Freightliner M2 won't start...

Born2RV wrote:
viola it is. (No, not being sarcastic).

But the voltage dropping - we knew it was getting to be time. Oh.. the other thing was the power port on the dash stopped working.

Thanks. And it is voila.

Novel approach, a red hot piece of steel, crank the engine for ten seconds then blast the air intake with pure O2 from a torch (high altitude). Never failed. Did not imply to mean Cummins had glow plugs. But I sure stripped out a lot of series parallel switches, and changed 4 wimpy group 4 batteries for the heaviest 31's I could find, along with a 50MT starter motor for the 400+ horsepower tractors.

Just the tiniest slowdown can making starting difficult. For jump starting I series a 7-D with a 150 lb 8 volt battery, and a massive solenoid. Have the driver crank the starter and then hit the system with 12+ under full load volts.

Got many a bus started at Mammoth Mountain Ski area, that way. 28 volt battery jumper system that was recharged at 32 volts. No one else would go up there when it was -20 with a 40mph wind. Magic was a 200,000 BTU LPG space heater aimed right at me. The momentary solenoid control was the key, let the engine crank then zap it with higher voltage.

This is what I like about this site... education in all forms! Engine and English. Please excuse my spelling ... viola it is. (No, not being sarcastic). I am guessing, even though it is a Mercedes, it needs all 24 volts to start and gets picky when it drops too low.

Our first indication there was a battery problem was it did not sound exactly right on start up. We thought that was because we were in the polar arctic north of Ohio in fall and the temps were down into the 30s. Then we noticed the voltage started dropping slightly just before start up. We sit there and wait while the gauges flip/flop, might as well read the info the truck is giving us. Yes, it does sound different when starting in the cold, particularly if we forgot to plug it in the night before. But the voltage dropping - we knew it was getting to be time. Oh.. the other thing was the power port on the dash stopped working. No wire issues, no fuse issues, no reason. Installed new batteries, it is fine now.

Checking the cables is a really good idea... looking good on the outside does not necessarily mean much.

Thanks again.

MEXICOWANDERER wrote:
Compression Ignition DEMANDS that the engine be cranked as fast as possible. On the older 855 series Cummins, I ensured that when the owner pressed the starter button, even in 0F temperatures, the cab of the truck shivered as the 40MT was cranking. Cold air and compression ignition do not get along, hence glow plugs. When it used to drop to -30F I would remove the lid of the air cleaner and then the element. Heat up a 5 lb chunk of steel red hot with a rosebud oxy-acetylene torch, drop it into the aircleaner, put the lid on, wait a minute then have the driver crank the rig. Worked like a charm unless the fuel was gelled.

I worked on Cummins 855 engines from the 70's thru the 90's and never saw glow plugs or intake heaters on them. Some trucks had ether injectors that sprayed directly into the intake. Usually we just sprayed a bit of ether into the air cleaner. Your approach is novel though.

NinerBikes wrote:
Waaaaalaaaa is my pet peeve. Voila is the correct spelling.

Yeah...viola is another favorite.

I just want to know how they discovered it was batteries.

Born2RV wrote:
Thanks for the advice... particularly the Escapees Forum.. Believe it or not we found the solution - new batteries. Replaced the 2 year, 11 mo, 2 week old batteries with brand spanking new ones and waaaalaaaa started right up, sounded like a new truck. No error codes. It is almost oil change time so I will have it checked at Freightliner.

Thanks again, I appreciate the advice.

Waaaaalaaaa is my pet peeve. Voila is the correct spelling.

Actually modern diesels (more than a decade) have INTAKE MANIFOLD HEATERS, not glow plugs. Results are the same, but in a much more friendly environment (intake manifold vs combustion or per-combustion chamber).

Compression Ignition DEMANDS that the engine be cranked as fast as possible. On the older 855 series Cummins, I ensured that when the owner pressed the starter button, even in 0F temperatures, the cab of the truck shivered as the 40MT was cranking. Cold air and compression ignition do not get along, hence glow plugs. When it used to drop to -30F I would remove the lid of the air cleaner and then the element. Heat up a 5 lb chunk of steel red hot with a rosebud oxy-acetylene torch, drop it into the aircleaner, put the lid on, wait a minute then have the driver crank the rig. Worked like a charm unless the fuel was gelled.

That is something, isn't it? All these fancy readouts of codes, and nothing saying "low battery".

I thought my batteries were bad as they showed 11.7 on the dash gauge. As I'm new to these kinds of trucks, I did not know the intake heater was on.

You might take a good look at your battery cables and all ground connections. Cables can look good on the outside and be rotten in side. Cables and grounds can cause all kinds of unrelated issues.