Bad Injector/3rd Event

[SilverSage]

I have an 05 2500 4X4 SB Quad 3. 73 with 33K miles that I purchased pre-owned in October. I have had it to the dealer several times for what I think is poor mileage (11. 5 in town & 14. 5 open road @ 55-65). The Dealers I went to do not know about anything about a mileage flash and I have heard other member having trouble with that flash anyway,

I have 2 questions!

I have read about injector problems so I plan on getting an oil analysis done to look for diesel in my crank case oil. What should I look for in that test? (I found a place in Denver t do it for 26 bucks)

Also I read about member getting rid of the “3rd Event’” which I understand to be post combustion injection pulse to keep the particle trap hot. Such an event would lead to poor mileage as it does not contribute much the moving the piston. So, do I understand the “3rd event” correctly and how do I reduce or eliminate it?

 

[JFielding]

Before you get too excited add a load of injector cleaner to your fuel. I have a friend who had a similar problem and the injector cleaner did the job.

Howe's, Stanadyne, Power service, etc. one of them will do the job.



PS



Until daytime temps reach about 40 degreees your fuel mileage will be lower 1 to 2 mpg.



Good luck



J

 

[p-Bar]

Yes the 3rd event is there to keep the catalytic hot , haven't heard of anybody getting rid of the 3rd event . Keep us posted on that. The report will show if there is anything other than oil in the crankcase such as fuel/antifreeze/water

 

[steved]

Also I read about member getting rid of the “3rd Event’” which I understand to be post combustion injection pulse to keep the particle trap hot. Such an event would lead to poor mileage as it does not contribute much the moving the piston. So, do I understand the “3rd event” correctly and how do I reduce or eliminate it?

The 3rd event is emissions related and IIRC, it is to burn any excess fuel and to keep the catalytic converter hot... there is no particulate trap on an 05. . that is an 07. 5+ thing. Unless there is a programmer that does it, I don't know of any way to eliminate the 3rd injection event...



Your mileage sounds about right, espicially if you drive with a heavy foot (they do not get 20+mpg consistantly like the older trucks did)... I would run fuel additive through it and possibly find another station as I have found the quality of diesel varies station to station...



steved

 

[cerberusiam]

Getting rid of 3rd event will make things worse unless you redo a lot of the hard parts. That event doesn't fire all the time so its contribution is hard allocate to a mileage problem.



Your mileage figures are pretty consistent, possibly a bit low, with the new fuel, winter blend, and cold weather. A lot depends on driving style and conditions. Testing the fuel is a good idea and will rule out some injector problems but not all. Try to find some premium diesel and run a good portion of fuel treatment for a while and see if that changes the mpg.

 

[SilverSage]

JFielding

I did run Howes through 3 tanks and found no change.

 

[SilverSage]

Steved

I drive like a little old lady but I tow a 4000# travel trailer from time to time to work the Cummins. My travel buddy has an 03 Ram CTD 3500 SRW who constently gets 16-17 city & 20+ Highway unloaded. We both drive the same roads, the same way (because I often follow him). BTW we both use hand calculated MPGs.

 

[Pawpaw]

The first thing I did to improve my mileage was to install a Rokktech adjustable crank position sensor, at full advance (about 2 degrees).



http://www.rokktech.com/_mgxroot/page_10437.html (scroll down)



The second is running a mix of Power Service and Marvel Mystery Oil. I'm now using about 12 oz of PS and 9 oz of MMO per tank.



On a pure highway run, I can get over 22 MPG if I keep my speed below 70.



Bob

 

[jelag]

I own 3 trucks... 04, 04. 5, 05 all 3500 duallys... . I don't think your mileage is bad... . we use a additive with all our winter fuel... and now use it year around with ULSD... . we have not had injector problems... . between the 3 trucks we have 300K + miles... we don't do anything special to the fuel filters but have a large tank in the bed of each truck... close to 130 gal... we run all that fuel through a large filter and into the main tank.....



We do not go back to the dealer for anything... . I've had lots of injector problems with my FORDS but not the dodges... I am now going to start looking for a 4 micron filter instead of the 10 we now use... .



BTW - we tow all the time with these trucks. . the 04 pulls a trailer that is often in the 20K lb range...



My BIL with his 2 wheel drive, retired. . drives the truck like a car... gets great mileage at least 3-5 better than we do all the time... . but on any give route I get there sometimes an hour or 2 ahead of him on a days driving... . thats why he gets the better mileage.....

 

[DPKetchum]

ANY D. C. dealer can pull that TSB up. ANY dealer can run the reflash. Its part of daily repair in ANY auto dealer these days and has been for more then a decade unless everyone even in small dealers that work in service have quit etc.

 

[Bob V]

I just got 20 mpg with my 05 avg 15-17 normal city/hwy. Lifetime avg, including some 9 and 10 mpg tanks while towing is 15. 6. Do you have oversized tires? Do you carry extra weight with you, a ladder rack? Lots of thinks can hurt your MPG. I see you are in the Mountains. I have found that, besides towing, the speed you go up the hills is the biggest MPG killer. I gained 2MPG by just doing the speed limit up the hills instead of passing everything. Do you have a Pyro? If you can keep the EGTs below 600 (pre turbo) it will make a big difference.

I have seen some help in my truck by injectors and a box that does timing (edge juce), the crank censor/ tone ring mod did not help. A bad injector could be a problem. A simple test for diesel in the oil is to place a drop of your oil on a paper towel, If after a few moments there is a "halo" of lighter color around the dark spot you may have some diesel in the crankcase. It sound to me that adding some timing would help if everthing else is OK.

 

[SilverSage]

BobV

I ran a RokkTek for 8 weeks at diffrent poistions and found no change but EGTs were. up just a little.

 

[Lektrikman]

Oil analysis

SS, Check with your Cummins dealer about oil analysis. Knowing that the CR engines have issues with injectors I do an oil analysis at every oil change, just to keep an eye on possible fuel in the oil. My local Cummins dealer sells a nice little oil analysis kit for about $17. 50 that you take a sample and mail it in for analysis. You get your answer back in about a week to ten days and it provides good peace of mind. The report will contain information about wear metals, antifreeze in the oil as well as fuel in oil, soot etc. The report also provides information as to what levels are considered normal and they will flag a potential problem. Great information to dazzle the wife with at breakfast... ... ... ... ..... Lektrikman

 

[SilverSage]

Lektrikman

If any dealer can find and run a milage flash then Litha Dodge in both Denver and Colorado Springs are not just any dealer because these 5 Star Dealers cannot!! I am going to another 5 Star (I think they are all 5 Star) when the last 2 storms clear enough for me to get it there.

 

[cerberusiam]

Lektrikman

If any dealer can find and run a milage flash then Litha Dodge in both Denver and Colorado Springs are not just any dealer because these 5 Star Dealers cannot!! I am going to another 5 Star (I think they are all 5 Star) when the last 2 storms clear enough for me to get it there.

Any dealer can do the flash, any dealer can do the diagnostics to track down the problems. They have to to work on these truck. The problem is not any dealer has a tech that KNOWS how to do it AND a service writer that knows that and will let them do it. A lot of times the SM's get paid for the amount work they run thru and the diagnostics usually doesn't pay as well so they shuffle it off.



One word of warning on the mileage flash, you may notice a power loss on the lower end so decide what you want. Flashing usually is cumulative and you may get something you don't want included.



Good luck.

 

[SilverSage]

Lektrikman

Thanks for info about Cummins dong oil analysis, I did check with the Rocky Mountain Cummins in Denver but they no longer provide that service. I have found a place that will do the test but they charge $26. 00. I still plan on having my oil checked out.

 

[rkelley]

Another thing you should check in your intake filter. I have 4K miles on my '06 and changed the intake filter to new WIX 42846 filter. My my mileage has gone up considerably. Although the overhead is inaccurate for total mileage, it was showing a +1 mileage increase just by dropping in the new filter. The original filter was not too dirty but seems to be very restrictive. After installing the new filter, the turbo spooled much faster and I got much better mileage.



BTW: I bought a pack of 3 filters from FleetFilter.com. Arrived in about 3 days.





Just my $0. 02...





-Ron

 

[Hoefler]

One word of warning on the mileage flash, you may notice a power loss on the lower end so decide what you want. Flashing usually is cumulative and you may get something you don't want included.



Good luck.

Like the back up alarm P. O. S. !!