1998 Dodge 2500 Diesel Hard Start When Cold

Dear Guest, Avoid low quality fuel (biodiesel).The diesel takes a much longer time to start and get warmed up in cold weather, it takes even more time to start as diesel fuel turns into non-flowing gel.

Have you had your glow plugs and related controllers tested lately?

They do eventually burn out and need replacing so just because the wait to start light comes on does not mean they are still functioning properly.

That would be my first thing to look at before doing anything else other than making sure your fuel is up to specs for the temperatures you are living in.

I believe that the Dodge does not have glow plugs but a heating coil that heats the air on the intake, maybe that is bad.

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Sounds like the fuel injector control module is at fault, of course more information could be helpfull. Does it run ruff at first? Does it smoke when first started?

This may not be a cold weather issue just a coincidence that it happened when the weather was cold. I have several of these vehicles and have experienced this problem in the summer as well. What I found was the fuel return line would crack and allow fuel from the head to drain back. Hence it was an out of fuel start condition after a lengthy shut off period. This line is impossible to see without a mirror and you replace it by feel. Only a few inches long (flexible hose) it is located on left side of engine above the fuel filter area. If bad enough you should see a small drip when running. Or crack a couple of injectors when cranking to see if you are getting air.

guest had good answer, look to the shaft seals next for the acel lever and see if weeping, will then loose prime while sitting, look for lift pump failure next, when it does start does it clattrer and spew black, compression loss would let it overfuel before starting that would then burn off the mess with a clatter and cloud of black smoke, let us know what you find out please, I am alway's intersted in what the american diesel manufacturers have done long running wise,

Sincerely

Mitch retired Puegeot mech
lover of all things comp ign

Sounds like the fuel systems is leaking down allowing air to get into the system check for fuel leaks.

I would indeed check your amp draw and ascertain that all your glow plugs are working but if you are plugging in the block heater and it is still not starting I would proceed next to the lift pump. Make sure it is cycling correctly and then check for leaks. If you have some hesitation or lagging occasionally when driving I would definitely suspect the lift pump.

Good luck

I have a 1996 2500, and from time to time the "Glow Plugs" go bad and become an open circuit. Please check for continuity and replace any glow-pugs that are open. Should solve your problem!

The engine has some system to warm it up before starting. Glow plugs, or heating coil, something. Torn the truck to the run position when cold, check under the hood for warm spots, An IR thermometer will help. If none available, look at each of the intake ports, or under the air inlet. There will be a wire running to any heating device. Most of these preheater systems are timed based on resistance in the heater/glow plugs. If they do not stay on as long as they used to, it is because the glow plugs are not resistive any more(not warming up). If the glow plugs seem to be getting warm, the chances are that the fuel system is getting some air in it. This can be tested by waiting for a time when it is going to be hard to start, and adding some alternitive fuel supply. If that allows normal starting, look gor fuel lines that are seeping fuel. Good luck.

There NO glow plugs on these engines!!! What there is, is ceramic grid heaters in the intake manifold that heat the incoming air. The electrical connections are easy to get at and should be checked with a voltmeter when the engine is cold, key on, not started, should be 12volts for about 10 seconds. If not, check that the two relays to see if they are working. If they are pulling in, they may have high contact resistence and need replacement. If they are not pulling in, then the problem is further up the electrical line. Basically, if the wait to start light is on, the relays should be pulled in.

That is the electrical side. The other is an air leak in the fuel line discussed earlier in this thread.

2 Things:

Cumminsforum.com they're knowledgeable........

and I had the same problem with mine for a while....

3 things to check.... 1. Amp draw on block heater.....

2. Grid heater operation

3. If you have a P7100 pump (mechanical, in the 12V engines), check to see if the fuel shutoff is coming up fully.... (turn on the key, let the wait light go out, open the hood, pull up the shutoff manually. See how easily it might start. That was my problem and still is until I can replace it.

4. If you don't have a P7100, it's a 24Valve engine, it may be a problem with the injector pump..... The way to see if it's a 24V truck is look at the orange stripe on the side of the truck, If it says "Cummins 24 Valve turbo diesel" then you more than likely don't have a P7100 and you may have an entirely different issue.. and can be costly...