Truck is "dead in the water"! HELP!!

[MoparDave68]

Sunday morning the ole girl was deader than a door nail. No juice. :think:Had to go to my fiance and my wedding shower so I couldn't work on er till about 1800 last night. I threw a charger on it, not even 30 seconds later she fired up and ran like a champ. I took er up the street to make sure everything worked out all right, no issues. Went out this morning dead again. :doh:SO I threw the charger on it and it started with no issue in less than 30 seconds. Got er to work, Dead by Lunch. :banghead: SO now I'm thinking bad battery(ies), I load test them, both are weak but not BAD yet. SO I start looking, I find the wires going to the Grid Heater relay corroded to high heaven and making smoke with the battery charger on it, so I take em off only to find out they are some fuseable link also. I clean up my battery terminals and cables, leave the grid heater cables off. Charge it up and it starts great. Then is surged twice, and stalled. Now it will not start at all. :mad:Cranks great, dies quick. No Codes showing. Any ideas of what is going on? DO those heater grid cables ned to be in place? Any one seen this before? :shrug:Just went over and tried to start er again. She fired after about 15 seconds then stumbled and died.

[CSM]

If we assume your charging system is good and the batteries are good then temporarily, I would get in the habit of pulling the positives when you leave it.To diagnose, I would get a multimeter and start going over the truck power junction box and looking for leakage when the truck is off. Pretty much everything in the box should be dead. I would suspect that you have a relay staying closed and drawing things down. One of your circuits is staying hot.

[MoparDave68]

As far as I know my charging system is good, at least to my knowledge, the batteries are iffy. The Grid Heater wires were smoking cause of the corrosion, I think my issue might be in that circuit somewhere. :think:I fully charged it before I left work (But it wont start or stay running so I didn't take it home) to see how much draw is lost over night now that I cleaned up connections, removed the grid heater circuit that was shot and replace a terminal connection with a gold plated connector. Where can I find those wires, (ie napa) or is it something I can make up. It has the fuse-able link in line so I figure I should get an OEM replacement. *UPDATE*I found the wires and solenoid on eBay, so I bought them. I decided to replace that whole circuit to eliminate it from my possibility. Seeing as the wires were so bad, its probably a good move.

[Cheatham]

my truck was cranking a little slow so I took both batteries to Interstate Batt and one of them showed good charge but a bad cell under load so I replaced both, id say take your batteries have them tested, these trucks are sensitive to electrical gremlins

[CSM]

my truck was cranking a little slow so I took both batteries to Interstate Batt and one of them showed good charge but a bad cell under load so I replaced both, id say take your batteries have them tested, these trucks are sensitive to electrical gremlins

I would agree with this. The alternative is that you have additional stuff burnt out or a failed fuse/bad connection if you are lucky.

[CUMMINSDIESELPWR]

those heater grid relays can wear and stick over time, i had one stay closed and started getting real hot! check those out as well.

[MoparDave68]

those heater grid relays can wear and stick over time, i had one stay closed and started getting real hot! check those out as well.

Well I pulled the fuseable link wires running from the battery down to the solenoid and my batteries held charge over night, for two nights now. :think:I'm thinking that the solenoid(s) were sticking open, causing my batteries to die, and causing the smoke I saw coming from the heavily corroded and split open solenoid wires. :shrug:The new solenoid and wires should be here tonight and tomorrow will get installed. Hopeing this is my issue and all will be back to normal tomorrow.

[CSM]

Well I pulled the fuseable link wires running from the battery down to the solenoid and my batteries held charge over night, for two nights now. :think:I'm thinking that the solenoid(s) were sticking open, causing my batteries to die, and causing the smoke I saw coming from the heavily corroded and split open solenoid wires. :shrug:The new solenoid and wires should be here tonight and tomorrow will get installed. Hopeing this is my issue and all will be back to normal tomorrow.

The heater grid isn't essential to starting. With the relay and power to that arcing heater grid circuit removed, your truck should start if nothing else is broken. Your batteries may be toast now, causing the truck to no longer start, or there could be another issue. (at least, in my humble opinion)

[MoparDave68]

I had my suspicions that the Grid Heater didn't effect starting other than in cold weather but still won't prevent the truck to start. But I was hopeing that it would be that simple. I replaced the solenoid and the cables, still no start. Truck cranks nice and fast, no start. Cracked a fuel line, no fuel. Replaced fuel pump relay, no fuel still. Looking at possibly a fuel pump now. Gona trace al my wires, make sure nothing is disconnected. :pray:Any tips for fuel pump? Easier to drop tank or lift the bed?*UPDATE*I was doing a little research and found a test for the lift pump. Cylce the ignition so the starter cranks quick but doesnt start, leave in in the "run" posistion. Lift pump should cycle for 25 seconds. Mine does not. Mine won't even fill the filter houseing. The lift pump is located on the drivers side of the block if I'm ot mistaken. Is there any other tests I can do to confirm this?

[mopartechnician]

When i do my air dog, im going to do a beans diesel sump. So much easier than messing with a draw straw. If you dont want to do that it will depend on how much fuel is in the tank

[MoparDave68]

From the research I'm doing I believe it is my Lift Pump. I cycle the key and am not getting any movement of fuel from it to the filter bowl. Ive been reading that the factory lift pumps are crap and should go with an AirDog or FASS system. I'm looking at the AirDog 150. Good system to go with? Any issues with em? Whats the lifespan I can expect from it?Or the AirDog Raptor FRRP. Which is a little more my price. LOL

[mopartechnician]

I would suggest the airdog 150 or airdog2 165. They are really good pumps and have a lifetime warranty as long as you turn in your warranty card. I would stay away from the frrp because you want to push the fuel and you want the pump away from the vibration and heat of the engine.

[dripley]

You could try putting 12v straight to the pump and see if it runs and you get fuel out of it. Have you ever checked for codes?

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You could try putting 12v straight to the pump and see if it runs and you get fuel out of it. Have you ever checked for codes?

[MoparDave68]

You could try putting 12v straight to the pump and see if it runs and you get fuel out of it. Have you ever checked for codes?

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You could try putting 12v straight to the pump and see if it runs and you get fuel out of it. Have you ever checked for codes?

I have applied 12V to the pump with no success, I think, somehow, I fried it while messing around with all the wires coming off the battery. Not sure if its possible but I must of done something. No check engine light on but I also haven't scanned it.

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I would suggest the airdog 150 or airdog2 165. They are really good pumps and have a lifetime warranty as long as you turn in your warranty card. I would stay away from the frrp because you want to push the fuel and you want the pump away from the vibration and heat of the engine.

I think I'm gonna go with the AirDog 150. Ive read a lot about it and nothing bad has come from it. Does this pump eliminate the need for the intake pump and block mounted pump?

[mopartechnician]

It eliminates the stock lift pump depending on where yours is at. It will be either on the block below the filter housing or in the tank

[MoparDave68]

I think my lift pump is on the side of the block. SO it will totally eliminate that system and put in place a completely separate new fuel pumping system? A much better one at that

[mopartechnician]

Correct. Way better fuel system. Plus more reliable. Also get a fuel pressure gauge if you dont. I usually set them to 18psi at the injection pump

[hex0rz]

If you don't plan on doing big HP numbers a 150 can do just fine for you. I have not read everything on this thread but have kind of been looking at it here and there. IIRC, if its still offered and you do not have it, the 165 system like mine, came with the parts necessary to do the draw straw mod to the fuel basket.It was a really great way to go. I know too, that if for some crazy reason I need the flow it will be there too...

[MoparDave68]

Well I'll be doing the AirDog150 and the Fuel Pressure Gauge. I realize it's critical so it's definitely worth the coin. I will look at the 165 also.

[mopartechnician]

You can go with the 165 but its not needed. And you can pull fuel strait from the stock pickup with a 150 so no need to do a draw straw