Is the 3rd gen having engine knocking problems?

[rbattelle]

I just want to comment at this point that I don't think anyone on this thread is ignoring any knocking problem. We don't want to be like the Ford 6. 0 guys who blindly claim the 6. 0 is wonderful and has no problems and anyone claiming to have problems is lying or dumb.



There are some 3rd gen engines that have some flaw that causes them to knock, perhaps catastrophically. But those cases do need to be carefully separated from the cases of bad fuel and normal diesel noise.

 

[Duluth Diesel]

I agree, rbattelle. If the noise seems abnormal, it should be checked out under warranty. My father in law's 600 is doing this knocking, but I haven't heard it since the truck is a few hours away from me. It seems like there is a fair number of 600s that are getting knocking complaints.

 

[Jumbo Jet]

Ignorance is bliss!



I know darn well what a diesel IS suppose to sound like.



I bought my 04 in Dec. and have 7300 miles on it. I know what it sounded like when it was running correctly. I bought a 2001 CTD in Nov. 1999, and a 2002 CTD in Dec. 2001 also.



BTW - the 04 305 HO had a BAD INJECTOR that was replaced. It sounds like it should now. It runs like it should.



The bad injector was supplying fuel at the WRONG time causing a serious knock - not a rattle, not a ping, not bad fuel. Just fuel at the wrong time. One cylinder fighting against five others. According to the service manager, it was 'weak' and never completely closing.



And BTW - my Dad bought our first diesel in 1958 so I am probably a little ahead of some of you 'diesel geniuses' on this board! I've owned an English made Fordson Dexta, Ford 2000, and Ford 3000 diesel tractor. I've had the Ford 3000 for 13 years.



If it is broke, I will have it fixed. If it is under warranty, D-C will fix it at no cost.



It is not perfect either, but from what I've seen with the Ford 6. 0 and the Duramax (good friend owned a 2002), I'm satisifed with my less-than-perfect Cummins!



If you have a knock - you CAN have it fixed.

 

[Jumbo Jet]

... AND the bad injector DID NOT set any codes.

 

[TCDiesel]

One of my best tools is a mechanics stethoscope,you can pinpoint a tick your ears would never hear.

 

[rbattelle]

Originally posted by Jumbo Jet

And BTW - my Dad bought our first diesel in 1958 so I am probably a little ahead of some of you 'diesel geniuses' on this board!

Geez, relax! No one said anything about being smarter than you.

 

[Jumbo Jet]

Geez, relax! No one said anything about being smarter than you.



Sorry - some of the responses were kind of sounding like the first two trips to the dealer's 5* service.



Then the asst. service manager tried to tell me how an engine was built. I explained to him that I had rebuilt engines all the way from a 9N Ford tractor to 455 Oldsmobiles and really did understand the mechanics of combustion engines.



After a good set down with the asst. svc. mgr. and the svc. mgr. , we took a test ride and I got some action. It's just a shame that it has to come to a 3rd trip and pert near an ass chewing to get a real problem fixed.

 

[TCDiesel]

J-JET I agree time is priceless,and a concern dealer should look deeper into your issues,and not pull a Martha Stewar?.

 

[rbattelle]

Originally posted by Jumbo Jet

It's just a shame that it has to come to a 3rd trip and pert near an ass chewing to get a real problem fixed.

I completely agree. . it is an absolute shame that some dealers behave this way. What's even more of a shame is that they get away with it.



But we digress...



It's clear that there are some engines with very abnormal knocking. I'm always interested to read about those who had successful fixes, and what the fix was.



Out of curiosity, has anyone had a clutch replaced under the TSB for clutch rattle? I had this rattle at one time (I think), and it sounded a lot like an engine knock. I was under the impression that they had fixed the rattle with a new pressure plate...

 

[amsoilman]

My 03' now has over 28,000 and the only time it rattles is if the engine is cold and under heavy throttle. once it is warmed up, it Ois much quieter!



Wayne

amsoilman

 

[Ol'TrailDog]

My 04 has a "tick" at idle which sould like valve lash on one cylinder. Not a rattle but a tick. So I was going to run it by Rocky Mountain Cummins next time I was in Billings (May) for their opinion. The loose injector is an interesting option, as well as the ability to check one at a time.



I figured if I went to a dealer they would just tell me "They all sound like this" run around.



Suffice it to say I haven't been concerned and I don't think it is serious but if valve lash needs adjusting I'd rather they do it under warranty than me (I set the lash on my 12 and 24). The same for the loose injector theory.



My main reason for posting is if there is a consistent problem with, say a loose injectors, it would be good for DC to know in case a TSB was warranted.

 

[GSpeed]

I know for a fact mine is louder than most(I know, I know it's a diesel). I pulled out another 2003 2 months ago and i literally had to look for the cummins logo! The darn thing sounded like a souped up hemi(not that i would know

 

[Northerner]

I read through all the replies hoping to have someone describe the Knock that I can hear on my 04 sometimes. Happens when I am moving along real slow in 4wd. , on rough roads in 2nd or 1st gear just off idle. If I stop for one reason or another then start off slow again I get a clear knock each time it fires till it seems to clear . OK then till the next time and the same thing happens again. The only reason it bothers me is that I can't remember hearing it till I had around 15,000 kms on the speedo. 27000 now. Above low rpm say at 1200 + it stays quiet. ???

 

[hotram03]

what about the clatter sound a diesel makes, like bad gas in a v-8, anyone notice if theirs has gotten louder and why? Mine seems to have gotten louder very strange, however I have just kept on driving

 

[rbattelle]

Originally posted by Northerner

I read through all the replies hoping to have someone describe the Knock that I can hear on my 04 sometimes. Happens when I am moving along real slow in 4wd. , on rough roads in 2nd or 1st gear just off idle. If I stop for one reason or another then start off slow again I get a clear knock each time it fires till it seems to clear . OK then till the next time and the same thing happens again. The only reason it bothers me is that I can't remember hearing it till I had around 15,000 kms on the speedo. 27000 now. Above low rpm say at 1200 + it stays quiet. ???

Except for the 4wd part, I have experienced this (I think), and so have several others. I've found it comes and goes over a period of several thousand miles.

 

[RGower]

engine knock

My 03 was quiet until it reached the 10,000 mile mark. I now get an obvious knock between 800 to 1200 rpm while accelerating from a stop in forward and reverse when the engine is warmed up. The knock is not audible above or below these rpms. I have not noticed any difference in performance or mileage. I will not be able to have the dealer check it out for about 3 weeks as I will be away. I am interested to hear of any similar experiences as there seems to be a common problem developing. Injectors? Until now my truck has been flawless.



2003, 3500 SRW SB,4X4, 250 HP,48r Auto. Mileage 11000 miles

2003 8. 2 1500 Bigfoot Camper

 

[Ken F]

Does anybody that is experiencing variation in motor noise have the "Fuel Preporator" or the "F. A. S. S. " on their trucks?



Also, is there any correlation between the noises and fuel level in the tank.



I have wondered about fuel aeration for some time now. I have seen it cause problems on both of the Fords that I owned. It effected noise level and throttle response. In the Ford, it is commonly believed that air is introduced through the pick-up in the tank.



I have read here that a few people believe the noise is coming from the #1 injector. Wouldn't air naturally end up in the front of the fuel rail because of the position of the motor? (slight tilt, rear being lower)



Ken.



Added on edit:



I have also read here that some have seen improvements when using additives such as Stanadyne. This is similar to what I experienced in my Fords. I believed the Stanadyne had a tendency to minimize foaming.

 

[LHebert]

Gee's, what a breath of fresh air, I live 60 miles east of you and drive my 04 to SFO everyday as fast as it will go. Ya know what, sometimes it rattles, bangs, and makes funny noises, well so did my 98 and 01, dah, its a diesel. Its no wonder the dealers are pulling there hair out with these off-the-wall mysterious engine noise problems. Have half of these people ever owned a REAL truck???

Thanks for bringing some reality back into this forum.



HELLO

Originally posted by sag2

Sometimes I have to chuckle to myself when I read some of the posts. Just two years ago if you purchased a second gen it sounded like the pistons or rods were going to come out of the block. It was to many a sweet sound. Now they make the engine quiet (mind you it is the same basic indestructible engine) and people complain about a little knocking. Well rod knocks do not come and go, but combustion knocks do.

What is amazing is that some people think the engine/truck is bad because it makes "diesel" noises. Well my 03 knocked sometimes during the 40,000+ miles I drove it, and my 04 has 9,000 miles and it also does the same thing. OK, maybe it should be perfectly quiet all the time, but I just drive the wheels off mine, and enjoy it. I know it will never break. Just do a poll of how many 3rd gen's have had a catastrophic engine failure. I bet it is fewer than five if that many, and none were oil related or hard part breakage.

 

[How'dHeDoThat]

now really......

Yes this is a diesel with all of it's qualities, advantages, and disadvantages... . One significant difference here is that we are now running a common rail system and it is not unlike the Duramax in many ways.



The Duramax DOES have injector problems and this is not new news to most of us.

We are going to see manageable problems with this system from time to time...

Ft Worth Cummins recently had a truck in with approx. 6 gals of oil and diesel in the engine from the injectors. Does that sound like a Duramax problem? You betcha!

Quieter and easier on emissions without EGR... . But this is going to be the issue with this setup. I believe it is manageable but an issue none-the-less... .





I too enjoy the quiet nature of this engine and think it is a well engineered system,however, alot can go wrong with these injectors... They are no longer a simple fuel delivery system.



One must give credit where due when it comes to someone explaining their "condition" or experience with this new fuel system.



Thanks

James

 

[DPelletier]

My 2 cents;



- 1) There are no problems with 3rd gen engine internals especially rods. Period.



- 2) There seem to be isolated issues with bad or loose injectors. Not usually a big deal. There may be some comparison to the duracrap fuel system, but the ford HEUI injectors are a completely different animal and are a royal pain in the A** as far as I'm concerned. On the whole, I think the new HPCR system is an improvement on the 2nd gen VP44 setup. Hats of to Cummins engineering for being able to design a engine to meet the Jan '04 emmissions regs without EGR or other complicated systems. The new injectors are solenoid actuated, but they are not overly complicated and are unlikely to have any big issues.



- 3) I believe that most (NOT ALL) engine noise complaints are common noises inherent to this engine. They likely existed on engines pre-'03, but nobody could hear them!



After reading this website and others related to diesel engines every day for several years, I feel quite comfortable dismissing any claims of widespread problems of any kind for this engine.





Dave