Howdy truckers!

So my friend asked to help him get his truck running when his SUV was in serious need of a brake job.
Not sure what engine except he said it is Cummins and "this truck is great and has never let me down..."
Like his other car, to me, my opinion is it is a 'beater with a heater' ... and likely A/C. I never rode in or drove it.
Dually and likely a 1 ton if that means anything.

So he had cranked it until the batteries were flat. We recharged them and then tried cranking it. Turned over but no indication of any attempt to start/run.
Now I was not on the key (or pedal) so who know what he was doing.

? Is there, I would imagine a glow plug and turn the key to run and wait for some light to extinguish after a few seconds?
This is Florida on a 90º+ day...

He tells me: "Spray the ether while I crank the starter... I can't spray it and get into the cab fast enough...
It fires and ran (somewhat rattly) on the ether until it expended its charge. Future attempts had me replenishing the ether as it was consumed thinking I
may be trying to prime a fuel line, pump, or maybe a filter...etc?

The batteries were going flat again so we hooked it back up to charge (two chargers, one on each battery)
"This truck has been amazing and has never let me down... It was running fine when I last used it."

Friends, where do I start to look / test for "cranks / don't start" fault?

Thank you for your anticipated replies and guidance
Fab *oh, maybe a 2008?*

 

Need to verify the lift pump is getting fuel to the injector pump.... I *think* there is a test port on there.... but, need a gauge to hook up to it. If you aren't getting pressure there, don't run it any more, as fuel is what lubricates the injection pump, and without fuel, it'll smoke it... and it ain't cheap.

 

Assuming it is at least a 3rd gen, the CP3 is much more forgiving than the old VP44 and actually has a lift pump built in, they can run without a separate lift pump in theory. Damaging them from lack of fuel supply is less likely assuming there is something in the system. There should be a glow plug coil on key on that will likely extinguish after a couple seconds at 90*F. If its firing on ether its assumed the mechanical part of the engine is suitable to run and there is a fuel supply/injection issue. The needles could stick if there was extended storage but unlikely. there us not a pressure test port unfortunately, one could be added via a tapped banjo bolt at the CP3 supply connection, also a basic scan tool should be able to read desired/actual rail fuel pressure, i think a minimum of 150bar (2k psi) is required to lift the needles in the injectors and fire them.

If this truck has sat extended periods, lost prime and the lift pump is failed it may be hard or impossible to prime and fire the system. You could listen for the pump in the tank by bumping the key to nudge the engine slightly and see, but the hum does not guarantee the pump is pumping fuel, so a pressure gauge is the best option here. Next I would check for faults via scanner, I believe the old 3 cycle key trick still works on these trucks, thats cycling the key off on off on off on and staying on, the odometer will flash P codes.

You could have an ECM failure or a power/ground failure, sitting always raises questions of rodent damage to wiring.

 

Thank you both for your advice. I hated hearing the (detonation) rattle of using the ether.
I want to presume that it only sat for a few months.
Lift pump is in the tank like a module in my mom's 02 Chrysler minivan, I presume. So lift pump to the injector pump, get a fuel pressure test gauge between the two of them. I love AutoZone Loan-A-Tool program...
But unlike mom's (prime on key -[ON] for hum's for a few seconds) if I read correctly, We'll have to bump the starter?

QUOTE: CP3 is much more forgiving than the old VP44 and actually has a lift pump built in...
*I would still 'imagine' ole Walter and his brothers putting a lift pump in the tank and then perhaps the CP3 has a primary pump integral to assume supply to the HP. Correct?

I am troubleshooting from my armchair at this point, so I can gather tools, knowledge, and test gauge set to bring out to his farm.

Thank you both so much for your interest and assistance.
I WILL RETURN to provide a debriefing and solution (or more questions)
If only everyone would return and tell the world wide web what worked and what they found, how they fixed it...

 

The loan a tool program is great, you just need to verify if they have or you need to get a banjo bolt with an NPT threaded hole to install the pressure gauge. The kit may or may not include the correct size, see here for reference on what I mean. The pump may or may not run a short period when turning the key on, bumping the start position and slightly cranking the motor but not starting will trigger a full run cycle of the pump giving you time to inspect and locate things.

 

I've used the kit before. Didn't hear banjo music though...

It does come with various hose bits, clamps, and tee Schrader fitting to attach the gauge.
On CMV, I had to clamp onto the chassis fuel pipe and add tee to the injector fuel rail pipe with the supplied 8" hose. Worked out pretty good.

What pressure should I expect to see?

 

Wow, never saw one of those before, thanks. If I could secure a Schrader stem to it I'd be all set.
Again, I'll have to see what I am working with once I get back out there.

 

Ugh! Ether isn't good on a diesel. Have you hooked a scanner to read any codes? Since you've been cranking and it sort of ran, it should set a code if any are present.

 

That too would be a good thing to bring out there with me too. Perhaps I could borrow a scanner

I have no idea how many dash lights are illuminated or how long they have been glowing.
I was just the spritz and battery charge guy.

I agree, go juice is not my favorite.
With mowers we used to use WD-40 as a softer start spray (until they made it inflammable so kids couldn't improvise a flame thrower to chase the neighbors cat)

 

1st question (did not see this but did not read every post) has the fuel filter been changed? With it only sitting for a few months, this should not be an issue if it had been changed regularly.
Get a scan tool that can read rail pressure... I use a scantool.net MX bluetooth unit & the Torque app.
Check to see if rail pressure is coming up as expected. The CP3 injection pump will pull fuel from the tank with a dead lift pump. If you swap the fuel filter with a dead lift pump, your dead in the water & need to replace the lift pump (as mentioned earlier the prime is gone)

Here is a graph of the rail pressure on my 5.9



and an example of the data I see on my Torque app, rail pressure on the bottom row is at idle.