Ram 2500 water in fuel?

[dstig1]

Batteries wear out with age and use, and charging them won't help beyond a point. I make it a policy to replace batteries at 4 years or thereabouts to avoid issues. You have an 07...if those are original they could be close to 7 years old...and diesels need a lot of juice. Whether or not they are the cause, I'd replace them anyways. Then you will find out if they were indeed the cause, and will have done some needed PM. My $0.02

 

[joshuabardwell]

The problem happened again this morning. The battery had been on the trickle charger and it was showing "float" so the battery was fully topped off. The truck was cranked twice without starting. Next, I hooked the truck up to my car with jumper cables, because if the battery is old, it may not be supplying amps even though its volts are topped off. I cranked the truck and it did not start. I did hear my car's engine change idle speed when the grid heater on the truck kicked in.

Next, I "blipped" the starter several times, waiting ten seconds or so between attempts. As mentioned on this thread, this is the priming procedure for the pre-03 model year trucks. According to my user manual, this truck is supposed to be self-priming, but it was just something I could think of to do. After blipping the starter several times, I cranked again and it started up.

Next step I'm going to take is to change the fuel filter. We've only got about 8k... maybe 10k miles on this filter, but it can't hurt and it's a cheap and easy step to take.

In retrospect the whole "running out of fuel" thing may be suspect. What happened then was that my girlfriend drove the truck home, low on fuel, and parked it. Next time she went to start it it would not start, and it was very low on fuel, and it started up again when we put more fuel in it, so we figured that was it. But if you think about it, what are the chances that it was running all the way up the driveway and then crossed the line to "empty" just as she parked? The way that scenario played out is not inconsistent with the other times it wouldn't start: try to get it to start, it won't, then it eventually does. The only difference in that scenario is that we ran out to the gas station in the mean time.

Another thought: the jumper-cable step may not indicate much either. My car is a little Jetta. Its charging system may not be able to supply the amps that the truck needs to turn over. But I did take the truck to AutoZone and have them test the truck's battery and they said it tested good.

 

[schoolsout]

You might try running a can or 2 of Seafoam thru your system it works great !! General rule I go by is to keep the fuel tank above 3/4 during the winter to help with conedensation....

StarTron from Starbrite is a good product if, indeed, there is water in fuel. It claims to break down water into small enough particles/molecules to burn safely in engine. I've used it in gas outboards, diesel Jetta and large diesels in sportfishers with good results. Also, the engines "seem" to run better when running in fuel, but that could simply be the placebo effect

Also, I noticed another poster say that the fuel pump only kicks on a few seconds after turining ignition on. This is the same procedure I had when I owned the Jetta. After replacing the filter, cycle the ignition on/off 20 or so times to prime. I also had battery go low (only one small one since it was a small 4 cyl diesel) and when it was going bad, I could tell by the way the car started. Sometimes, it wouldn't turn all the way over and continue running and required 2 attempts at cranking. This was after I replaced camshaft/lifters and before I figured it was the battery (when it finally left me stranded one day), I was almost thinking it was another internal engine issue.

 

[kenmac]

You could have 2 problems going on .1 by the code. weak battery or batteries. 2. run out of fuel. Never good to run low or out of fuel.If the engine now turns over good but, won't start. Could be a bad lift pump. These pumps installed in the fuel tanks so the fuel would help keep them cool & last longer

 

[joshuabardwell]

You could have 2 problems going on .1 by the code. weak battery or batteries. 2. run out of fuel. Never good to run low or out of fuel.If the engine now turns over good but, won't start. Could be a bad lift pump. These pumps installed in the fuel tanks so the fuel would help keep them cool & last longer

If it's a bad lift pump, that would be diagnosed by putting a pressure gauge on the fuel line, right? Is there a port for that, or do you have to crack the line?

 

[kenmac]

Not a port that you can just screw a fuel pressure gauge into. You could make something where the lines are connected with rubber hose. That's why I installed the fuel pressure light kit

http://www.xtremediesel.com/bd-powerlowfuelpressurealarmlightkitred.aspx
This kit is cheap insurance and could save you thousands from having to replace a damaged injection pump due to low or no lift pump fuel pressure

 

[Willl]

Not a port that you can just screw a fuel pressure gauge into. You could make something where the lines are connected with rubber hose. That's why I installed the fuel pressure light kit

BD-Power Low Fuel Pressure Alarm Light Kit (Red)
This kit is cheap insurance and could save you thousands from having to replace a damaged injection pump due to low or no lift pump fuel pressure

I thought they had a fitting that looked something like a valve stem (larger sized) right at the pump inlet ?, my 02 did and I know my 00 also has one.

I've got that same light kit Ken. I thought it was just the VP44 injector pump that would die a quick death from low lift pressure.

 

[hogheadCTD]

Josh when you turn your key to the first click, can you hear the lift pump humming behind the cab?

 

[kenmac]

I thought they had a fitting that looked something like a valve stem (larger sized) right at the pump inlet ?, my 02 did and I know my 00 also has one.

I've got that same light kit Ken. I thought it was just the VP44 injector pump that would die a quick death from low lift pressure.

There is no fitting b-4 the lines enter the injector pump.The lift pump is in the tank

Yes, I was refering to the death of the injector pump due to a weak /bad lift pump,Sorry if I wasn't clear on that

 

[Willl]

High pressure rail, no injector pump