Misfiring 5.9 engine without any codes yet!?

[HerbW]

Hi.
My 5.9 has been running great for this year since new injectors till last night. I just drove home in an over four hour trip with it running like new. I drove it a few hours later to the store two miles away and it started misfiring and power loss on the way home. No smoke or DTCs. No limp mode. I had fueled up with bio-diesel before the four hour trip. I usually stay away from it but Oregon shoves it down our tank like it or not.
Could it be plugging up fuel filters? I'm running a stock fuel filter with a second Donaldson 3.0 micron one mounted between the stock filter and the CP3 pump. In a couple of weeks I have more of these long work trips again and would love to get it solved before I get broke down on the trip out in the middle of nowhere. I'm so tired of not trusting my truck to go to far from home. The two filters have just under 8,000 miles on them.
I'm running an EDGE Evolution for gauges only and my fuel pressure looked normal on the monitor. Think constant monitoring plugged to the port under the steering wheel causes ECM problems ever?
I started it today and it ran normal. Something was going on and could return.

Ideas to check are very welcome!

 

[p-Bar]

Can you monitor rail pressure? was it happening with your foot in it? Some would probably say change your filter(s)

 

[cerberusiam]

ANYTHING plugged into the data bus has the potential to mess up engine operations or just flat shut the engine down. If it does it again unplug the Edge and cycle the key.

If you got a load of bad fuel, bio is just a problem waiting to happen, that could do what you describe. Check for water in the OE canister and for good measure change the filters.

 

[HerbW]

I'm going to town with it this morning to get filters and maybe some Seafoam for the last filter before the CP3 fill up. I'm going to drain my main filter housing into a glass jar and let it sit to see if H20 settles in it. I'll watch my rail pressure on my EDGE to see if it changes if it happens again. I didn't look at it when I was bucking around. I could stop, turn engine off, unplug it and recycle the key to see any changes. Depends if I'm out in BF Egypt or close to home.
Thank you for these ideas guys! Time will tell and kill us eventually! Right? We just enjoy the ride in the mean time! Herb

 

[Tuesdak]

Word is Seafoam mixes water up with the fuel so it can bypass your water separator and take out injectors easier. Biodiesel cleans up your fuel system enough as it is - so no need to help it with anything else. In fact it is known to plug filters by cleaning out your system. Keep a spare set of fuel filters with you at all times!

Biodiesel % is already is more hygroscopic than #2 diesel. I would recommend biocide treatments with having to put up with biodiesel blends.

Leftover Menthol in the Biodiesel is another PIA that ruins the valves in fuel pumps and swells up hoses. It also makes a (now soft) hose more prone to kinking and cutting off the fuel supply. So double check any hose bends for kinks.

 

[PWong]

Needs to monitor the pressure right before cp3 when running on bio or wvo.
You can tell when you are going to replace the filter.
You need to change the 3 um much more frequently.

 

[HerbW]

I'm right now only monitoring the CP3 output rail pressure. I could see that a pre CP3 pressure reading would be great like on the output side of my add on filter. Today I changed both filters. I found out my new Carquest filter# 86528 is a 2 micron. I did add a can of Seafoam to it. Started up and ran pretty good. Time will tell.................
I'm going to try and avoid Bio-diesel. It was the only diesel available in Florence, OR at Safeway grocery store. I call it Bio-diesel, it says B20. Is it? I've never seen biocides in fuel in Oregon. I know it's common in the south.
Any fuel treatment recommendations? Thanks again, Herb

 

[Tuesdak]

Biodiesel is great for fuel lube. (Someone else can suggest cold weather bio compatible anti-gel.) Dual-Phase biocide additives I have used: (Single phase at the bottom of the tank is frankly obsolete with ULSD and any Bio%.)

BIO KLEEN® DIESEL FUEL BIOCIDE : A dual-phase biocide to kill microbes, bacteria and fungus. Dual-Phase — effective in both diesel fuel and water...
http://www.powerservice.com/bk/

Lucas Bio Medic Fuel Sterilizer - appears to be discontinued and has poor labeling as to the dose and if it is dual layer or not.
http://www.grainger.com/product/LUCAS-OIL-PRODUCTS-Fuel-Sterilizer-4KAW9

http://www.biobor.com/products/biobor-jf-fuel-additives/
Dual Phase - soluble in both water and fuel phases for a more effective kill

Another fuel soluble product sta-bil diesel biocide. Found at Tractor Supply Co.
http://www.goldeagle.com/product/sta-bil-diesel-biocide

 

[Mathes308]

Helps to also understand just how small 3 microns is.
Next time you pick up the nozzle to fill the truck, take a look at it, not exactly clean. All that road dirt then falls into your tank as you drag the nozzle in and out.
Your tanks ventilation system brings in dirt, the cheap fuel filters on the pumps allow dirt.
2-3 microns is a small screen to go through, they will pack fast.
A 3 micron filter will plug up with wax before an 8-10 micron one will.
Keep spares, 2 would be best.
Biodiesel is a better fuel, not only does it lube better than ULSD but as said it scrubs your system of the dirt that builds up from reg diesel.
I'd do a little more research before I would fill that final filter with seafoam again. Mixed with fuel is one thing, burning pure seafoam may run Pistons excessively hot and/or deposit additives directly to valves and ring gaps.
Learned this running too much fuel treatment in a gas engine, spark plugs get coated with red fur and quit working.

 

[HerbW]

I changed the two filters and put Lucas diesel treatment in my fuel at fill up then drove 600 smooth running miles. In the morning I drove 35 miles to where we had breakfast, the truck lightly shook and misfired when I got back on the freeway! Crap! After I drove about two miles it went back smooth again and made it home without incident. My Edge showed I have great rail pressure during this misfire crap. It was hot out and started both times without heat coils warming the intake. I wonder if this affected the misfire? I just don't trust my truck anymore. My wife didn't feel the misfire at all as I figured we're getting stuck in the middle of a mountain range in Oregon. I never talked to her till later about it. NO MIL codes ever kicked.

 

[Mathes308]

Sounds like an injector hanging up.

 

[Joseph Donnelly]

my Edge Insight has been plugged into the diagnostic port for a year and a half, 28k miles with no issues.

 

[HerbW]

my Edge Insight has been plugged into the diagnostic port for a year and a half, 28k miles with no issues.

Thanks Joe, My EDGE Evolution gives me a ton of info and I can set it for better mileage but then if I pull my boat, I have to reprogram it which takes awhile. So it stays stock. Joe, do you ever get this misfire stuff in your truck?

 

[HerbW]

How often should my 2 Micron add on filters that are between the CP3 and stock filter be changed as regular routine service? I have also my stock filter too.

 

[GrantP]

I do mine with every other oil change, so roughly 10k. I've thankfully never had a filter issue with any of the diesels I've owned over the last 17 years or so, but we don't have B20 here either.

 

[WalterJ]

HerbW;

How do you keep the 2u from waxing/plugging in Winter? If your Winter stays above 30deg., then I'll pose that query elsewhere, as I'm contemplating doing the same.

Keep us posted on your "injector"/"fuel" issues. Good topic.

 

[HerbW]

I'm a West coaster a and it seldom gets below freezing for very long. Maybe someone else have opinions from colder areas! Herb

 

[HerbW]

Oh, my filter setup is under my intake manifold and hood where it gets engine heat probably, it's not on frame rail.

 

[CKelley1]

the filter should ONLY be changed when the pressure to the cp3 drops to about 2 psi under load, your truck had a bad run of solenoids on the injectors, there is two plugs with 3 injectors on each plug, unplug them and test each injector with a ohmmeter, they should read about 0.5 ohms, if one reads above 1 ohm it is bad, you can get a new solenoid from ebay for $70 and change it out without pulling the injector. i cut one open to see where the problem was, it is a very poor design where the coil wires on a wedge makes mechanical contact with the rails on the post here is pix
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[HerbW]

I carry a solenoid in my truck due to three have gone south in two years. I can actually test & change one in less than an hour. I had a valve cover gasket go bad too! Soon I think I'll buy an Ecodiesel new truck. I'm tired of not feeling confident in my beautiful Mega Cab. You are right that the solenoid connection is a poor design with a slot jammed into the wire. No solder, just a jammed connection. Nice picture and more info! I wonder if the new solenoid is connected better than factory? Herb

the filter should ONLY be changed when the pressure to the cp3 drops to about 2 psi under load, your truck had a bad run of solenoids on the injectors, there is two plugs with 3 injectors on each plug, unplug them and test each injector with a ohmmeter, they should read about 0.5 ohms, if one reads above 1 ohm it is bad, you can get a new solenoid from ebay for $70 and change it out without pulling the injector. i cut one open to see where the problem was, it is a very poor design where the coil wires on a wedge makes mechanical contact with the rails on the post here is pix
#ad