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6.5 td won't start

Rich V

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Location
Nashua
Hi everyone, I'm new to this site. I have a 2000 chevy 3500 dump truck with a 6.5 td. I just had the injection pump replaced last week. Got the truck back Saturday afternoon, ran fine the rest of Saturday and Sunday. Then on Monday morning it wouldnt start. It cranks slower and louder than usual. I noticed what im pretty sure is a fuel line that wasn't connected. It comes off of the small t shaped thing in the front part of the engine on top. Also noticed a red spot in my driveway, got under truck and saw a different line that wasn't connected. Not sure if that is a drain line, both are about the same diameter. I can't afford to bring it to the shop right now. Please help, im not a mechanic but i can do some repairs.
 
Welcome!
Is the one on top the fuel bleed valve? If they are lines the shop had off for changing the pump you aught to be able to get them to make it right....
Have any pictures of the lines that aren't connected? If you can get some pictures that would be great to help identify...
 
I thought about calling the garage that fixed it, but its in Billerica and i live in Nashua. It would cost me about $150 for aaa to tow it there. I can't really afford that right now, just spent $1200 doing the injector pump.
 
That valve with the T-handle on top is to drain water from the bottom of the filter.
The other end of it is probably the hose You can see from under neath.
Put a container under the open end of the hose, open that T valve, turn the ignition switch to run, there should be fuel run out of that hose for a few seconds, at least I think that is how it works.
If you get no fuel then be checking the fuse to the lift pump.
The lift pump relay can also be removed and jumped across, that should take the relay out of the equation if there is still no fuel spews out of the hose.
 
Ok i will do that tonight, also there is another line that isnt connected, i will get a pic of that later
 
"Not cranking as fast as usual" is a major problem!!! If you don't have 100 RPM cold and 150 RPM hot it simply isn't going to start. <-- and that's a period! For some reason the 6.5 starters like to blow a single brush connection (out of the 4 in them) and still spin, but, too slow to actually start the engine. Start simple with disconnecting the negative battery cables and load testing each battery. Check each battery cable. Note batteries will burn up internally and test good on the top posts while the GM side terminals are stone cold dead or high resistance. An accessory may have been left on and drained the batteries.

You simply can't jump start a dual battery diesel esp. if the batteries are toast. Don't even think of using ether unless you are ok with immediately replacing the engine. Did I mention to avoid ether? :eek:

Remove the fan belt in case the vac pump or something stupid locked up. Oil and coolant levels look ok?

Not clear on why this tow bill is _your_ problem if it turns out to be related to their work? Maybe a nice phone call to the shop that worked on it simply saying 'the truck won't start what do you want to do about it?' Above all be nice as all you want is a warranty solution. You may end up paying if it isn't related to their work like said starter giving it up.
 
CHECK ALL GROUNDS! It is VERY possible during the pump replacement that one or more of the grounds that attach to the intake manifold are not making good contact. CHECK and CLEAN all four battery battery cables (both ends) and the terminals. Pay CLOSE ATTENTION to the two sandwiched Positive cable ends on the passenger side battery side post! Between those two ends there is a lead "bead" (looks like a 3/8" cable ferrule) that goes between the cable ends in a sandwich and that the terminal bolt passes through and when tightened, crushes and flattens out to ensure good electrical contact betwen both ends. It is essentially good for only a couple of uses, then flattens out so much that it just doesn't make very good contact. When that happens, a couple of thing occur (all bad).

First, you are now getting much higher resistance/no contact between the two ends - which usually means much reduced amperage flow (voltage will be fine, but current flow drops significantly) through the cable to the starter positive terminal. This will give you slow/no cranking .

Secondly, you will see the voltage gauge needle either jump all over the place when the engine is running, or reading a few volts lower - which might make you think that your alternator is going out - when all it is is a $3 O'Reilly's Auto electrical part that they HAVE to look up in the parts catalog as it wasn't on the computer system a few years back when I had the same thing happen to me a couple of days after two new batteries were installed. Slow cranking, when it did finally fire off, driving on a bumpy gravel road my voltage gauge the needle was everywhere. Traced it down to that little lead spacer.
 
If you ask nicely, the shop will probably give in.
A shop should provide some sort of warranty.

Also check if your insurance for the truck covers towing.
This is consider disablement even though you are not in an accident.
 
Learning more every day about our 6.5 TDs! I was not aware of the issues surrounding side terminal batteries... So I replaced two of them about a year ago on my '99 (with side terminals on the new ones!) I'll be waiting for those to give up, but in the meantime, I want to re-iterate WW's council about the starter... If after you've checked and cleaned connections and tested batteries it still sounds slower than usual, climb under there and pull that starter. They still turn when they are bad, but nowhere near fast enough.
 
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