lot of smoke, no power

[SHeath]

My dad just bought a 2005, had it for a couple of months but I have always thought it smoked alot at idle compared to my 94. The bed and bumper stay black behind the tailpipe. Engine sounds fine but several occasions runs weak with still lots of smoke. Half of the time truck runs stong with alot of smoke. It has stalled a few times. Is it normal for these engines to smoke heavier than the older trucks? No mods as far as we know. No check engine light on Either. Fuel and air filters are new. Will transfer pumps act inttermitent? Thanks for any help. I am lost on this newer engine.

 

[AMcCormick]

Possible boost leak maybe? my truck will barely visibly smoke at idle just a tiny tiny bit until she warms up.

 

[cerberusiam]

The black bumper is normal, its the soot being burned out by the CAT. A lot of the black you see on stock truck is blowing the soot out of the muffler when you get on it after easy driving.



If you are seeing a constant stream of grey or black after an initial 10 seconds when accelerating its fueling too hard for some reason. The stall is a good indication of problems, the FCA (fuel control actuator) is a likely cause for that. They get sticky and dirty and do not function correctly.



Excessive black or grey smoke could also be an injecotr wore beyond spec. There will be no codes and they will test out in spec by the delaer but there is just a little too much fuel for the timing and you get some haze.

 

[SHeath]

I hear FCA mentioned in a few threads exactly how does it function and where is it located. I should also mention that when the truck gets fueled up after that we notice power loss. Every time the truck is started it will either run strong or weak. Changes only come when it is shut off and restarted. I dont know if this sounds familiar to anyone. Thanks for your replies and any more are apreciated.

 

[cerberusiam]

FCA is a good starting point for your symptoms. Look on the back off the injection pump, drivers side of the engine at the front, and will see the CP3. On the back side of it is one component that has an electrical connector harness, thats the FCA. A couple torx screws and $120 and it will tell you if thats the issue.



The FCA is responsible for allowing fuel into the high pressure circuit to provide rail pressure. If the rail pressure is not correct for the fueling parameters you alternately can get black smoke, hard starts, stalls, etc. Shutting the key off and on resets the electrical system and cycles the fuel system components and can change the operation. The FCA's tend to get sticky from lack of lube in the fuel, bad fuel, etc and they hang.

 

[SHeath]

Thats sounds like good advice. Ill start there and get back with results. Not alot of money and easy to try. Thanks abunch.

 

[p-Bar]

I have read where guys will put some 2 stroke oil in the tank to lube the FCA . Good for troubleshooting .

 

[SHeath]

As a matter of fact we were told transmission fluid would clean injectors so dad put two quarts fluid in the tank after which engine came to life. since then problem is intermittent. Still sounds like FCA. Is dealer the only place to get this or who is the best supplier?

 

[mweiman]

Fuel Control Actuator

Geno's Garage has them listed for $110. 00.

 

[CDonaldson]

I wouldn't run transmission fluid in the CR for lubrication. Some of the guys have run synthetic 2-stroke oil with good results.



I had a few experiences with stalling when my truck was about 2 years old. When I bought my truck we still had the LSD fuel, then we got the ULSD, after that is when I had the stalling start. I took it to the dealer, they had no clue (as usual). They did change the FCA, but I still experienced the stalling now and then.



Since the CR is so sensitive to particle cavitation and injector issues, I decided to go with the Opti-Lube for my fuel system lubrication. I have not had any more stalling experiences and my truck runs so quiet it is hard to believe it was the same truck. I got a small mpg gain as well. I still use the Opti-Lube with every fill up, only take an ounce and a second of your time when fueling to put it in.





CD

 

[TCDiesel]

As a matter of fact we were told transmission fluid would clean injectors so dad put two quarts fluid in the tank after which engine came to life. since then problem is intermittent. Still sounds like FCA. Is dealer the only place to get this or who is the best supplier?

This will ONLY mask the problem, it did nothing for the injectors or enhance their life. It may be the FCA 50/50 chance ,,more likely injectors ,have a oil sample taken to check fuel contamination.

 

[cerberusiam]

As a matter of fact we were told transmission fluid would clean injectors so dad put two quarts fluid in the tank after which engine came to life. since then problem is intermittent. Still sounds like FCA. Is dealer the only place to get this or who is the best supplier?

Yeah, its quite likely the FCA. The trans fluid added some lube and its cleaning effects helped things for a bit. However, the newer ATF along with the high rail pressures is hard on the fuel system,its a bit to harsh and the addtivies will hurt not help over the long term.



Ashless 2 stroke mixed with Power Service is about as good an additive package as can be made. It has worke don mine for 160k and some crappy fuel at times.



Genos Garage has the best price on the FCA I have seen. Try it first then reasses the symptoms. Before you jump into the injector replacement spend the $$ and have some tests done to see where things are at. A return flow test and cylinder contribution test is a good start to see if you have some potential problems brewing. They are not a definitive test just a good piece of info to put with all the rest you can gather.



Good luck.