Hey everyone long time lightning owner new you the forum. I'm the original owner of am 04 lighting and I've got a cranking no start issue.
A little background.The last time it was driven was over a year ago when it ran out of gas. A few gallons was put in to get home. It then sat for a few months before I attempted to start it again which at the time it would crank but not start. Life got in the way and I wasn't able to work on it but I'm getting back to it.
Things I've done:
1. Replaced fuel filter as it was long overdue anyway. No change.
2. Verified spark using a spark plug test light
3. Verified injectors are getting voltage pulse when cranking
4. Inertia switch seems fine
5. I can clearly hear the fuel pump prime for 2-3 seconds when turning on ignition
Fuel pressure at the test port was under 5. I turned the key on and off a few times and it gets up to 40 or so but immediately drops back to 0 when the pump stops.
6. If I jump the pump relay the pressure jumps up but when I crank it I take it the pump stops and the pressure drops again and the truck won't start.
7. Thought maybe the pressure regulator was bad and letting pressure bleed back into the return so I replaced it with spare I had. No change.
8. When cranking I can tell it wants to start as every few seconds the rpm increases like right before a start.
9. I've read that a bad check valve in the pump assembly can go bad letting the pressure bleed back, but would it be so bad that all pressure is immediately lost?
A friend suggested trying starting fluid to verify spark and air but I've always been under the impression that's bad for cars and I'm not sure how that'd work with the supercharger?
I'm not sure where to go from here and I'm trying to avoid replacing parts until I know what's wrong. Any help would be appreciated.
I plan on taking the pump assembly out in a few days if nothing else turns up. I'm also going to try checking the pressure right before the filter. Just to eliminate anything past that pressure wise.
Check valve would cause hard start or long crank time.
It's probably one of the 3 pump hose sections inside the tank leaking. It would be
The less likely to be a check valve on its own. The pump would have to be non working to allow fuel to flow back to the sock.
Sir,
Never, I mean never use starting fluid on any engine! I was a truck driver for 13yrs, and back in those days diesels weren't as efficient as now. In the winter we sometimes used it but was always wary of destroying a piston. We are dealing with ether that can actually detonate without spark in you gasoline engine. That said, you would not be able verify spark.
Thanks everyone for the suggestions. So I dropped the tank and found the two lower hoses had a tear and small hole. So as a temporary test I replaced the hoses with fuel line I had. Fuel pressure now seems to stay at 40 when tested at the rail. But she still won't start. Sounds like it wants to but won't. Not sure where to go from here. Here's a video of what it sounds like. https://goo.gl/photos/VEvqmKJxMkMWJE7v8
This may sound far out, but we once had a ford that would not start and after a lot of checking and double checking with no luck removed the mass air sensor and there was a bug stuck to the wire on the mass air. knocked it off and then cleaned the mass air and that fixed it, The truck will run with the mass air disconnected but will not with a short.
Two things I would check are the plugs, make sure nothing happened when you ran it out of fuel. Second would be the fuel pump resistor. Make sure it's not cracked or damaged.
I also should have mentioned that to test the hoses I replaced I still have the tank a few inches of the ground and I have not reconnected the venting tubes. So the filler neck and two bent tubes towards the back are still disconnected. The fuel supply, return, and two electric plugs have been connected. Would the vent tubes make a different just to test the start?
The resistor decreases voltage to the pumps until you go full throttle then both pumps get 12v. Should of read the post a little more closely, if you have 40psi at the fuel rails then it's probably not going to be the resistor.
It doesn't flash while trying to start. After turning the key off it flashes occasionally. While talking about it I do have an aftermarket alarm. The key fob does unlock the doors and confirms it's not armed. But I wonder if is causing an issue? I thought it disabled the ignition when armed but I'll need to look that up. Any input on the camshaft position sensor?
Also may not hurt to check all the fuses with a test light to make sure they are all good. As stated in a previous thread there are three fuses that power up the ecu to make the engine operate. Alarms can also be an issue. You wold have to do some research on your alarm system to see if it can be bypassed. I have never had any dealings with the cam shaft sensor, I really don't know if it would cause a no start condition. The crank shaft sensor is necessary for operation. i would check fuse 2,18,23,111 and 113 in the box under the hood there is a post that shows the fuse locations here http://www.lightningrodder.com/forum/37-gen-2-harley-how-tos/3078-fuse-boxes-layouts.html
I've visually checked all fuses but have not used a test light. I've looked up the viper alarm and it seems to tap into the starter relay which if it's trying to start tells me that's not it, but who knows. I was thinking the ecu but using an obd adapter and the torque app I'm able to see real-time info which also makes it seem like that's ok. But it's a good idea to know for sure so I'll use a test light on those fuses. As for the crank sensor I thought I remembered reading that without the sensor I'd have no spark? I'm going to verify spark again and test for injector voltage. I only tested one cop and injector voltage last time. So frustrating.
I think that I would take a deep breath and start from the beginning maybe a new day is in order. You may have inadvertently blew a fuse or left something disconnected. You need fuel air spark and compression at the right time to make noise, one of those are missing!!!!
Not sure if this has been mentioned but I have seen similar issues and the IAC was bad.
Also caused the truck to die in reverse and sometimes at a stop light.
Not saying it's right but something to think about
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