Search and research leads me to believe you are the man to consult.....


A couple of years ago a bought a used 1994 CTD 2500 tow rig. I loaned it to a friend and he drained the fuel filter because of WIF light on dash. Lost its prime. In the process of priming, the bleeder bolt on filter housing stripped. :shaking: We rigged it and used the truck. A few weeks later the hardline from filter to pump got a crack and fuel everywhere. Replaced that. Wont start. Friend fries a starter. Previous owner clues me to the shut-off solenoid relay. Replace that and no start. I have had 3 people "take a look " at it and nothing. With a compressor, I can get fuel to the filter and then the injector pump. I have know idea if the lift pump works.

All I wanna do is get this thing on the road. A "tricks of the trade" guide to priming and troubleshooting would help a lot.

Thanks in advance

Checking the fuel shutoff solenoid is easy enough, if it pulls up all the way when the motor is cranked over, its working fine. Now, onto the main problem.

Start with a new filter, fuel of fresh clean fuel. Crack open the bleeder that is on the fuel line going from the fuel filter housing to the injection pump. Push the primer button on the fuel pump until fuel comes out of the bleeder. (On my truck, 96 12V Cummins, there were bleeders in both ports, the one coming from the lift pump, and the one going to the injector pump, so make sure you are loosening the right one) Close the bleeder, and remove the injection pump side of the supply line. Push the primer button until fuel comes to the injection pump. Put that line back on, and remove the overflow valve (this is on the passenger side of the injection pump, towards the front of the motor, it has a return line coming out of it) Push the primer again until the fuel is coming out of the injection pump. Now you know that fuel has been brought all the way to the injection pump. With a GOOD, STRONG battery, and your new starter you should be all set for the next step. Crack all the injector lines open at the injector side and start cranking the motor over, in 10 second intervals, to give the starter a rest once and while. Once fuel starts coming out of the injector lines, close them up one by one. The motor should run at this point, just let it run for a while to get all the air out of the system for sure. You will become VERY friendly with the fuel primer button.

All of these steps should be performed after a complete inspection of all the fuel lines have been done, to insure that nothing is cracked, leaking or anything like that. Some of the rubber hoses are notorious for leaking air, but not leaking fuel. So double check everything very carefully. If the primer button wont pick up the fuel to the filter. Pressurize the system with an electric fuel pump and see if that picks it up, it will also help show any leaks. Post back up with the results.

Forced to wait untill weekend to try your suggestions. Thanks.

When fuel shut off solenoid wire was loose on my truck, it would not run; however it would still get fuel to the injectors, just not enough pressure to pop the injectors. You might want to check to see if you are getting a good 12+ volts to your fuel shut off solenoid. MMiller suggested this to me and it ended up fixing the problem.

X2 on the full 12v to the solenoid. This screwed me when the ground cable worked itself loose after a few test starts, checked the solenoid, got 12v, but when cranking the starter pulled the juice, so the fuel would shut off, but got enough V for the testlight to shine bright. :shaking:

Which ground wire?

Additional info:

1) The Water In Fuel light can be triggered by water in the connector to the sensor. If you drain the filter catch the fuel and see if it actually has water and if so then consider drastic measures to remove it from the tank. The new low-sulpher fuel has a chemistry that allows water to mix with the fuel. This is bad; it prevents the water separator system from working effectively. Water in the latest fuel can stay in small globules rather than forming a large puddle. If water gets through the separator it can be hard on the pump and injectors and if a large enough amount gets through it can cause a steam explosion that can destroy an injector and the pieces wil then be bouncing around in the cylinder.

2) Of the 2 fittings on the top of the filter the one with the 10mm wrench size extra little bolt is the bleeder and it is on the injector pump side of the filter. The 12mm bolt is return fuel. If it is stripped then buy a new banjo bolt with the bleeder in it and then don't worry about it anymore (and don't tighten it so tight again). It is possible for air to get in where fuel is not getting out and can cause you to pull your hair out chasing odd problems.

3) The most common problem with the starter motors is that the contacts burn out in the solenoid. They are replacable without replacing the whole motor. If you are trying to get it started with air in the system it will take some time and don't overheat the starter; be patient. The symptom of bad contacts are thet the starter clicks without cranking until cycled a few times.

4) The lift pumps rarely fail to supply ANY fuel to the injection pump. They might be weak when pulling a load but will nearly always supply enough fuel to run. Testing involoves checking the pressure at that bleed bolt and if you want to do that I can tell you how.

5) The fuel cut off solenoid should be pulled up when the engine is cranked. Crank the engine and without turning the key off go out and see if it is up or down. If it is up it is working, if it is down pull it up by hand and see if it stays up. If it then stays up either the relay, solenoid or ground could be bad. If it doesn't stay up the solenoid, power or ground could be bad. The ground is on the front of the head next to the first valve cover (black/tan wire as I recall). But see if the solenoid pulls itself up and/or if it stays up. The link on the solenoid can wear out so that the plunger on the solenoid pulls up but is disconnected from the link that connects to the lever on the Inj pump. If that is the case a new solenoid is in order.

5) The fuel cut off solenoid should be pulled up when the engine is cranked. Crank the engine and without turning the key off go out and see if it is up or down. If it is up it is working, if it is down pull it up by hand and see if it stays up. If it then stays up either the relay, solenoid or ground could be bad. If it doesn't stay up the solenoid, power or ground could be bad. The ground is on the front of the head next to the first valve cover (black/tan wire as I recall). But see if the solenoid pulls itself up and/or if it stays up. The link on the solenoid can wear out so that the plunger on the solenoid pulls up but is disconnected from the link that connects to the lever on the Inj pump. If that is the case a new solenoid is in order.

This doesn't sound like the solenoids on my 89 and 91, mine look like a coolant temp switch from the outside. Maybe we can clear this up for the Tater.

My loose ground was the battery cable to the block, I slapped it on there w/o lock washer, and after a few runs it worked itself loose.

Right, the VE pump (1st gen trucks) had a solenoid that is about 1 inch in diameter and one electrical connection (may have 2 wires on the same stud, but still one connection) and screws into the body of the pump. On the P7100 (2nd gen 12 valve trucks) pump the solenoid is about 2 1/2" in diameter with three wires connected inside epoxy and leading to a 3 pin connector a few inches away from the solenoid. It connects to a lever on the side of the injection pump and is mounted with the epoxy end upward and completely outside the injection pump.

There are 2 windings in the solenoid; the pull coil that makes it pull the lever up when you activate the starter (big current draw) and the hold coil that keeps it in position when the key is turned on (low current draw). That means that if the solenoid is not pulling the lever up when the starter is activated you should try to just lift the lever by hand and see if it stays up, could get you home or someplace where you can figure out and fix whatever is wrong. And if you are stuck somewhere and the solenoid won't stay up even after lifting by hand then wire it up (you DO carry a coat hanger in your truck, don't you?); when the lever is down the fuel is shut off. Pull coil is operated by a relay mounted to the cowl hanging above the fuel filter.

Additional info:

1) The Water In Fuel light can be triggered by water in the connector to the sensor. If you drain the filter catch the fuel and see if it actually has water and if so then consider drastic measures to remove it from the tank. The new low-sulpher fuel has a chemistry that allows water to mix with the fuel. This is bad; it prevents the water separator system from working effectively. Water in the latest fuel can stay in small globules rather than forming a large puddle. If water gets through the separator it can be hard on the pump and injectors and if a large enough amount gets through it can cause a steam explosion that can destroy an injector and the pieces wil then be bouncing around in the cylinder.

2) Of the 2 fittings on the top of the filter the one with the 10mm wrench size extra little bolt is the bleeder and it is on the injector pump side of the filter. The 12mm bolt is return fuel. If it is stripped then buy a new banjo bolt with the bleeder in it and then don't worry about it anymore (and don't tighten it so tight again). It is possible for air to get in where fuel is not getting out and can cause you to pull your hair out chasing odd problems.




1) The rain and moist conditions triggered the WIF light on the dash. Confirmed by previous owner.


2) Dodge dealer had banjo bolt. DID NOT have bleeder screw. It took 3 hrs of jerking around to get the correct banjo.



Do the Cummings Dealers have these banjo/bleeder bolts?

Tater,
Yes, a Cummins dealer would probably have the banjo with the bleeder in it. You can use the solid one but would have to loosen it to bleed the filter.

I guess the truck still does not start? Did you verify that the fuel cut solenoid is pulling the lever up? If the lever is getting pulled up then do the bleed sequence that texascadillac recommended but instead of removing the banjo bolts just loosen them (then the washers won't get lost and the fuel won't run out while you are trying to get the bolt started back in). I'd be surprised if the lift pump was so dead that the truck would not start but I have seen it where it was getting air in past a worn lift pump.

Sorry guys, the girlfriend had plans(for me) for Memorial Day weekend. The truck is across town from where I live and is a pain to mess with. I'm gonna have to get it towed to the house.


Keep the suggestions coming.

Before you spend the money on a tow just check the solenoid. If it is pulling up then the problem is more complicated and you should probably get it towed to where you can work on it.

If it is not pulling up when you hit the starter then see if it will stay up with the key on and you pull it up by hand. If it stays up and starts then drive it to where you can work on it.

If it doesn't stay up then wire it up and see if it starts and if so then drive it to where you can work on it.



You let your gf plan your 3 day weekend?? :eek: Must really be love!! :D Just kidding, I know how they can make life fun or miserable.

The last time I tried to get it running, the battery cables were fawked. I'm thinking of getting these...http://www.custombatterycables.com/application/dodge_ram.htm

The positive terminal on the driverside battery has about 5 other ring teminals attatched and everything is super crusty. The bad ground theory is sounding like the culprit.




"You let your gf plan your 3 day weekend?? Must really be love!! Just kidding, I know how they can make life fun or miserable. Doggy Daddy"


This weekend we are staying in a suite at the Dallas Sheraton and use of a Mustang convertible. Her treat. I might have to keep this one.;)