Rattling in valve train under acceleration!

[BBowers]

My 2003 2500 4x4 ctd rattles at idle and under moderate acceleration, well any accel, just a kind of big diesel truck thing. my last rig was an 05 ctd and didnt sound like this! the engine has no other issues but has 96k miles. It sounds almost like it needs a valve lash adjustment but if I remember correctly these engines don't require it. It supposedly has never been chipped or programmed and has had amsoil from day one. Any ideas? my old man has an 04 same truck and his doesnt rattle like this with 60k miles on it.

 

[daytripper63]

My 03 has a little rattle to it, but nothing like my 98. one thing to remember about the 03 is that it only has 2 injection events and the 04-05 have 3 injection events which helps make them quieter

 

[Diesel Power]

My 2003 2500 4x4 ctd rattles at idle and under moderate acceleration, well any accel, just a kind of big diesel truck thing. my last rig was an 05 ctd and didnt sound like this! the engine has no other issues but has 96k miles. It sounds almost like it needs a valve lash adjustment but if I remember correctly these engines don't require it. It supposedly has never been chipped or programmed and has had amsoil from day one. Any ideas? my old man has an 04 same truck and his doesnt rattle like this with 60k miles on it.

needing a valve adjustment might be the problem, but it sounds to me that the injectors are ready for replacement, or one of your sensors--maybe a fca?

this is hard to pin point as it is a sight un seen deal. hope this helps

 

[MFalkinham]

The valves shouldn't need an adjustment until 150k, but it couldn't hurt.

Possibly carboned-up injectors. Are you running any fuel additives? If not, it might be a worth a try. In addition to the additives, get the engine good and hot pulling a heavy trailer and blow out any carbon on some hills.

 

[BBowers]

I have no check engine light and the truck has great power and doesnt smoke or vibrate unusually. how much do replacement injectors cost?

 

[daytripper63]

How much rattle do you have? I would suggest finding another 2003 and comparing sound... The 03 IS a bit louder than the 04s & 05s plus after a good pull it has even more rattle

 

[Diesel Power]

I have no check engine light and the truck has great power and doesnt smoke or vibrate unusually. how much do replacement injectors cost?

the average cost is between $1000-1500 depending on where you get them from

 

[Blue Ox1]

I think I have a similar rattle as yours,Does it seem to be mosy noticeable under moderate acceleration thats when mine is the most noticeable.

Joe

 

[Alaskaskiff]

A couple of years ago this was discussed and some have found that retorqueing the hold-down nuts for the injectors helped things quiet down. Many were found somewhat loose. I did that to my truck at about 10K and it made a noticable difference. Suspect this might work for others as well. The applicable torque specs were posted on this forum at the time.

 

[TAbbott]

My 2003 2500 4x4 ctd rattles at idle and under moderate acceleration, well any accel, just a kind of big diesel truck thing. my last rig was an 05 ctd and didnt sound like this! the engine has no other issues but has 96k miles. It sounds almost like it needs a valve lash adjustment but if I remember correctly these engines don't require it. It supposedly has never been chipped or programmed and has had amsoil from day one. Any ideas? my old man has an 04 same truck and his doesnt rattle like this with 60k miles on it.

Before I did anything mechanical to your truck, I'd run some Lucas Fuel Treatment through it. Don't know what's in it, but I know that it works. If you haven't been running any fuel additives at all, I'd double dose it to start with. Maybe just put a full quart in the tank, then fuel it up and go driving. I'll bet you notice it getting lots quieter and smoother within 1-200 miles. After that, if you fuel up like I do at 1/4 tank by the guage when it'll only take about 25 gallons to fill it, just 8 ounces of the stuff is enough to keep it cleaned up and running right.

 

[Rams-n-Hogs]

At 96K, a valve lash adjustment isn't a bad idea, either, especially if it's never been done. If nothing else, it will eliminate one possibility, and give you some peace of mind.

 

[Blacksdieselhp]

I changed my injectors in my 2005 when it had very low mileage and I noticed a BIG difference in sound. My #5 and 6 injectors were carboned up big time. Well, I just pulled the performance injectors out and went back to stock and the rattle is back. Can't believe how much they were carboned up with just a few thousand miles on them. I'd like to see a set out of a truck with 100k.

 

[Plowboy]

Well I was told that the rattle in mine was a sticking injector in hole 4. 800km later my rod was sticking out the side...



I've since heard that cummins had a bad run of rod cap bolts and they break off.



Check your bottom end...