Cummins 8.3 - Belt turns but won't start

[drenn12]

Hey ya'll!


I have a 1997 Bluebird All American with a RE Cummins 8.3. Got it back in March, it ran great for about a month and then stopped turning on mid-April.


It's been sitting since then (so about 7 months), so I REALLY need to get it started now so the winter cold up here in MA doesn't screw it up more.


Both batteries are on a charger, fully charged. When I turn the key, the dash lights up and the belt spins but nothing is igniting/starting. Tried starting from the front, and with the push button on the engine but nothing.


My hope is that I accidentally triggered some Emergency system in the beginning demolition stages, and that it's not actually something mechanical. However, I am open to ideas and thoughts.


Thanks in advance for the tips!

[family wagon]

Seems like the emergency/safety systems involving the exit doors and whatnot disable the starter motor, so because yours still cranks, I'll guess that's less likely to be a cause.


Do you remember any more detail about when it quit running -- did it run completely normally one day and not start or even stumble another day, or did it quit while running? Don't be insulted, but.. how's the fuel level in the tank?

[PatrickBaptist]

Any smoke out of the exhaust?
What happened when it stopped running, did it die or did you just shut it off and then it never started up again??

If it's cranking then it doesn't sound like a emergency door starter interlock issue as those interlocks prevent it from cranking all together.

[drenn12]

Thanks for the reply! The bus ran perfectly fine for about a month after we got it, then one day we showed up to work on it, and it what I described above. Has been doing it ever since.



The fuel level gauge stated it was at about 3/4 of a tank the last time it was on in April.

[drenn12]

So there actually was always a little bit of smoke coming out of the exhaust when the bus did start back in April. However, it would stop smoking after a few min (5min or less).



One day it would turn on and run /drive great, and one day we showed up to work on it and it just wouldn't turn on fully. Just as i described above is what happened/has been happening since.

[PatrickBaptist]

Originally Posted by drenn12

So there actually was always a little bit of smoke coming out of the exhaust when the bus did start back in April. However, it would stop smoking after a few min (5min or less).



One day it would turn on and run /drive great, and one day we showed up to work on it and it just wouldn't turn on fully. Just as i described above is what happened/has been happening since.

What I meant was, when cranking (not when running) does the bus smoke at all? If no then this means no fuel to the injectors.

[drenn12]

Originally Posted by PatrickBaptist

What I meant was, when cranking (not when running) does the bus smoke at all? If no then this means no fuel to the injectors.

Ahhhh sorry, my bad. No, there is no smoke while the bus is cranking. What does this mean in terms of solutions if this is the case and there is no fuel getting to the injectors?

[PatrickBaptist]

Originally Posted by drenn12

Ahhhh sorry, my bad. No, there is no smoke while the bus is cranking. What does this mean in terms of solutions if this is the case and there is no fuel getting to the injectors?

lift Fuel pump
tank pickup clogged
fuel filter clogged
would be my first thoughts.

I'd check the fuel filter and see if it's full first, if not fill it with ATF and try to start it.
If it's full of fuel then your going to have to test fuel pressure and see from there.
DO NOT USE ETHER OR STARTING FLUIDS.
But no smoke on cranking for sure means no fuel is making it into the cylinders.

Maybe before trying to restart get some diesel and make sure there is fuel in the tank....

I bought a F350 no start once, ford dealer charged him more than I paid him for the truck and still couldn't get her going, front tank the pickup screen was so clogged nothing was getting through, rear tank the pickup tube was broken off. Hour after screwing around it fired right up.