#1 & #6 injector failure, turbo gone bad, warrantied but now engine knocks

[GShail]

Last week while hauling a load my 2003 HO blew the #1 & #6 injectors, fuel flooded the crankcase and the turbo was ruined. There was tons of smoke, loss of power, and oil mixed with fuel everywhere under the truck.



The dealer replaced the injectors and turbo under warranty and said problem solved.



When I went to start the truck after having it "fixed" I could hear a knocking/clicking sound that wasn't there before.



I brought this to the service managers attention and he and the technician told me this was normal noise. They told me to drive it for a thousand miles and to come back for a valve adjustment.



I took the truck and drove it for 700 miles and just couldn't take hearing that sound anymore so I took it back to the dealer and pointed out to them that the noise was louder now, and that when touching the #1 & #6 injector lines, a pulse could be felt that coincides exactly with the knocking/clicking noise.



Power seems more or less normal.



The knocking/clicking sound is audible at idle and in all gears but is particularly prominent in 1st & 2nd gears.



The motor burned nearly a quart of oil in the 700 miles.



Dealer removed the valve cover and said the injector hold downs were tight.



They admit now there is more to the problem, but they don't seem to know what is causing the problem. They promised to get deeper into the motor on Monday.



I need to get back on the road and could use some wisdom from you fellas.



Any assistance or sage advice will be greatly appreciated.



What am I likely up against? Bad ECM? Scored pistons & cylinders?





The floor is yours.

 

[nickleinonen]

i don't think it will be an electrical problem. diesel fuel is not a good lubricant if it was mixed with the engine lube oil... and if it is now burning/using 1 qt of oil in 700 miles, that is no good... either there is an external lube oil leak, or it is being leaked by the turbo [hope for those 2] or the cylinders are scored and oil is passing by the rings and being burned not what you want. if that is the case, a rebuild would be in order, but under warrenty, i'd be demanding a new long block...

 

[MMeier]

Sounds like a new engine is in store! 1 qt. in 700 miles is not a good thing.

 

[CJEliassen]

If oil is getting into the combustion chamber, it will detonate (ie knock). Oil has a very low octane rating and will knock even at idle in a diesel. I am betting the rings are fried on those cylinders.

 

[Big MAK]

Under warranty I'm surprised they didn't replace the engine first thing.



Ask if they'll let you take it to Cummins and get their opinion.

 

[bzingre]

Looks like if you dropped an injector tip or one cracked and flooded the crankcase with fuel, then you will need to have the block sleeved or replaced (it will burn oil too). If you lost a tip, then there could be head, piston, and turbo damage. High concentration of fuel in the oil can lead to premature bearing failure i. e. rods, mains, cam, turbo etc... At the end of the day it may be better to replace that repair.

 

[GShail]

They are now telling me that it needs a new shortblock. It will take 7 business day to ship to the dealer. Unfortunately, as slow as the tehnician has been thus far I wouldn't be surprised if the truck were down for two weeks or more. I am really thinking about trading uo to a 2004. 5 DRW. Time is money!

 

[Vaughn MacKenzie]

Sorry to hear of your troubles GSail. The common-rail injection system is "state of the art" but unfortunately when things go wrong they really go wrong. Anytime an injector sticks open the fuel flow is constant, whereas on all the previous trucks (before 03) a sticking injector (rare) was worst case = white smoke and some knock. The fuel doesn't flow constantl, only for a short burst at the moment it normally fires.



Vaughn

 

[GShail]

A 2004. 5 is on its way from another dealer. Should be here tonight, planning on buying it tomorrow. A couple of people have sent me messages regarding the possibility of getting a greenslip# through the EP (Employee Price) program. Does anyone know anything about the Employee Price program, and is there really a way I could take advantage of it?

 

[GShail]

Well crud, the truck my dealer had hoped to aquire from the other dealership was sold. There is another rig that is supposed to be available but I am still waiting to find out for sure. Meanwhile time keeps buring more holes in my pocketbook and I am losing more money everyday! Previously in this post I said that I was going to trade in my 2003 for the 2004. 5. After a nights sleep I think I might just keep my 2003 and just buy the 2004. 5 outright. I think the wife and kids might do very well in the 2003 once the slow as hell service department gets the 2003 put back together (next year probably)



My service department is saying that it will take about at least a weeks time to get the shortblock installed after the parts arrive. Is a week to ten business days a reasonable amount of time for a dealership to install a shortblock or am I just being unreasonable in believing it should only take a couple of days?

 

[Bob4x4]

Doing a Cummins short block is a big job. It is not like a gas short block where you just throw on the heads and slam it home. Cummins shortblocks are basicaly the block and rotataing assy with pistons. No cam,oil pump,gears,pan,etc. The shop probably doesn't even have an engine stand to assemble the engine on. You can also bet they won't let that tech work on your motor non-stop. He will be expected to work on other cars at the same time. It is the way dealerships operate. Take a deep breath,relax,and be happy.



Bob

 

[GShail]

Well with the guys I am working with if they say one day they mean two days, if they say one week they mean two weeks. I'm not sure if I am on foot or horseback when dealing with them, check that, . . . I know I am on foot!

 

[Big MAK]

When my neighbor's new Dodge -- that he needed for his business -- was down for service for an extended time (it was a Hemi; but same princple) they gave him a comparably equipped loaner. This was because it was his business truck and he couldn't be without it. Your dealer must have a used one on the lot they can let your drive a couple weeks.

 

[GShail]

Unfortunatley it is more complicated than just getting a loaner as I use my truck for interstate commerce, have to have special insurance on the truck, trailer, & cargo & have to have a DOT#,MC # etc, etc, in order to be legal with the feds and the states.

 

[ttreibel]

It would be nice if you could shed any light on what the engine started sounding like or running like before you broke down. Did you notice anything? Sounds like if you got shut down sooner it would just be an injector and not the turbo and block.



I feel if you drive it long enough sooner or later the injector will fail my question is will you notice before it's to late?