HELP got sparks coming out of my tailpipe!?!?!?! - Steel Soldiers::Military Vehicles Supersite

EZFEED · 06-07-2009, 05:43

Fellow diesel mechanics........I need some advice/help/diagnosis!!!!!!!

Today I started throwing sparks from my tailpipe....what gives???? I have not seen this happen before even on the deuce?

I had to do some work in my shop tonight so I cranked up and wheeled my beast out of its lair and left it running outside. I try not to make abrupt short runs if I dont have to so I will usually just leave it running outside of the shop so it can run get to full operating temp. Im sort of new to the aircooled diesel world but I know short sporratic runs are not good for any engine and I havent been driving it much due to the outside heat so I'm thinking that running it every so often may be a good thing.

Well anyway, tonight I may have worked for about 4 hours and left it running outside. I get ready to shut things down and I glance back at it and see a spark shoot out of the exhaust every so often. The engine doesn't sound bad and nothing sounds out of the normal except for this really pungent odor that is eminating from the exhaust. This thing used to make this smell when I overdosed it with Diesel Kleen. It hadn't smelled bad like this for some time now.

I notice that the exhaust color is a light blue so I hop in and gun the accelerator and now even more sparks are shooting out of the pipe
The temp gauge showed that the engine was nearly to operating temp. Oil pressure was good.

Could this be a stuck injector?.....is my IP out of sync?......maybe this is the beginings of a major mechanical failure????????

What could be causing these sparks and this foul odor and do I need to start looking for parts???????

papercu · 06-07-2009, 08:15

Some rust being burned off by the hot exhaust, maybe excessive fuel burning? Do you have a muffler? Wayne

tennmogger · 06-07-2009, 08:24

IMHO just carbon/soot being blown out. Also sounds like it 'slobbered' a little, causing the fuel smell. Being night allows you to see the burning soot better. If that engine idled for 4 hours no wonder it is getting sooted up. It just needs a good run at load

What idle speed do you use? Lots of Diesels must spend time idling and the recommendation is to run them at least 1200 rpm.

Bob
Tennmogger

Quote:

Originally Posted by EZFEED

Fellow diesel mechanics........I need some advice/help/diagnosis!!!!!!!
..chop...
What could be causing these sparks and this foul odor and do I need to start looking for parts???????

Brock Steel · 06-07-2009, 11:50

A mouse moved in and your engine is trying to evict it. Ah cooked rat you never forget that smell.

HeadWizard · 06-07-2009, 12:00

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brock Steel

A mouse moved in and your engine is trying to evict it. Ah cooked rat you never forget that smell.

I've had 2 deuces recently eject birds and parts of birds from the exhaust. One of them splatted on the wall about 15' away. Nasty and stunk for about a day.

waayfast · 06-07-2009, 12:10

Honey! Have you seen the cat? I haven't seen her all evening and-------

Actually, my vote is just some carbon being ejected.

drgreg · 06-07-2009, 12:33

I want mine to shoot sparks too!

papercu · 06-07-2009, 14:56

Sparks? Let there be Flames!

FlameKit

drgreg · 06-07-2009, 15:49

OH YEA, a flame kit would be cool or a smoke system.

Stretch44875 · 06-07-2009, 18:13

My old Massey tractor(diesel) shoots sparks, or should I say embers, all day long. Mostly because I never run it hard. Has over 7500 hours on it and runs fine.