Extended crank time and A/C question

[Nautique454]

Hey all. I just got a 2000 K2500 454 from my dad with 160k on it. Truck is in great shape. Ever since he's owned it (probably 8+ years now), it takes a long time to start when it's warmed up. If it's cold, it cranks right up. If you let it warm up, turn it off, and try to start it, it probably takes 8-10 seconds of cranking before it starts. It does always start though. I guess I'm really hoping that this is an easy-to-replace sensor, but I'm sure it's not, with my luck. Fuel pump was replaced about 3-4 years ago.


I had a somewhat similar issue with my '95 half-ton; it would cold start fine, but once the engine was hot, it acted like it had a hard time cranking the engine. I thought I had a loose wire to the starter but upon further inspection, it ended up being corrosion on battery terminals. I cleaned them up and it starts perfectly cold or hot now. I think your issue sounds a little bit different (long crank time vs not wanting to crank at all when hot). Check the simple stuff first. Does the OBD II system give you any codes?

 

[Schurkey]

I wonder if there would be any negative effects from blocking that small opening in the box? I agree that it seems like a poor design choice.

There's always some air flow to the defrosters, to prevent mist or fogging of the windshield.

Fog forms any time the windshield is cooler than the dew point. The dew point can be 80+ degrees, depending on the humidity level.

Some air to the defrost is a safety feature.



I'm guessing the REAL problem is partially-plugged evaporator and heater cores, which reduces air flow a lot more than bleeding-off a little to keep the windshield clear. Second guess would be a heater blower that isn't operating properly--lower RPM than the system is intended to operate with, or maybe broken or plugged blades on the fan.