Possible Injector Problem?

[Kory]

I made a trip from Alaska to Minnesota pulling 6500 lbs with my 03 Dodge 3500. I noticed after the trip that maybe one injector was clacking awfully loud at idle. Still runs great and has good power... . haven't been able to tell if the fuel mileage has dropped due to not driving it much after the trip. Does this sound like a bad injector? Let me know anything you can think of... . thanks!

 

[JDiepstra]

Any abnormal smoke? What color if any? Are you running a box/chip/programmer?

 

[Msilbernagel]

It'd help a bit if your . sig listed how the rig was equipped... Do you have a fuel gauge? Is it running where it usually does? Start Ok? Any other changes in look, sound, feel, exhaust that you can note?

God luck,

Mark

 

[Kory]

No change in exhaust that I can tell... no fuel pressure guage, although I had a new lift pump installed under warranty before I left alaska. I haven't been able to figure out how to add my truck info at the bottom of these postings..... but this is what it has:



K&N Intake

CFM Air Plenum

Diamond Eye 4" Turbo back exhaust

Super Chip Tuner



I ran the tuner on the tow mode for the trip... . it gave good power and had no problems. Hopefully these upgrades aren't hurting more than helping!

 

[Msilbernagel]

For the sig... Up top, under 'Discussion Forums', select 'User Control Panel', and there is an 'Edit Signature' link on the left-upper side of the page.

I'm not familiar with the box, but stock injectors seem to fail more frequently with them - particularly with added pressure.

Find a shop nearby with a DRBIII and they should be able to 'see' the injector with the test suite it has. . there's a nice one that shows how much work each cylinder does, and injector problems sometimes show up there.

Mark

 

[Kory]

No change in exhaust that I can tell... no fuel pressure guage, although I had a new lift pump installed under warranty before I left alaska. I haven't been able to figure out how to add my truck info at the bottom of these postings..... but this is what it has:



K&N Intake

CFM Air Plenum

Diamond Eye 4" Turbo back exhaust

Super Chip Tuner



I ran the tuner on the tow mode for the trip... . it gave good power and had no problems. Hopefully these upgrades aren't hurting more than helping!

 

[Vetteguy70]

Easy and quick way to find out WHICH ONE is causing the problem. Do it WHEN MOTOR IS COLD! ((prevents fuel ignition from hot manifold, etc. )) Start the motor. One by one, loosen then tighten the injector line where it hooks onto the injector. If the injector is working properly, you'll notice a BIG difference in the sound, and it will "RATTLE". Do not let a ton of fuel spray, as it's under a LOT of pressure. Proceed to the next, etc. When you find the one that has little to no change in rattle, you found the one that is "going bad/gone bad/plugged" or whatever. THAT cylinder will be different in more ways, but you'll not be able to tell without serious money in equipment (DRBIII suite, which is computer and sensors, IR Thermometer, cylinder pressure guage, etc. )

This is the POOR MAN"S DIAGNOSTIC tool we used in the military, on diesel marine engines, etc. I would NOT recommend this for anything OTHER than finding which one is bad. If you are not experiencing any other symptoms, it's probably just starting to go bad. The reason it "rattles" is that there is no lubrication in the cylinder from the fuel, and a change/difference in pressure, temperature etc. Do NOT take all day on each one, as you want to keep the motor as cool as possible to prevent fire. Make sure you clean up the fuel if it sprays excessively. And don't leave it open any longer than you need to in order to identify the noise producing compared to no noise changes. REALIZE you are opening up a line that has extreme pressure to the injectors, and use commons sense in between. If it takes longer than you are comfortable with, stop the motor, and continue with the rest after it cools down again. You SHOULD be able to get through them all without the motor getting hot, if you don't dilllydally, and if the motor was "over nite" allowed to cool. The injectors in the back, under the fire wall rim, are a bugger to get to. You may need to get to them from UNDER the truck. You are talking STUPIDITY if you are under a running diesel motor, if it's on jacks, stands, etc. Make sure it's up and STABLE! OR DON"T DO IT AT ALL!

In all other cases, I would recommend you take it to a dealership, or someone with the computer. But, if you are "on your own" in Alaska, or out in the boonies in Montana etc. this is the OLD SCHOOL way to find a bad injector. You need to replace them in a complete set anyway if ONE is going bad, just keep in mind SAFETY FIRST. It's not worth dying over... to save a few bucks!

Good luck!

 

[jjdiesel]

911

Easy and quick way to find out WHICH ONE is causing the problem. Do it WHEN MOTOR IS COLD! ((prevents fuel ignition from hot manifold, etc. )) Start the motor. One by one, loosen then tighten the injector line where it hooks onto the injector. If the injector is working properly, you'll notice a BIG difference in the sound, and it will "RATTLE". Do not let a ton of fuel spray, as it's under a LOT of pressure. Proceed to the next, etc. When you find the one that has little to no change in rattle, you found the one that is "going bad/gone bad/plugged" or whatever. THAT cylinder will be different in more ways, but you'll not be able to tell without serious money in equipment (DRBIII suite, which is computer and sensors, IR Thermometer, cylinder pressure guage, etc. )

This is the POOR MAN"S DIAGNOSTIC tool we used in the military, on diesel marine engines, etc. I would NOT recommend this for anything OTHER than finding which one is bad. If you are not experiencing any other symptoms, it's probably just starting to go bad. The reason it "rattles" is that there is no lubrication in the cylinder from the fuel, and a change/difference in pressure, temperature etc. Do NOT take all day on each one, as you want to keep the motor as cool as possible to prevent fire. Make sure you clean up the fuel if it sprays excessively. And don't leave it open any longer than you need to in order to identify the noise producing compared to no noise changes. REALIZE you are opening up a line that has extreme pressure to the injectors, and use commons sense in between. If it takes longer than you are comfortable with, stop the motor, and continue with the rest after it cools down again. You SHOULD be able to get through them all without the motor getting hot, if you don't dilllydally, and if the motor was "over nite" allowed to cool. The injectors in the back, under the fire wall rim, are a bugger to get to. You may need to get to them from UNDER the truck. You are talking STUPIDITY if you are under a running diesel motor, if it's on jacks, stands, etc. Make sure it's up and STABLE! OR DON"T DO IT AT ALL!

In all other cases, I would recommend you take it to a dealership, or someone with the computer. But, if you are "on your own" in Alaska, or out in the boonies in Montana etc. this is the OLD SCHOOL way to find a bad injector. You need to replace them in a complete set anyway if ONE is going bad, just keep in mind SAFETY FIRST. It's not worth dying over... to save a few bucks!

Good luck!

And get 911 ready on your speed dial! I'd opt for the DRB method of shutting down one cylinder at a time, if you have access. FWIW

 

[JEstes]

BAD idea on cracking injector lines on a HPCR system. That works on older low pressure fuel systems. I don't remember the exact figure, but I think the fuel rail is pressurized to 3. 5k or 4k at idle on a HPCR engine. FYI, that's enough to basically remove a hand.

How many miles on the truck? It sounds like you're still under warranty, so I'd take it to a dealership and make it their problem.

 

[LesStallings]

How can someone still be under warranty when they are running a Super Chips Tuner??

 

[VanOverbeke]

I just had number 3 injector replaced under warranty and I did not even take the box off, but I did turn it off. I guess there might be some luck involved. This is the first time I took the truck to the dealer here since I just came from Alaska too.



Good luck Kory. How does it feel to be out of Galena?

 

[JDiepstra]

How can someone still be under warranty when they are running a Super Chips Tuner??

The use of tuner does not automatically void a warranty. The dealership must prove that the malfunction was caused by the tuner. Here are 2 real life examples that happened with my truck. When my front u-joint went bad, and my engine mounted fuel lift pump went bad, I was still covered by my warranty since the failures were not caused by my Edge Juice. I know an injector MAY be a different story. If a Superchips raises pressure it may be a contributing factor, however, I would take that sucker off and give it my best shot!