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It all began with the failure of the AUX fuel tank!

OBE

OBE

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Messages
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Location
Blackwood, NJ
We bought this truck with a bad motor. We had a good one in the yard but I'm not sure what the year is.
We dropped it in. It runs like a champ for about a year!
One day it shut down. A check revealed a bad sender on the AUX tank, with holes and loose tubing and a total mess.
It was full but when the front tank called for fuel the AUX would have none of it and then the front tank ran bone dry. The gauge read ½ Full.
It's $565 list price for a new sender. I buggered-up the collar on the tank pretty good getting the sender out and I'm not even sure I could get a new sender to seat right. Chevy wants $900 for a new plastic tank! I retired this year and I thought I'd cut-the-tank out of the equation rather than spring for that crazy money. I looked-around on EDEN and they are rare. We were in the JunkYard business.
I'm totally uninitiated where diesels are concerned. AAA towed me in and the garage wanted to "play around" with it @ $99 per hour. I said, "No Thanks!" I had them tow it to my home/garage and with hardly doing anything more than "looking" at it they charged me $256!
In my ignorance, I "figured" I could make a ONE-TANK truck out of a TWO-TANK truck. Then I could take my time and try to locate a whole setup from a junkyard as long as the new one was in good shape.
I disconnected the hoses between the tanks. I unplugged the pump between the tanks. I filled the front tank and after a lot of cranking, it started. The garage charged me for changing the fuel filter, so I knew that was clear. I could see inside the tanks and they were clean and the fuel looked okay. I did crank the heck out of it, bleeding the air release on the top of the filter repeatedly. It appeared as though I had been successful.
I drove it on the highway for about 100 miles over a three-day period. It ran fine, as usual. Then yesterday it shut off.
I suspected it had run out of fuel again, but it shouldn't have, since I had filled the front tank and only driven about 100 miles. I pulled the filler hose off and I could see fuel in the tank. I put another 5 gallons in thinking it might be below the take-up level, or something (I don't know)
I cranked and cranked it and it got to a point where it was starting right-up but then dying when I released the starter (ignition switch) I kept trying and trying because I was certain that it had somehow run out of fuel again. One time I hit it and it started up just like when it was okay. There was no rough idling or running or anything that seemed wrong. I thought I had gotten lucky again! I set out to drive it home. After about a mile, it shut off again, and I had to call AAA to tow it home.
In reading these forum threads, I've seen reference to gauges and cruise control and other stuff so I'd like to put forth this: During all that cranking (I was afraid I'd burn up the starter, it was THAT much cranking) The fuel gauge was sometimes spinning around 360° real fast! When I drove it for those 100 miles, the heater fans wouldn't blow. One other point is that all-along, for the year I've driven this truck, it never moves the TEMP gauge and in the cold weather it would blow (the heater) but the air was not too warm, as if the motor has no thermostat. So, it always ran cool.
I hope someone can advise me. Thanx. OBE
 
Welcome!

What are we exactly working on? Year, make, model?

Start with grounds and then battery posts and cable condition.
Next check the Lift pump in the thread below.
Also you want to check for air in the fuel system from a leaking hose or bad pickup assembly.
http://www.thetruckstop.us/forum/sh...t-Pumps-amp-OPS-operation-and-troubleshooting

And last of all treat these items carefully like the rare and hard to find parts rigs they are!
 
Man-o-man! There's a lot of good stuff on that thread. Thanx
It really helps to see pictures of these parts.
 
I've been adding some photos to My Albums and Profile. How do I get a photo to show in my posts? I realize this isn't the thread for such questions but please indulge a fella.
 
Below the reply box, click on "Go Advanced". Then scroll down to "Manage Attachments"
 
ah, the dual tanks. I havent had nearly as much fun as you, as ours all work, but the guages are a tad squirrely, but still not as bad.

the tank should be the same as a C3500HD 15K GVWR chassis cab, so that may open up some options. I beleive, but would still need to check, that the rear tank only may be the same from gas to diesel.

check rockauto.com to see if they sell a tank.

what are your plans for the truck? you have a chassis cab, so mounting a pickup box will be difficult, as they never had one.
 
The fuel balance module mounted just in frt of the frt LP is what controls both Lp's and the gauge.

You could remove it and the rear tank if you wish and run on only 1 tank but it is small and would only give you a short distance between fills,not much more than 2 hrs on my when it acted up.

Your troubles sound a lot like the ignition switch is the problem.
 
Returning to standard wiring from a balance module truck is pretty straight forward.
 

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Thanx for all the help fellas. I just went out and drained the rear tank totally. It's not too cold today so I tried to work on it. It looks as though I could get a sender to seat in the tank if i can get one.
I checked the filter and as I suspected, the mechanic changed the filter and all looks well. I hit the ignition switch and it kicked right off. I ran it for about ½ hour and sure enough...it died!
As for my plans for this (normally) great truck, I could be talked into selling it but it's setup as a tow vehicle. It has a 5th wheel, pintle hook, and adjustable balls to tow just about anything. I have an aluminum flat bed I put on it to carry stuff (clips of cars and stuff) but I am retired now. I have this truck and these trailers and all the money I put into them. I can't move the trailers if I sell the truck so I guess they have to go as a package deal. Look at my Albums and you'll see what I did with it.
 
talk more about the random dying. how is your throttle response usually? dash lights? it doesnt really sound fuel or filter related, more electrical, which could be a multitude of things, PMD, Ignition switch, etc. my 96 GMC when it ran (now its in project row) had a toggle wired in by the PO. the guy was smart enough to figure out which wire to use, but obviously it was a band aid and looked shitty. when it returns to the road, a switch will go in.
 
Here's where we stand now: I let the truck sit in my garage, since I do not HAVE TO drive it. I go out each morning and the truck starts right-up. I let it idle and it shuts off anywhere from in-10-minutes to a half-hour. Every single day! Starts up immediately and idles normally then dies after some time. It's as if it's filling something up with fuel as I hear the clicking while the glow-plugs are warming up and it starts but then when it uses up that initila fuel, it runs out of fuel!
 
If it were running out of fuel it is unlikely that it would start right up the next day easily.
It would have to self bleed and that takes a lot of starter cranking.

More like the ignition switch is getting hot and losing connection on the ECM power contacts-when it cools down you are good to go again.
Forget if you already ruled that out?
But a temp related connection problem seems evident?
 
I've not been on the site in quite a while, I read some links to things you should check, but really no updates on how you made out on the various things tried other than change a fuel filter and keep it warm in the garage. Did you check the gnds, those could have a "cold junction" where when things warm up electrically you get an intermittent contact from poor gnd see this for more info http://www.thetruckstop.us/forum/showthread.php?14596-6-5-grounds . Also PMD module have you looked into that ?

Rather than fire a bunch of questions at you, list what you have done thus far; copy paste this http://www.thetruckstop.us/forum/showthread.php?6300-6-5-Engine-Diagnostic-Troubleshooting-Checklist into your thread and fill in the blanks, it may seem repetitive, but we've been doing this a while so filling in the blanks helps us make better calls on what you need to be looking for.
 
I didn't rule anything out yet, save for checking for lose battery connections. Actually, one of them was fairly lose but I tightened it and it seems that the cables to both batteries are alright now. It has been too darned cold to work on it. It's just starting to warm-up around Jersey this week.
 
Connect it to the ALDL port and see if it works-not all code readers work with 6.5's-sometimes they give the right code but the wrong definition.
 
Thanx to all for the replies. If you might indulge me; I have to go about this at a speed I can digest all this "new" technology: Plenty of good stuff here. I am reading all the links. First: I connected the reader and it said this: P0126: Insufficient coolant temperature for stable operation. AND P0236: Super charger boost sensor A circuit range /
 
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