2005 2500 cummins. 245,000. Only major has been new tranny like 80k ago. Older Adrenaline quad (now unhooked).

A month ago doing 80 on I-75 she shuts down like someone turned off the key from run to accessory. No power steering but lights and radio still working. Just got real quiet... Got her off the road, tried to start her -- she'd crank like normal but simply would not fire. Tried for 1/2 hour. Disconnected battery, waited, re-connected -- no dice. Had to get to work so got a tow to a local diesel shop and a rental car (had to get to work for a few days). I go back 4 days later, "It was your programmer, we disconnected it, works good!" ---- i was surprised but it was running great. so $500 later i'm back on the road. 

Then two weeks ago I'm driving down a (thankfully) smaller road. Happened again, same exact symptoms, got real quiet, wouldn't start. Tow to local place near my house. I was thinking high pressure fuel pump control (had plenty coming into the cannister from low pressure side). They thought the same thing -- swapped it out. Another rental car and another week. When I picked it up it was running well. The dude who owns the shop goes, you know what's weird man -- when i went out to get it into the shop from where it was parked I cranked the engine to use the power steering to get the wheels over -- and it started right up. weird. that made me think that maybe the first shop did pretty much nothing (except put 75 miles on my truck...) -- that it had just started for them as well? Dunno, can't say that for sure. So anyway -- she's running again, new high pressure pump brain, makes sense. i drive and i'm happy.

then last week  -- after driving just fine, starting just fine for two weeks -- and after driving 3.5 hours already that day --- right in the neighborhood, it got quiet, no start condition.  get her to the shop the next day -- by the time they get to her she starts right up and runs great.  She's now been there for another week, another rental for me, and they can't make her quit.  I'm at the point where i need to be done troubleshooting and just throw parts at her?  I'm seriously considering selling the truck -- things are just too busy and I have to have 100% reliable transportation.  I've spent enough in rental car and airport parking in the last month to get a beater...

Fella's -- I'm frustrated. I'm getting fuel to the cannister, replaced the brain on the rail pump. it FEELS electrical. that sudden-ness of "key off" type thing. and then a flat refusal to start after. 

 

No codes at any point.

Anybody got thoughts? 

 

 

I've seen something similar. The answer is that a crossover tube is loose. 

 

What happens is the crossover tube is sealing cold the metals are all tight. Now as you drive and the head warms up and expands the crossover tube starts to loosen. Between the injector and the crossover tube so the rail pressure starts to bleed off in the return rail. No visible leak can be seen. What I did was tighten down the crossover tubes and the problem disappeared. This can be detected by an OBDII live data tool because the rail pressure fades as you drive. It will not restart till the the block cools off.  

ok -- now that's an awesome idea I hadn't thought of!   (going right now to see if they have any play in them).

 

dang.  everything seemed tight.   which sucks -- i was really hoping that could be it.    if that was it though wouldn't another symptom be that upon the next start after the sit it would run very rough while pressures balance out?    ie -- you run it for days/weeks -- then for whatever reason it does it's trick of just engine off -- you coast to the side, turn truck off, crank no start --- then you come back 24 hours later and when it DOES start (if it was the crossover tube torque) then wouldn't it be running very rough?  i ask because they seemed tight.  and when it does start back up (after a day) it starts and runs great, totally normal.  

Edited August 28, 20186 yr by flipfloplife

 

 

ok -- so what normally shuts down the engine normally in our 3rd gen trucks?  this whole thing -- it occurs to me that it sounds so much like the 1st gen guys when they lose signal/ground to the FSS.  what is that equivilant in our trucks?

Loss of power to ECM. Loss of power to the injectors. But I would expect a error code with that.