3.0 Duramax cranks but won’t start

[MyFordsNeverBreak]

1 hour ago, Phoenix959 said:

I have 6K on my truck and have had the issue about 10-12 times... Never on auto restart. To me it seems like the firmware is not starting the fuel flow but the starter engages, the next time you hit the button fuel flows and all is well but the dealer can't reproduce so they say it's in my head.

 

Your dealer seems like idiots..

[moobaru]

1 hour ago, Phoenix959 said:

 dealer can't reproduce so they say it's in my head.

 

First time I reported it to the dealer I purchased it from, they said "That's because it was cold outside"  I said it was 85 outside when it happened.   They basically just blew it off that I was dumb or something.    

[DVR]

Still no pattern to this issue. We can go 2 or three weeks and truck starts every time. Twice long crank/no start last two days, both times after freeway travel and truck parked for 10 to 15 minutes. The long crank/no start yesterday in the Costco parking lot was almost 30 seconds, double what it usually does. Was nice of the Ram owner to walk over and ask if we needed a tow truck. 

[Another JR]

Moderators 

 

Could you please move this thread?  This engine is not used in the HD trucks. Thanks

[DVR]

23 hours ago, DVR said:

Still no pattern to this issue. We can go 2 or three weeks and truck starts every time. Twice long crank/no start last two days, both times after freeway travel and truck parked for 10 to 15 minutes. The long crank/no start yesterday in the Costco parking lot was almost 30 seconds, double what it usually does. Was nice of the Ram owner to walk over and ask if we needed a tow truck. 

After two months of long intervals between the long crank/no start issue, now has occurred three days in a row. Two times engine hot and yesterday morning engine cold (but had been driven 300 km's the day before). Anyone with no issues after the TSB done?

[Duramax2021]

Just bought a 3.0 Diesel 1 month ago in that short time it’s done it twice. Once at 146 miles and just now at 1,077 miles.  Is it possible there is an issue with the pushbuton start. There have been several times I’ve hit the push button to shut the vehicle off but it won’t and I have to push it again.  I’m getting really disappointed with this vehicle.  I love it but I hate there is no fix for this.  These trucks are so damn expensive. This shouldn’t be happening 

[Forrest Friedrich]

I picked up my Sierra out of state, had the no-start issue happen 3 times in the first thousand miles (about 3 days), both hot and cold starts. Once home I did two things. First I tightened the fuse block screws (they were way below the 53 in-lb threshold), and, second, I frequently put an AGM-specific battery charger/desulfator on the battery overnight. I've now had the truck for four months/6,500 miles, haven't had another no-start event. 

 

Do either of the things I did contribute to the fact that the truck has been fine since I got home? I have no idea, and evidently GM has no idea either. But I'm glad that it's working correctly, as it's an incredibly nice vehicle except for the starting issue. I tell people that if Lexus made a truck, this is what it would feel like. 

[GJR1212]

 

I picked up my Sierra out of state, had the no-start issue happen 3 times in the first thousand miles (about 3 days), both hot and cold starts. Once home I did two things. First I tightened the fuse block screws (they were way below the 53 in-lb threshold), and, second, I frequently put an AGM-specific battery charger/desulfator on the battery overnight. I've now had the truck for four months/6,500 miles, haven't had another no-start event. 

 

Do either of the things I did contribute to the fact that the truck has been fine since I got home? I have no idea, and evidently GM has no idea either. But I'm glad that it's working correctly, as it's an incredibly nice vehicle except for the starting issue. I tell people that if Lexus made a truck, this is what it would feel like. 

My 2021 had a CEL come on so I returned home and turn the truck off while I opened the gate.   When I restarted it, I got my one and only, so far, long start.   Once it quite grinding the starter, I attempted a restart.  The engine started normally and the CEL was off.   Took to the dealer ASAP and the dealer found no explanation for the long start but wanted to order a bunch of parts to address the CEL they found in the ECU memory for control of the radiator dampener.   When I got home, I torque the fuse box which was quite loose to 53 inlbs.   I did not take it back to the dealer since it has not throw another CEL.   It also has not had another long start in about 1000 miles of driving.   The four bolts of the fuse box hold the  harness plug on the back side of the box to the corresponding connects to the fuses and relays.   I do think some of the problems with intermittent elecrical problems relate to these bolts working loose.   I believe mine were torqued from the factory because each of them had a white grease pencil check mark net to them.     For some reason they work loose.   I re=torqued mine a week or two later and they were again somewhat loose.   Check yours after a few weeks and see if they have loosened.

[GJR1212]

 

My 2021 had a CEL come on so I returned home and turned the truck off while I opened the gate.   When I restarted it, I got my one and only, so far, long start.   Once it quite grinding the starter, I attempted a restart.  The engine started normally and the CEL was off.   Took to the dealer ASAP and the dealer found no explanation for the long start but wanted to order a bunch of parts to address the CEL they found in the ECU memory for control of the radiator dampener.   When I got home, I torque the fuse box which was quite loose to 53 inlbs.   I did not take it back to the dealer since it has not throw another CEL.   It also has not had another long start in about 1000 miles of driving.   The four bolts of the fuse box hold the  harness plug on the back side of the box to the corresponding connects to the fuses and relays.   I do think some of the problems with intermittent elecrical problems relate to these bolts working loose.   I believe mine were torqued from the factory because each of them had a white grease pencil check mark net to them.     For some reason they work loose.   I re-torqued mine a week or two later and they were again somewhat loose.   Check yours after a few weeks and see if they have loosened.

 

[moobaru]

15 hours ago, Forrest Friedrich said:

I tell people that if Lexus made a truck, this is what it would feel like. 

 

You're joking right?

[Claxy515]

3rd time at 4265 miles. All 3 times now it has happened when I was in a hurry and pushed the button and the brake at the same time. Never does it when I press the button first, then brake, then button again. Definitely a pattern.

[ColoradoCub]

On 9/6/2021 at 4:41 PM, Forrest Friedrich said:

I picked up my Sierra out of state, had the no-start issue happen 3 times in the first thousand miles (about 3 days), both hot and cold starts. Once home I did two things. First I tightened the fuse block screws (they were way below the 53 in-lb threshold), and, second, I frequently put an AGM-specific battery charger/desulfator on the battery overnight. I've now had the truck for four months/6,500 miles, haven't had another no-start event. 

 

Do either of the things I did contribute to the fact that the truck has been fine since I got home? I have no idea, and evidently GM has no idea either. But I'm glad that it's working correctly, as it's an incredibly nice vehicle except for the starting issue. I tell people that if Lexus made a truck, this is what it would feel like. 

There’s nothing you did that will avert it happening again, and as of now GM has no clue how to make this problem go away. They are 0 for 3 on bulletins to fix it, and tightening fuse block bolts, holding your foot on the brake a certain way, pushing the button a certain way or standing on one leg while remote starting it is not going to keep it from happening again. Until they have a verified fix for it it will keep rearing it’s ugly head from time to time. I’ve had it happen twice in one day and not happen again for 1500 miles. There is no rhyme nor reason to it.

[WontStart]

Like ColoradoCub said, no rhyme or reason to it. First 5 or 6 times my truck did it, it just kinda “clicked” and didn’t actually turn the engine over. Each time it fired up on the second start attempt. The last no start episode I had, the engine actually turned over but wouldn’t start. Follow up attempts resulted in the same thing. After maybe 4 tries I disconnected the battery and after reconnecting the truck started right up like nothing happened.

[jpass12]

It just happened to me this morning which is the third time it has happened. The first at 123 miles, the second at around 2,035 miles and now at 2,175. Two of them were at my driveway in the morning when leaving to work. The other at the grocery store which was embarrassing after some people kept looking at us while the truck cranked endlessly with no start.

 

Reading the latest posts tells me that GM still has no clue on what is causing this and there is no fix. 

 

Very disappointing. 

[redwngr]

On 9/7/2021 at 1:24 PM, Claxy515 said:

3rd time at 4265 miles. All 3 times now it has happened when I was in a hurry and pushed the button and the brake at the same time. Never does it when I press the button first, then brake, then button again. Definitely a pattern.

Have you tried using the fob to start it as you're walking to the truck?