No start condition when it's cold outside and the truck has been sitting for a few days

Prime

Shut up Baby, I know it!
Admin
Location
Denver Adjacent
This has been happening on and off for a while. Today was the worst of it. Truck has been sitting for about 4 days and it's been cold outside. Truck cranks and cranks and will not fire. Also a weird thing happens with the gauges when it does this. All of the needles drop below their normal resting position by about a 1/4" and shake violently. It's like the engine isn't getting fuel. There's no smell of gas, no flooding. Usually when it happens I can shut the ignition off wait a few seconds and then it'll fire up like normal. Today it wouldn't fire at all. Drained the battery trying to get it to go. Put it on the charger for a few hours. Came back out a few hours later and it fired right up. 100% normal.

This NEVER happens during the summer when it's warm outside. Only when it's cold out.

Thoughts?
 

Zack.

Has been dubbed Arnold
Supporting Member
Location
Livermore, CA
Cold instantly makes me think battery related, however that doesn’t seem like it’s the case if it’s not dead off the bat. Maybe something is frozen, either in a (fuel) line or mechanically (starter)?
 

XterraRising

Bumpers Installed
Location
Utah
Most EFI engines need to see 38-40 PSI fuel pressure to start up. I wonder if you’re getting voltage at the fuel pump when the key is on.
 

outback97

Wheeling
Supporting Member
Location
SLC, Utah
I had the fluttering gauges a couple times in the same scenario (cold start after longish period of not driving) and charging up the battery fixed it right up.

How old is your battery?
 

IM1RU

Skid Plates
Supporting Member
Location
SLC, UT
This happens when the stock positive battery terminals has corrosion inside of it too.
 

Prime

Shut up Baby, I know it!
Admin
Location
Denver Adjacent
I had the fluttering gauges a couple times in the same scenario (cold start after longish period of not driving) and charging up the battery fixed it right up.

How old is your battery?
Battery isn't by any means new. But the engine cranks fine. And yesterday it cranked for like 2 minutes straight until the battery died.
 

outback97

Wheeling
Supporting Member
Location
SLC, Utah
Battery isn't by any means new. But the engine cranks fine. And yesterday it cranked for like 2 minutes straight until the battery died.

In my case, it's also cranked OK, but when the voltage is low (sitting a while, cold weather), that's when the weirdnesses have occured. Still enough power to crank, but the truck doesn't like the lower voltage IME.

The P0301 I posted about this week was the latest example, but before that a couple times it was like what you have seen with the gauges twerking.
 
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