OK...Here's the low down.

1. Engine is at operating temperature
2. Fuel and Air filters were changed less than 1,500 miles ago
3. Truck now has 24,000 on the clock

I pull into Starbucks today and shut my truck off. I come back out and just jump in and turn the key. The engine cranks and starts but immediately starts tospit and sputter and sounds just like a gasser when they run after you turn them off. So I immediately turn it off (saying to myself WTF!) and let it sit for about 30 seconds and crank it over again. The exact same thing happens again. So by now my wife it asking WTF! This time I wait about 2 minutes and crank it over again and it fires right up just like nothing had ever happened. We drive 400 miles home from Milwaukee to Louisville and she purrrrrred all the way home without a hick-up (with two shut downs along the way, once for gas and once for some vittles). My beloved CTD turned in another steller performance of 19+ mpg.

Anyone have any suggestions as to what or why the CTD would start that way?

 

I'll bet your rail pressure was not up to what it should be... next time it happens, shut it off and turn the key back on and wait 10~15 sec before you fire it back up. another thing is if it's really cold out and you havent driven it for a long distance, your pump may need extra time to get the pressures up.

 

Was the truck shaking when it did it?

Mine did that one time. Felt like it was gonna rattle itself apart. I turned if off, started it back up, still rattling. I gave it a little throttle and it kinda "popped" and then it smoothed right out.

Never did it again.