Engine/Transmission (1994 - 1998) "Clackity" noise during accel, valves adjusted; springs?

[DPadgett]

Lonestar, sorry to hear about what happened to you while on your trip! When you say your truck went to crap, what exactly did it do? Was it so bad that you couldn't drive it home? Did it start to leak oil or some other fluid that it hadn't been leaking before? Did it lose power, the noise get worse, etc. ?

 

[Lonestar]

Once again, sorry so long to reply.



When the truck broke, it lost power on at least 1 cylinder, and idled VERY rough and blows large amounts of blue smoke. I was barely able to get down the street to a driveway that I had access to. I finally have the truck to the mechanic, and like I feared, I have a bad piston. I am having the motor pulled for rebuild this week.



Hopefully my noise was much different than that of others being described, if yours is the same as mine, I would guess it to only be a matter of time before things let go.

 

[DPadgett]

Dang I am sorry to hear about all that! Are you going to do a stock rebuild using oem parts or replace with parts for more power? Any idea a ballpark of what it will cost you? At this point I don't really know what to think about the noise mine is making. I think its either a bad injector resulting in some type of injector noise or injector knock, or worst of all a bad piston like you experienced. And no offense but now is a bad time to have the same year, type of mods, and miles as your truck! Makes me think the same thing will happen to mine pretty soon! Keep us posted on the rebuild and hope it goes well.

 

[stumphumper]

I also have had that ticking sound starting at 150k to now at 195k. I could never find it. comes and goes, up and down. . kinda sounds like a machanical cable to the speedomitor is about to go bad. teeth in vac pump, injectors, pistons eck!

 

[DPadgett]

The one thing I am certain it is NOT, on my truck anyway, is the lift pump simply because I don't have it anymore and instead have a FASS! Guess the only thing I can do is wait and see if it gets worse or save some $ for different injectors to see if that makes a difference.

 

[Matt42]

Off-the-wall thought. Try a different diesel supplier, and add some Cummins-Valvoline additive. I have two tanks and was able to experiment with this first-hand. I filled up one tank in Cortez, Colorado, and the engine set up quite a clackety racket. I switched back to the other tank that had diesel I bought in Phoenix, and the noise went away. After drawing down some of the Cortez-bought diesel, I added some of the additive and topped it off in Camp Verde. End of the noise. ♦

 

[DPadgett]

It would be nice if my noise was as easy to get rid of as yours was Matt! I have tried buying fuel at different locations, 3 different additives, adding more additive than is minimally recommended,etc, no improvement! I think mine is down to either bad injector or piston. I know this could be opening a whole other can of worms, but do any of the injector manufacturers have a reputation for building noticeably smoother running/idling injectors?

 

[1tuffram]

any updates?

 

[DPadgett]

any updates?

Nope. Its the craziest thing. Some days it seems like its gone, others its as loud as before, sometimes seems louder when I stand on the left side of the engine, others when I stand on the right side. I think it is either something in the injection pump making noise or close to the injection pump, or injectors. I ordered a set of Dynomite Diesel Stage 2 75 hp injectors and I am just waiting to get the money to have them installed, hoping maybe its a bad injector or that it will just magically go away! Its a great truck and I enjoy driving it but I have got to figure out how to get rid of this noise!

 

[LVJUNIOR]

Nope. Its the craziest thing. Some days it seems like its gone, others its as loud as before, sometimes seems louder when I stand on the left side of the engine, others when I stand on the right side. I think it is either something in the injection pump making noise or close to the injection pump, or injectors. I ordered a set of Dynomite Diesel Stage 2 75 hp injectors and I am just waiting to get the money to have them installed, hoping maybe its a bad injector or that it will just magically go away! Its a great truck and I enjoy driving it but I have got to figure out how to get rid of this noise!

there is no need to pay somene to install your injectors. They are almost as easy as changing spark plugs. the hardest part is taking the injector line assembly off. the whole job for a first timer should be less than an hour. I have done it a couple of times and now it is more like 15-20min

 

[DPadgett]

there is no need to pay somene to install your injectors. They are almost as easy as changing spark plugs. the hardest part is taking the injector line assembly off. the whole job for a first timer should be less than an hour. I have done it a couple of times and now it is more like 15-20min

LVJUNIOR, thanks for the encouragement. I am going to send you a PM concerning tools required for changing out injectors, etc.

 

[LVJUNIOR]

I sent this to you in a PM but thought it might help someone else. This is the best I can remember right now since I am not near my truck.



You need to take the intake air horn off (I would have a new gasket on standby in case you tear it.

then you will need to take the fuel line assembly holdown nuts off(not the clamps that hold the lines together).

then loosen the fuel lines at the injector and at the tom of the pump and remove the fuel line assembly.

next you will remove the fuel return line that is attached to the side of the injectors. there is a bolt in each injector body, a holdown bolt near the back of the mator and a bolt ot the top of the fuel filter housing.

remove each injector holdown nut

slide 3/4" pipe over injector body and thread lug nut onto injector. The lug nut will tighten against the pipe putting upward tension on the injector until it "pops" free of the bore. once it "breaks" free you can lift it out.

Make sure the copper sealing washer comes out with the injector. If it does not a small pick should be able to reach it.

Clean the bore in the cylinder head with q-tips paying special attention to the sealing washer seating surface to assure no build up remains in the bore.

place the new sealing washers on the new injector nozzles and install the injectors in the bore being careful to align the ball bearing wit the groove in the cylinder head press down lightly until seated.

Tighten injector retainer nut to fully seat injector and reinstall fuel lines and intake air horn



here is a list of tools I found from another member

-injectors

-injector install kit (injector sealing washers, drain manifold washers)

-lots of shop towels

-q-tips (to clean injector bores)

-Torque wrench

-3/8 drive ratchet

-small screwdriver (for putting the injector retaining nut rubber o-rings in)

-combination wrenches; ¾ (injector line nuts, valve cover tin plate); 10mm (drain manifold bolts); 12mm (drain manifold bolt on top of fuel filter); 15/16

-3/8 drive sockets; deep 7/16 (intake horn rubber boost tube clamp); 10mm; short extension

-1/2 drive sockets; deep 15/16 (injector retainer nuts); 15/16 (for lugnut), short extension

-3/4 pipe close nipple and a lug nut (for removing injector…I couldn't believe how great this worked)

-step stool (for reaching #5 and #6 injectors)



. Just scroll on TDR Magazine at top of page and click on Digital Magazines. See TDR Magazine issue 51 page 94 for some additional tips

 

[fest3er]

Leave one or two injector lines loose at the injector to bleed the air out. This'll make the engine start easier.

 

[KnightR]

My present diesel is my first road vehicle. ALthough I have and still have diesel tractors. I could'nt tell if anything was wrong on any of my diesels. They all sound like I'm going to throw a rod. My recent road trip even tho the temp outside was 104 or so degrees it ran cool around 180 all the time. But still gave me the ba gee bee's with all the noise.

 

[DPadgett]

Update. Injectors changed yesterday, switched to DDP Stage II 75 hp. Mechanic was very impressed with them, said it appeared there was alot of work and precision put into them, that they were honed very well and they finely atomized the fuel. Got the truck back, and it seems that noise is not present at all on top of engine, which it was before injectors, but now seems to be reverberating from directly underneath, like where the transmission mates to the motor. I crawled under the truck with it idling in the driveway and the noise is very loud; on the top side its harder to hear. Any ideas? Loose torque converter bolts or something else in the transmission hook up? The truck shifts and drives fine, no sloppiness in shifting or lock up or acceleration. I am going to crawl back under there tomorrow with a stethoscope and see if I can truly pin point it.

 

[fest3er]

Thoroughly clean and degrease the oil pan, then coat it with Herculiner. But don't get it on your hootus.