Died, then Started, Died Again

[kuhlrover]

I have a 1998 Sub with the 6.5L Turbo with 183K on it. I have only had it for 6K miles. I noticed this summer when driving at a steady throttle that it stumbled a couple of times. The engine didn't die but it was noticable in the seat of the pants. This last Saturday, it was 45 degrees out, I was 5 miles from the house cruising at 55 mph and the engine flat out died. I coasted to the side of the road. The engine start right up but then died again after moving 20 feet. I had it towed home where I was able to start it up and move it around the drive way.

From what I can tell the previous owner never changed the FSD module. There is still a black module strapped to the side of the pump and I can't find an FSD module in the receipts. I have ordered a remote kit and module from Pensicola Diesel today. I also changed the fuel filter. I am a firm believer that first thing you do when a diesel acts up is to change the filter. The filter element was black but I saw nothing that looked abnormal. I used a new NAPA filter #3976. It still had the old filter NAPA #3376. I assume NAPA discontinued the 3376 filter.

I have read the other posts about the lift pump and oil pressure switch. The lift pump appears to be pumping. When I changed the filter with the drain cock open, it was pumping diesel out when I turned the key on. I don't have a pressure guage to check the actual fuel pressure. I ran the truck at idle and a high idle for 5 minutes after changing the filter to make sure I got all the air bubbles out. The truck ran fine.

If anyone else has some insight, I am all ears. I will replace the FSD as soon it shows up but I have a long trip coming up in a few days and not a lot of time to do a lot of test driving before I leave. Oh, I should also mention that I checked the computer and there were no error codes.

Tim

[Big Green]

food for thought....

the drain line should show a stream of fuel when the engine is running. Replacing the ops or upgrading to the kennedy harness (one for sale in the classified section) is a nice upgrade. The push button under the hood for bleeding filters is a very nice upgrade too.

Make sure your fuel cap isn't letting the pump pull a vacuum in the tank. There is a big difference between gas and diesel caps but most of the time if you buy one you'll get the wrong one. I just leave mine a bit loose.

It might be worth the effort at some point to check the timing chain for slack/slop. This was a big issue on my truck and the difference of upgrading to the gear drive was very noticeable. I had a once in a while miss or fish bite as some call it that disappeared after the upgrade. My chain was completely shot with fewer miles than yours.

With the miles you have on it if the injectors haven't been replaced they are way past due. Same goes for glow plugs.

Big Green