Diesel won't start- bad batteries or bad starter?

[69charged]

Ok. Temps went up so had my sons megacab go back bumper to back bumper and was able to push the truck in the garage. Got the front plastic cover off and used a breaker bar on the balancer. Wouldn’t move. So I tried the other way and it moved, but only a full rotation to the same point as before and stopped dead. Can’t turn it at all. Like as if there is something in a cylinder that stops one of the pistons from going over TDC going in both directions.
If that’s the case, this bloody thing better be under warranty then!!!

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[DylanM]

If it won't pass through TDC then you're probably looking at a hydro lock or a stuck open valve.

 

[69charged]

If it won't pass through TDC then you're probably looking at a hydro lock or a stuck open valve.

Could it possibly still be a hydro lock if it’s been sitting since Monday? I wouldn’t think cylinder to ring seal would be that good. Possible.
Unfortunately I wasn’t driving it last. My wife took our daughter to hockey and parked it and then plugged it in. She said she didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary on her drive, and no warning lights or signs when she parked.
It would be crazy to be a bent valve or stuck somehow and her not notice it running weird beforehand. But crazier things have happened I guess.
I could rotate it all the way the other way, then try start it, but feel that would just end up doing more damage internally.

 

[Jteakus]

Yea don’t force it if it won’t turn freely.
Could be a bad injector dumping fuel into cyl and locking it

 

[69charged]

And….she’s off. Hopefully back soon.
What an ordeal to deal with the roadside assistance. I got the states version and we had a lot of trouble to find addresses and even the VIN number. Said I would have to pay the full tow of 900 then try get reimbursed!
She finally realized I was in Canada after telling her my address five times.
Called the Canadian one and in about an hour the tow truck was on its way.
Will update with what the dealer says. He suspects an injector tip broke off and leaked fuel. He said they’ve had a few 3.0 in rams do that.

 

[BillyP]

And….she’s off. Hopefully back soon.
What an ordeal to deal with the roadside assistance. I got the states version and we had a lot of trouble to find addresses and even the VIN number. Said I would have to pay the full tow of 900 then try get reimbursed!
She finally realized I was in Canada after telling her my address five times.
Called the Canadian one and in about an hour the tow truck was on its way.
Will update with what the dealer says. He suspects an injector tip broke off and leaked fuel. He said they’ve had a few 3.0 in rams do that.

I don’t have a diesel Gladiator, but I’m very interested in this thread. I hope it’s a simple fix. Please keep us posted. Good luck

 

[69charged]

So a little update.
On my way out west to watch my son play hockey, I stopped in at the dealership cause they hadn’t called me back at all.
I asked the service advisor and she goes to the back and brings the tech out to talk to me. The tech says there’s nothing wrong. They towed into the shop last night and left it in there overnight. Got in it this morning and fired right up. Nothing wrong. No noises. I said that is weird because with a breaker bar I couldn’t turn it. She says I can’t explain it but everything is normal. Even drove it for half an hour and all was good. She parked it outside. And that’s where I saw it. We were in a rush as we had to drive 12 hours. She said you’re close to an oil change. Would you like it changed. I said sure. I’ll pick it up Friday on our way back. So we head out.
Calls me back about 2 hours later and says it won’t start!! WTF!! Says she diagnosed it as needing a starter and it’s not covered under warranty, so it will be 1600 bucks plus the diagnosis fee. I was floored. I said forget it, don’t do the oil change or anything. Don’t touch it. I’ll come pick it up. What a fuckin joke.
She says it seems like you have 2 issues going on. The starter and that it won’t start!!! No shit!! You don’t say!!
I’m at a loss here. I asked her what happens if I change the starter and this happens again? Will I get my money back for the starter? She says that’s a great question. And goes silent.
So, that’s where it’s at. I’ll go get it and change it myself. I feel that I have to so I know it’s done right. That’s too bad.

 

[BillyP]

So a little update.
On my way out west to watch my son play hockey, I stopped in at the dealership cause they hadn’t called me back at all.
I asked the service advisor and she goes to the back and brings the tech out to talk to me. The tech says there’s nothing wrong. They towed into the shop last night and left it in there overnight. Got in it this morning and fired right up. Nothing wrong. No noises. I said that is weird because with a breaker bar I couldn’t turn it. She says I can’t explain it but everything is normal. Even drove it for half an hour and all was good. She parked it outside. And that’s where I saw it. We were in a rush as we had to drive 12 hours. She said you’re close to an oil change. Would you like it changed. I said sure. I’ll pick it up Friday on our way back. So we head out.
Calls me back about 2 hours later and says it won’t start!! WTF!! Says she diagnosed it as needing a starter and it’s not covered under warranty, so it will be 1600 bucks plus the diagnosis fee. I was floored. I said forget it, don’t do the oil change or anything. Don’t touch it. I’ll come pick it up. What a fuckin joke.
She says it seems like you have 2 issues going on. The starter and that it won’t start!!! No shit!! You don’t say!!
I’m at a loss here. I asked her what happens if I change the starter and this happens again? Will I get my money back for the starter? She says that’s a great question. And goes silent.
So, that’s where it’s at. I’ll go get it and change it myself. I feel that I have to so I know it’s done right. That’s too bad.

Thanks for the update. That is crazy. It sounds like they’re shooting in the dark and don’t really know why it’s not starting. I would try and find a reputable diesel mechanic and see what they say. If you trust them saying it’s a starter, then I agree with you about changing the starter yourself. I hope everything goes well.

 

[Free2roam]

So a little update.
On my way out west to watch my son play hockey, I stopped in at the dealership cause they hadn’t called me back at all.
I asked the service advisor and she goes to the back and brings the tech out to talk to me. The tech says there’s nothing wrong. They towed into the shop last night and left it in there overnight. Got in it this morning and fired right up. Nothing wrong. No noises. I said that is weird because with a breaker bar I couldn’t turn it. She says I can’t explain it but everything is normal. Even drove it for half an hour and all was good. She parked it outside. And that’s where I saw it. We were in a rush as we had to drive 12 hours. She said you’re close to an oil change. Would you like it changed. I said sure. I’ll pick it up Friday on our way back. So we head out.
Calls me back about 2 hours later and says it won’t start!! WTF!! Says she diagnosed it as needing a starter and it’s not covered under warranty, so it will be 1600 bucks plus the diagnosis fee. I was floored. I said forget it, don’t do the oil change or anything. Don’t touch it. I’ll come pick it up. What a fuckin joke.
She says it seems like you have 2 issues going on. The starter and that it won’t start!!! No shit!! You don’t say!!
I’m at a loss here. I asked her what happens if I change the starter and this happens again? Will I get my money back for the starter? She says that’s a great question. And goes silent.
So, that’s where it’s at. I’ll go get it and change it myself. I feel that I have to so I know it’s done right. That’s too bad.

So what's the temp up there when she said it wouldn't start? Second question is do you have a block heater setup on it? Was it plugged in?

 

[69charged]

So what's the temp up there when she said it wouldn't start? Second question is do you have a block heater setup on it? Was it plugged in?

Temps up here when it wouldn’t start the first time were -32ish. And it was plugged in.
Her first attempt at trying to start it was after it was sitting in the shop overnight. Started right up no problem.
Temps when she went to start it outside were about -3. Although that’s trying to start it 10 minutes after driving it for half an hour.
She said she could hear the starter clunking. She also said she tried to turn it over manually and it turned. I asked her if she tried to turn it all the way around cause it would turn about 300 degrees when I did it. Her words were “oh yeah. It goes around”.

 

[Free2roam]

Temps up here when it wouldn’t start the first time were -32ish. And it was plugged in.
Her first attempt at trying to start it was after it was sitting in the shop overnight. Started right up no problem.
Temps when she went to start it outside were about -3. Although that’s trying to start it 10 minutes after driving it for half an hour.
She said she could hear the starter clunking. She also said she tried to turn it over manually and it turned. I asked her if she tried to turn it all the way around cause it would turn about 300 degrees when I did it. Her words were “oh yeah. It goes around”.

I wonder if the starter is freezing/seizing up because of the cold. I've never looked at one (Gladiator starter)but do they have any way of getting any sort of moisture inside where it could freeze?

 

[69charged]

I wonder if the starter is freezing/seizing up because of the cold. I've never looked at one (Gladiator starter)but do they have any way of getting any sort of moisture inside where it could freeze?

Who knows. But she did say that they have a freezing up problem in the wagoneers.
Plus it was only -3 Celsius when it happened again.

 

[69charged]

Going to go pick it up Saturday with a car hauler. But my daughter has a hockey tournament just past where it’s at on Friday so I’m going to go try start it Friday and if it does start I’ll drive it straight home into my garage. It’s about 2 hours from where I live. Then I can diagnose myself and order a starter if needed. 1000 bucks from the dealer. 680 if ordered online.

 

[Lost1wing]

Diesels do not like the cold especially below freezing. I would think a new starter and warmer temps will help out. Do you use anti gel in your fuel? I would not rely on winter blend fuel to take care of gelling.

 

[69charged]

Diesels do not like the cold especially below freezing. I would think a new starter and warmer temps will help out. Do you use anti gel in your fuel? I would not rely on winter blend fuel to take care of gelling.

Yeah. I’ve had superduty diesels since 2000. Then to an F150 then this one. And I run EDT in my gladiator, and 911 antigel when I don’t have the EDT. This was not a case of gelling. Has nothing to do with fuel. This was purely mechanical. Starter or otherwise.

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