I have had the same problem and it was a crank sensor. The truck would be fine and then all of a sudden it would die, and it would start back up no problem.
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An engine might sound like a diesel at operating temperature if the engine was a diesel or if there was an issue with the manifold. Sometimes gases escaping the manifold cover could cause the engine to sound different.
Running out of gas my certainly be a cause for the check engine light to come on. It could also be an assortment of other issues.
It could either have a gasoline engine or a diesel engine
you will have a bomb. your engine could explode from the increased compression of a diesel engine
This engine could have burnt rings in it. There also could be an old leak which is running down on the manifold which would cause the engine to smoke.
Running the engine hot repeatedly.
A bad compressor belt can cause a whistling noise while running the air conditioner. A bad engine can also cause this noise.
No , a diesel engine doesn't have sparkplugs It could have glow plugs
No, but it could cause the check engine light to illuminate.
Black smoke from diesel engines on starting and/or running tends to mean there is fuel leaking into the engine, or the fuel mix is incorrect and not atomised correctly. The main causes are normally a nakered air filter that isn't letting enough clean air into the engine to mix with the diesel, a blocked fuel filter, which is either not letting enough fuel in, or in some cases, a faulty fuel filter which is letting too much diesel into the engine, and causing black smoke due to excess burning. The last cause could be the engine's fuel injector which should normally create a fine mist spray of diesel to be burnt. if its faulty it could either not be spraying enough fuel into the chamber, or too much.
A bad EGR valve should not cause the engine to not start. There is most likely another problem that is causing the engine to not start.