[balddood]

Alright everyone, been trying to sort this one out for a week now and I could use some help. I'll explain what's going on then list all the parameters I can from the truck.

I've had the truck for about 2 years now and when I initially purchased it had a bad miss. Tore into it and deleted the EGR Cooler, replaced the oil cooler, new ICP sensor, new fuel filters and did other minor updates like: turbo oil feed line, turbo drain tube. Also installed new Y pipe and installed regulated fuel return. The miss turned out to be cylinder 6 because the bolt through the spool valve came loose. Replaced that injector and retrieved the hardware and the truck has ran fine for a year aside from slow starts at low fuel levels and the truck "running out of fuel" at 1/8th tank because I'm 99% positive the pickup tube in the fuel tank is broken. Plan to resolve that with a Beans Sump at some point.

To date I have only put about 25,000 miles on the truck since I've owned it. 6 months ago I was having trouble with cold starts and a bad miss again during the winter time. I took the truck to my local Ford dealer and had them run a contribution test. Results were all over the map but the only injector that showed up consistently was #4. It was chaotic though because the power supply on my FICM was failing and reading only 36.5 volts when cold. Replaced the FICM and the cold starts got much better but still not great and my fuel mileage has been lacking (11 mpg around town and 16 mpg on the highway). Never did the contribution test again after the FICM because they charge $250 per test.

3 months ago I noticed she was leaking a decent amount of oil. Tracked the leak to the oil cooler housing and one of the 319 Orings on the oil cooler itself and have been putting off repairing it for some time just because I don't have a lot of free time and as most of you know, getting to the oil cooler is pretty labor intensive. Because of the leak I had been refilling the truck with about 4 quarts of oil per month to maintain proper level until I could find time to fix the leak. A week ago I refilled the engine with 15W-40 Valvoline. Whether it's because of that or coincidental, two days later she starting pouring grey smoke from the tailpipe and I had a big loss in power. At WOT the smoke would go black and get real thick so it's obviously fuel. Seemed to me that the smoke would be from an injector spintle stuck open and dumping fuel into the cylinder. I have a ScanGuage II hooked up but for some reason my truck doesn't like to share DTCs with it. It always reads Not Ready when I try to retrieve codes. So I really didn't have a good idea of which cylinder was the culprit but this weekend I decided to tear into it to fix the oil leak and replace two injectors in hopes of getting lucky.

Unfortunately, I was not. I replaced injectors 4 and 7 and changed the oil to Rotella 15W-40 which I've used before but the smoke persists. On the bright side, the oil leak is fixed lol.

So, currently, the truck still smokes and runs like crap with new injectors in #4, #6 (1 year ago), and #7. New and improved Bullet Proof Diesel FICM power supply, no EGR cooler, stock tune and properly functioning turbo. I even took it over to AutoZone yesterday after it was put back together just to see if their scan tool could pull codes since my ScanGuage doesn't like to but no codes were stored. I had the batteries disconnected all weekend though so that could be why. I should also note that I pulled every injector this weekend just to inspect them but couldn't find anything obviously wrong. Replaced #4 and #7 firing from the hip.

Can anyone tell me if I'm right or wrong about a bad injector causing the smoke and lack of power? If so, how to track down which one it is without buying an expensive diagnostic tool, paying Ford another $250, swapping the new injectors into different holes one at a time, or buying 5 more injectors?

Parameters:
2004 F-250 King Ranch
200,000 miles
Pre 09/2003 6.0L
FICM Main Power Voltage = 49V
ICP at Idle = 640 psi
IPR at Idle = ~29%
Boost is normal at any given throttle position (0-24 psi)
DTC's are unknown
Didn't notice any fuel in the oil when I drained it this weekend
No loss or gain of coolant in the degass bottle.

If more specs are needed just reply and let me know and I'll post. Frustrated with this and ready to resolve it. Love this truck to death and when she's healthy she runs like a banshee. Thank you in advance to anyone interested in helping me sort this out.

 

[kaya]

so this is an early build truck? i'd start by scanning dtc's with a device capable of viewing manufacturer codes

 

[balddood]

Correct. It's an 04 model truck but was built in 07/2003 so it has the early style 6.0L in it. No stand pipes, no dummy plugs, no STC fitting, early style HPOP etc. And I agree because if I could retrieve DTCs it might show a contribution/balance fault on the offending cylinder. I have a ScanGuage II which is a great tool and capable of pulling DTCs but for some reason it won't on my truck and never has. AutoZone wasn't able to pull any stored codes either. I guess I could take it by the dealer and see if a tech would be generous enough to pull the codes real quick without a lot of fuss.

Really wanting some input as to whether I'm on the right track with the injectors of if I should try a few other things first or if there is a clever way to track it down without shelling out money in diagnostics. If not, then so be it but just curious.

 

[frostyshadow]

You need to invest in a Autoenginuity for $359 with a Ford bundle. There's a guy that sells them on here @[email protected]. It pays for itself very quickly with no guess work.

 

[cthurston09]

You can also download FORscan and get a USB/obd2 cable and do it that way. The only thing I know for sure it doesn't do is a cylinder contribution test but you are able to run live data and it will read codes. My scangauge will not show contribution fault codes either but my SCT does. The program is free you would just have to buy the cable but they're cheap

 

[balddood]

Thanks @cthurston09! I might give that a shot. Just not in a position to buy an Autoenginuity at the moment even though I know it's a valuable tool.

Another idea I've heard from a couple old school diesel guys I work with is to use a temp gun to measure the temperature of each cylinder at the exhaust manifold port. The idea is that the offending cylinder should be noticeably colder than the others due to the flooding fuel. I guess this was a common diagnostic technique used on DI diesels before all the computers. We have a temp gun where I work so I'm going to give it a shot tonight and see what I come up with. If that doesn't work then I'll probably take your suggestion cthurston09 so I can in the least have a chance at pulling any contribution fault codes. I'll update this thread as I go along.

I appreciate everyone's suggestions. Keep 'em coming if you have any more.

 

[balddood]

Measured every cylinder at the exhaust manifold port as close to the head as I could and here's what I got:

#2 - 210
#4 - 240
#6 - 270
#8 - 270

#1 - 230
#3 - 295
#5 - 270
#7 - 270

Temperatures were measured with an infrared temp gun, truck idling, at operating temp. Measured a few times and revved the engine a bit between each measurement. Not a whole lot of difference. #1 and #2 and a little low but that should be expected in part because they are closest to the air from the fan. Something else I did notice what that while I was in the wheel well measuring the odd bank I could hear a definite loud tapping almost like a bad lifter tick. Maybe a failed injector? It's odd to me that #3 is so hot too.

One other thing I haven't checked is play in the turbo. I'm going to check that tonight. Going to order an OBDII cable today and check codes with FORScan as well. I also think it would be worth my while to go ahead and pull all the injectors again and clean the spool valves. During the buzz cycle with the KeyOnEngineOff I can definitely tell one of them is still sticking intermitently.

 

[cthurston09]

FORscan can do an injector buzz test so that will help. It will buzz them all at once, then one at a time in numerical order, then all at once again. If any fail and throw a code it will tell you.

 

[kaya]

sure it's the OC and not your icp sensor that's leaking? they are extremely common. and cause all sorts of drvability issues. what voltage does it read KOEO?

 

[balddood]

Update from the last couple weeks:

Using ForScan I was able to determine the offending cylinders. #3 and #6 both showed contribution fault codes so here's what I did

Took the new injector from the #7 hole and installed it in the #3 hole. Reinstalled the old #7 injector back in the #7 hole.

Took apart and cleaned the year old #6 injector and found nothing wrong.

Cleaned the spool valves on every injector (Buzz test sounds like angels singing from heaven now)

Installed new orings and new copper gaskets on every injector.

Fired it up and...she's still smoking white/grey smoke and I can still hear that "lifter tick" on the passenger (odd) bank.

Update Today

Took the valve covers off yet again to take a look at the upper valve train. I have read that upper valve train problems can often be misdiagnosed as injector issues.

So right now I have the rocker arms and push rods out of the engine from the exhaust side of #3 and #6. I can't find anything wrong other than some scoring on the lower side of the #3 exhaust pushrod like it's contacting the head. Nothing is bent or cracked though. I didn't pull the intake side because I'm not getting compression reversing through the intake system.

So basically, I'm stuck. I could use any creative ideas to figure out what my problem is. If anyone needs more information to help me diagnose I'll be happy to provide it. Thanks in advance.

 

[kaya]

you pulled the head bolts out?
did the truck have a dead miss at idle?

 

[balddood]

Yeah I had to pull two headbolts to get the rocker arms out. 1 on each bank.

It doesn't have a dead miss. Sounds more like faint loping if that makes sense.

 

[balddood]

How likely is it that I have a lifter going bad?

Edit:
This is my first diesel but I was a professional mechanic for several years and when I stick my head down in the passenger front wheel well with the truck running it sounds like lifter tick or a mis-adjusted valve. In our case it would have to be the lifter since there is nothing to adjust at the rocker arm. I'm just not sure that a bad lifter would cause a fuel smoke problem would it?

 

[kaya]

typically with a bad lifter you can hear it thumping at idle, usually out the intake or exhaust

 

[kaya]

i hate to say this, but there's only so much you can check without sophisticated diagnostic equipment. an injector could easily cause your issue. so could a lot of other things. without expensive equipment, at this point, you'll be firing parts at it. which could easily cost much more than having it diagnosed correctly.
fwiw, the dealer really should have run a power balance cold after they replaced the ficm. i usually don't even start the truck if i see a low ficm. that way i can swap it and run the the power balance right away. no waiting till next day. also, those head bolts are tty, so you're gonna need new ones. hopefully having one out on each bank won't give issue.
as far as using what you have, the only parameter that you're capable of viewing that might help is ficmv, icp, icp voltage and ipr. watch those with the problem occuring. if you see icp voltage going kooky, or ipr maxing out at wot, you have an issue there. another thing to check is fuel pressure. monitor with the problem occuring. always with the problem occuring.
is this problem consistent? can you get it to hapen everytime? or is it intermittent?

 

[balddood]

Just as a note, all the work done to this rig as I've described was performed by myself. I have only ever had it at the dealer to run a contribution test one time just because I didn't have the means to do it. I replaced the FICM power supply myself after that test and didn't want to spend another $250 for subsequent contribution test. I know that's not best practice but I'm also, like most driveway mechanics, trying to save a buck. (Lot of good that's doing me right now huh?)

I have three new injectors in the truck all on cylinders that have at one time or another thrown contribution codes so I'm pretty confident it's not an injector issue. There's still a chance it is a bad injector because there are still 5 old sticks in it but with the sequence of events leading to the smoking problem and the valve-train tick I can hear I suspect it is something else.

But like you said, I think I've reached the point that although, I have the ability and know how, I don't have the resources and equipment to do a proper diag. I even told my wife last night that I think it's time to take it to Ford and let them diagnose it and repair it. I'm not in a position to completely remove the heads in my driveway without it taking me another month by nibbling at it every night if head removal is what it's going to take to repair it.

I know the head bolts are TTY as well and I have replacements on order. I was weary about pulling them which is why I only pulled one on each bank but I didn't see a way to get the rockers and push rods out to check them without doing so.

To answer your other questions for good measure:
FICM Main Power: 49 V
ICP pressure and voltage is normal across the operating range and the sensor is new
IPR is normal across operating range.
I have a regulated fuel return and my fuel pressure is tuneable but it holds rock steady at 60 psi.
I should also note that the PCM is new since I've had it (2 years) and tune is stock
Problem is consistent. White/grey smoke at idle and turns black when I open up the throttle. Runs great down the road aside from the smoke (Edit: It will intermittently lose power and bog down after slowing down to a stop and then trying to accelerate again. It only did that once but I have barely driven it since the problem started) but lopes with a definite tick at idle. Definitely not a dead miss.
The smoking started immediately after I added 4 quarts of oil to it because it was low one day. Its my fault it got that low because I had an oil leak for a while and let it get low even though I knew better. The oil leak is currently fixed.

I appreciate the input @kaya.

 

[balddood]

So I have one more thing to add to this thread:

I can't believe I never thought to mention this and maybe that's because it never bothered me much. Occasionally my rig will have a no start. Doesn't seem to be temperature dependent (motor or weather) and is completely random. In trying to figure out what causes it, I noticed on my ScanGuage one day that when it won't start SYNC reads 0. Correct me if I'm wrong but that parameter indicates if the FICM and PCM are communicating.

The no start never bothered me much because I figured out that if I reach under the hood and jiggle the injector/FICM harness, especially where it routes down to the front of the engine by the oil and fuel filter, it will all of a sudden start again SYNC will read 1 and I'm on my way. Obviously I have a chafing issue that needs to be addressed.

For about the last month leading up to the smoking issue I noticed that after the truck is warmed up and I pull up to a stop sign or light, my RPMs with surge and dip with no input on the pedal between 500-900 RPM. FICM voltage holds at 49V while this happens and so does the alternator voltage. On another sidetrack question, my alternator usually reads 13.2 volts at idle and 14 with my foot on the throttle cruising down the road. That doesn't seem normal to me.

Anyway, do y'all think, there is anyway that harness chafing could cause a smoking issue? I definitely think it's causing the surging RPMs but could it also be causing the smoke somehow?

Just trying to bounce ideas off of anyone interested.

 

[bismic]

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