twintracks

:-[ &gt; Hi Gang,<br> I just found this board searching for help. <br> What are the tricks to getting these beasts to start in the cold? We have a 2001 Dodge 3500 Cummins TD 4x dully. It has 18k miles, fresh oil, and conditioner in the fuel.<br> When I cycle the glow plugs twice, the battery acts dead. I put a gauge on the batteries, and they read 12.08 volts, in the dead condition. It has the original batteries with 750 cc amps, terminals are clean.<br> It will not crank over below 25 degrees F. I need it to be able to start on it's own without plugging it in. I use it to haul snowmobiles, and often it will be parked overnight where there will be no electricity. <br>Thanks, Jerry<br>&quot;twintracks@yahoo.com&quot;

Commatoze

Hi Jerry, welcome to the forum. Your 01 shouldn't be that hard to start. My 02 starts in less than a second in temps in the single digits without plugging in, with one heat cycle Obviously, it sounds like bad batteries to me. You'll need to replace them as a pair. The grid heaters pull a whopping amount of current, and will continue to cycle until you drive away. That's assuming they're working, which could be another source of hard starting. If the truck is stopped and started frequently, those batteries can be pulled down quickly. The Cummins ISB does not use glow plugs, but rather a toaster like grid element which heats the air as it's pulled into the manifold. That would be the easiest place to start, at least for me.

-Tom-

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Jerry, once you get the beast started, especially when its dark and you have your headlights on, you should notice your headlights and panel dimming and brightning. That's a sure sign your grids heaters are doing their job. You'll also notice your volt meter being pulled below 14 volts too.

twintracks

Thanks Tom, I did notice the lights dimming the last time it was running. So, I'll assume the grid heaters are working. I did have the amp gauge drop negative the other day, but it went away. I wondered if my alternator might be faulty. It sounds like I need bigger batteries than the stock 750's. I'll keep trying. I was ready to sell it an hour ago...<br>Thanks again, Jerry~

DieselDaze

Start with the batteries. Good batteries are a must for these diesels... especially when theyre cold.<br>If the batteries check out ok, then move to the starter. Perhaps the starter is pulling too much... a bad or weak starter.<br><br>If not batteries or the starter, trace all the wiring to make sure everything is good and tight.<br><br>Rich

Lil Dog

Get the biggest batteries you can. In the first gens we only got 1 1150 CCA battery.. Well I run twins of that and this thing will start in any temp. -35 anyone?..<br><br>Get the highest rated batteries, I think 1000CCA would suffice but be sure they are truck batteries, they are a little more $$$ but worth it in the cold..<br><br>J-eh

rich

Check the smell of the batteries mine shorted out and you could slightly smell them cooking. The first sign was the volt gauge going to the bottom of the negative side

pappyman

Check your starter draw...if its high then even big batterys will not help...also check your conections on the batterys and starter also the grounds

twintracks

<br>Thanks to all who replied. I had one battery that was shorted. I think it may have been bad since we purchased the truck in May. The problem didn't get critical until the weather got cold. I'll keep you posted when it gets cold again. <br>Regards, Jerry~

greatwhite

Twintracks I may be a pessimist, but be prepared to replace the second battery when it starts to act the same way in February. More often than not when one battery fails, unless it is found quickly, the second battery will be ruined too. It will work for a short while, then the same symptoms will return. I hope it doesn't happen but odds are it will. Good luck. Rick P.S. I'm off in about an hour to sign and groom trails here in MB. Just south of Riding Mtn Nat'l Park