd consider running an extension cord out to the truck and plug it in. Set a timer so it heats for about an hour to an hour and a half before you plan to be starting it.

To test glow plugs the quick and dirty way grab a test light. Attach the alligator clip to the + side of one of the batteries. Use the probe side to touch the spade on the end of the glow plug. If the light comes on it's most likely a good glow plug. No light and it's most likely dead. It's not a hard and fast test, but about 95% accurate and will give you a good idea what you're dealing with.

Rene
 
Threads like this make me feel good about pony'ing up for a membership each year.:wink1: I'm going to save this thread because I want a diesel Chebby someday and this is a wealth of info.:bow:
 
tRustyK5 said:
Glow plugs are #1 for bad starts. Other contributors are slow cranking speed...when the motor turns over quickly the intake charge gets compressed very fast, and this creates enormous heat. That is a good thing. The slower it turns over, the slower the intake charge compresses and the less heat you have. That heat is your 'spark'.

There is a thing called the HPCA (green wires on IP). If it is not working it will be harder to start.

i'd consider running an extension cord out to the truck and plug it in. Set a timer so it heats for about an hour to an hour and a half before you plan to be starting it.

To test glow plugs the quick and dirty way grab a test light. Attach the alligator clip to the + side of one of the batteries. Use the probe side to touch the spade on the end of the glow plug. If the light comes on it's most likely a good glow plug. No light and it's most likely dead. It's not a hard and fast test, but about 95% accurate and will give you a good idea what you're dealing with.

Rene
Click to expand...

I would love to plug her in but no block heater on it yet :doah: I started a thread on here about them, just havent looked into it enough yet. What is this HPCA and how can I test it?
 
Well she was alive but wouldnt start again this morning. Time to put in an alternator and glow plugs.
 
There can be several reasons why it won't start in the morning, but the common ones I have personally dealt with or knew somebody else with these problems.

1. small leak in the fuel system - loses prime and when cranking the next day gets air in the system and it either won't start at all or requires a lot of cranking

2. bad glow plugs - colder it is, the harder it will be to start

3. batteries - the 6.2 requires a lot of cranking speed and why they came from the factory with dual batteries. I've had batteries that had enough juice to crank the engine over for a reasonable amount of time, but were low enough to just not be able to spin it fast enough


It's pretty easy to tell if the HPCA is working. When you start it up in the morning it should go to a high idle that is pretty noticable, then if you let it sit and warm up for a few minutes you will hear the idle speed drop down to normal. At least on mine (owned it since '94) this change in idle speed is very noticable either outside or inside the vehicle. I do notice that on mine you need to depress the throttle pedal to allow the high idle to kick in, for example if I just reach in the door and turn the key it won't go to high idle until I tap the throttle. There is just a little solenoid and plunger that pushes the throttle linkage down at the pump that must just be strong enough to hold the throttle but not actually move it.
 
Ok well the HPCA is definitely working because it does go into high idle. I am going to change the alternator and get some glow plugs ordered.
 
6.2 starters just suck too. I replaced mine with a bendix drive starter, it turns over like a 4 cylinder honda.

mine wouldnt start, everything checked out, but the starter just didnt have enough juice to start it when cold anymore.
 
hmmm did they have mini starters that are high torque? did you get the bendix from summit or jegs?
 
its just a starter from napa or shmucks... the part number is for a 1994 6.5, which is what mine is. however, its the same block as a 6.2. It ran me about 200 bucks, but its very worth it.
 
One problem down, many more to go. At least that's how it works for me and every square nose I buy.
 
moneypit_K5 said:
its just a starter from napa or shmucks... the part number is for a 1994 6.5, which is what mine is. however, its the same block as a 6.2. It ran me about 200 bucks, but its very worth it.
Click to expand...
Get the 6.5L starter brace if you go this route.


Definitely check the GP's. Big Ugly was a bitch to start my first winter with it. Northern Michigan winter too...it sucked in the mornings. Plugging it in, prayer to the Chevy gods, and God protecting the stupid got me to work that winter. In the spring I put some Wellman 070's (the good plug for 24v CUCV's) and new batteries in and viola, starts like a champ now.
 
The two starters the 6.2 got were the early style which looks just like a regular sbc starter (but bigger). Known as a 27 MT.

Second style was found in later years, and on all 6.5TD's. Looks more like a mini starter and is a gear reduction unit. Known as the 28 MT.

Get the 28 MT.

Block heater is about $25 at any parts store. You knock out a freeze plug and install the block heater in it's place.

How many glow plugs do you have working?

Rene
 
tRustyK5 said:
The two starters the 6.2 got were the early style which looks just like a regular sbc starter (but bigger). Known as a 27 MT.

Second style was found in later years, and on all 6.5TD's. Looks more like a mini starter and is a gear reduction unit. Known as the 28 MT.

Get the 28 MT.

Block heater is about $25 at any parts store. You knock out a freeze plug and install the block heater in it's place.

How many glow plugs do you have working?

Rene
Click to expand...

I havent had a chance to pull any of the glow plugs and check them yet.
 
You don't need to pull them. Test light and 5 minutes is all you need. Take the ground clip of the test light and attach to the hot side of the battery. Use the probe end to touch the spade portion of the glow plug. If it lights up the test light you have a good glow plug.

Rene
 
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