What the heck is going on now?

Ok so I have owned this truck for almost a year and am getting a little annoyed at the numerous problems I keep having. About 6 months ago I had to replace the lifter pump and injector pump on a trip and all was well for the most part (other than numerous little parts going out all the time). But over the last few days I have noticed that the truck is down on power. So I checked the fuel filter (a aftermarket in line filter) and it was crapped up with what looked and felt like flakes of rtv and some strange gray creamy stuff. I cleaned it off and pumped about 1/4 gal of diesel through it with the ip side unhooked and there was a decent amount of the rtv stuff already back in the filter. I cleaned it again and hooked everything back up and drove it around and it is still down on power. I checked the filter again and it had a few flakes, but not 1/4 of what is originally had in it. So even though the filter is clean it is still down on power. What is up with it and where is this creamy stuff and rtv coming from? I am really hoping this isn't a expensive repair or the truck will be for sale and I love this truck.

Very possible the crud could be coming from your diesel fuel supplier! Not a good reason to sell the truck! Imagine if you had a 2010 model truck, it would be in the shop for weeks.

Maybe your rubber fuel lines are coming apart?

Well the rtv stuff is that bright orange rtv color not black so I don't think it is fuel lines. The thing that worries me the most is I cleaned the filter and drove it and there is still a lack of power and if the ip is going again I cant afford to replace it.

if your getting rtv in the fuel filter there has to be some type of repair in the fuel system before the filter or your supplier has some nasty fuel. Down on power could be the rtv still plugging the lines, before the filter, or if some how the rtv ended up in tank from supplier the pickup could be getting clogged. I would advise not driving the truck before you can clean the fuel system from the filters to the tank, because if your having fuel flow problems it could starve the pump and burn it up. Id personally drop the tank clean it and then unhook all the lines and blow compressed air thru them.

Check the fuel return line. Its on top of the IP, a horse shoe or J shaped hose. Remove it and clean the return line check valve, 9/16ths deep socket and a can of brake cleaner with a red straw.

Do a search on return lines in CUCV section. Id bet yours is clogged.

Somemedic said:

Check the fuel return line. Its on top of the IP, a horse shoe or J shaped hose. Remove it and clean the return line check valve, 9/16ths deep socket and a can of brake cleaner with a red straw.

Do a search on return lines in CUCV section. Id bet yours is clogged.

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I checked that last night and it was a steady trickle. It was the same as it was about a month ago when it was running fine. Also the truck seems to make White smoke at high rpms not the black haze it used to make. Coolant is fine with no bubbles or oil or loss and it doesn't have a history of burning oil.

are you loosing coolant in the most minute amounts. One ounce of water expands to 10 gallons of water crystal vapors.... Would make sense at the high rpms were pressures are greatest

res0wc18 said:

are you loosing coolant in the most minute amounts. One ounce of water expands to 10 gallons of water crystal vapors.... Would make sense at the high rpms were pressures are greatest

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If you rev then engine and hold your hand in front of it or a piece of paper the exhaust is not humid (steam) and the paper doesn't get damp, it is bone dry and just smells like diesel.

This is a rarity, but not impossible Also if the thermostat is stuck open and the truck doesnt reach full operating temp white smoke can occur. [/quote]


This happened to me, my thermostat was stuck open and the engine would never get above about 140 at best. At wot i'd get white smoke.

There must be some orange rtv showing somewhere. Find it!

Did you check the fuel filter on the firewall? The orange stuff may be part of the gasget.

I had somthing similar happen to me with a merc. 300td I got some diesel thought it was just diesel turn out it was bio diesel from BP I top off my tank with it somthing happen I had this snot for a lack of better term though out the whole system had to drain the tank purge the system ect.. flushed the tank with K1 had about 1/2 mason of snot that came out took about month and eight sets of filters for it run right. love that car too much but I think the deer loveit more.

when i used an in-line filter on mine, it ran fine for a couple weeks, then ran crappy. i bypassed the filter altogether with a piece of steel fuel line, and it ran great. So i found an original fuel filter and housing, hooked it up and all is well. ( my original fuel filter housing that came on the truck was cracked or something, thats why i tried the in-line type.) Maybe these cant be used with diesel?

to me it sounds as if the timing is off(advanced too much) or its choking from lack of fuel or air.

I really think to be able to truely diagnose your problem you need to start with the gunk and rtv your sucking up, find that area, and fix it. If your still having white smoke at WOT, then I would ensure your aif filter is clean and unobstructed, then check to make sure the engine is reaching operating temps, then time the motor, ect ect down the list. but if you have a restriction in fuel flow coming from the tank(ie clogged) you would get white smoke at WOT due to the fire so to speak going out from not enough fuel, and low power issues.

Ok I just did some work on it. I checked the return line check valve (glass bead) and it looked brand new with no crap on it and when I pushed it with the end of a file it moved back and forth freely. I also opened the bleeder on the tank for siphoning water and what not and then using about 5lbs of air I got diesel to spray out and collected it in a clear plastic container. The diesel was perfectly clean and was that tennis ball yellow color and had zero contaminants in it.

How would I go about checking the thermostat sticking? The radiator fluid was hot enough that I could t keep my finger in it more than 3-4 secs without it hurting. The engine had been running for about 5 mins and had been off for 12 hours prior to that. The air coming off the fan was not hot at all however. I didn't take the truck out for a drive, it just idled and ran at about 1500 rpm for a little while.

Also if it is a timing issue what would cause it to become off over the last week or two? And should it make white smoke when it is warmed up and revved in neutral? It seems like I can slowly push the pedal down and it will slowly rev as the pedal goes down and have no smoke and then it will hit a certain spot where the rpm just jump real high and it makes white smoke like a gas engine burning oil badly and as soon as I let off (which is right away cause it scares me to have it rev high like that) the smoke will go away and just be a haze for a sec or two and then it is not noticeable.

You may be assuming your fuel filter is clean when its not. I would get a new one.

Your last paragraph sounds exactly like timing to me. And yes timing will cause white smoke, basically if it gets off enough the fuel is injected at the wrong time causing the engine to not burn it properly and then white smoke. Why can it slip just like that, well some times the bolts get loose slowly from vibration and it jst slips that way, other times it just progressivly gets worse over time.

Now as far as operating temps the easiest and most accurate way is to plumb a manual gauge in the system and then use a temp probe to check the motor. But you should have a rough idea by checking the lower radiator hose.