Truck starts but dies right after.

Sometimes immediately after sometimes two seconds. If I pull a vacuum line and dip it in sea foam it'll run for as long as it sucks the fluids.

So this started about two days ago. After returning from a 1 month trip, I started the truck and drove to the store with no issues. On my way back it sputtered for a sec but then kept going. Almost close to home, and it just stalls and dies. I start it up and it runs for a bit and I drive it, then it dies again. At this point it just kept dying after a second or two, but I was able to use this to limp my way back home.

Next morning, it starts but immediately dies after. So trying to figure out what's going on, I give it some sea foam using a vacuum line right after the throttle, it keeps it alive for a bit, and it keeps going. I was able to take my family to lunch, then dropped them off at walmart and decided to fill it up with gas and get an oil change. I took it to Valvoline without issues, and they did a battery test and it was well in the green. (mind you my last oil change was only 2200miles and I did it myself). After the oil change I was able to drive the truck without issues, even got on the highway with it and got to 70mph. I even had it at S, and kept gear at 3-4 to keep RPM high hoping to get the temps high enough to bake off whatever might be clogging the engine (if there is anything there)

I was able to sit at the parking lot idling for more than 20 minutes, and the A/C blasting at full without any hints of issues.

This morning is a completely different story; the engine would start up and maybe one or two seconds later it would die. Sometimes it struggles to start, sometimes it starts without issues.

I pulled out the fuel line leading into the driver side rail and pointed into a cup and I can see a gush of fuel when turning the key to starter. I verified that fuel makes it all the way to the other rail by pulling on the connectors.

There is no engine code and the engine light turns off when the engine starts.

It seems like the truck is turning itself off after it starts. I still can't think of a reason how it worked fine yesterday but today it's having issues. As far as I can tell, nothing is blocking air intake into the throttle, and if it's idle issue it would've kept running when I gave it gas. RPM would go high if I had my foot on the pedal while turning it on.

I am wondering what happens electrically when the truck starts? Seems like fuel pump/injection/etc. circuits are different for when starting vs running after the engine starts. Like it's handing off the operation to another system and it just drops the ball. Could be a chewed wire for all I know.

Here is a video of the fuel coming out while starting.. https://i.imgur.com/goLpNzA.mp4

I'll see about uploading a video tomorrow on its behavior. I've drained the battery with all the start attempts during my diagnostics, and it's being charged.

 

Welcome from LA (Lower Alabama)! There will be some folks along soon to help you figure things out. You came to the right place.

 

Is it a flex fuel??

 

Sounds like an issue I had recently. A loose battery cable and battery tie down clamp was my culprit. Perhaps your connections have corroded and need to be replaced?

 

Ditto...clean/refit your battery connections.

 

Thank you all for your replies..

Not a flex fuel.

So after I had my battery sitting in the tender overnight, I reconnected it and gave it a start and it ran for about 15 minutes or so in idle then shutdown (didn't really hear how it stopped as I was away from it finishing up remote work)

when I tried starting it again it started, but died down slowly like it's gasping for fuel or air or something..

I have recorded its behavior in subsequent starts... near the end of the video I have pressed on the pedal to make sure it isn't just an idle intake issue..

https://i.imgur.com/oVhXxPf.mp4

also in addition to all this I have done the following yesterday;

Took out the driver side fuel injection rail, found that one injector simply falls out of the rail. The O-ring was broken, replaced it this morning before I started it and that's when it ran for about 15 minutes or so.

My thought so far is if it was a battery issue then it should've either continued failing, or continued running without issues. While it was idling the terminals read 13.6 volts (i poked the battery terminals not the connectors), so alternator should be good..

I've got a rental now, so I can go and get the fuel pressure kit and test it out... until I head out I'm going to take a look at the power line going to the fuel pump. Maybe I should bypass the relay and see if that's the issue...

 

I will side with the battery either having a bad cell, or it's dying. Even if it's "new" consider it probably sat in some shelf for 6 months to a year...

 

This ^^^ needs to be considered.