My brother's 99 7.3 powerstroke (bone stock) with the ZF 6-speed smokes something fierce, a greyish, dieselly smelling smoke. I at first thought that the turbo was shot (since you cant hear it whistle at all, like on mine [his truck has the stock exhaust, mine has 5" turbo back]), but the SES light never comes on, other than while waiting for the glow plugs.
So anyway, I was thinking that smoking like this could be one of 4 things:
1. Bad turbo (but I dont think so, because shouldn't the SES light come on if there isn't enough boost?)
2.Leaky injector(s)
3.Low compression in one or more cylinder (I dont think so, since the power seems to be normal)
4.Faulty CPS (this is the one I am leaning toward)
1. Bad turbo (but I dont think so, because shouldn't the SES light come on if there isn't enough boost?)
Possibly. If the oil seals on the center section are leaking, you'll get smoke out the tailpipe, and the turbo will continue to make boost until it completely craters. When it does get to the point of leaking like that, you can usually remove the downpipe and visually inspect it (you'll see the oil leaking), or it can start to develop some shaft play. In the case of shaft play, you can pull of the intake tube and grab the compressor wheel shaft with your fingertips and wiggle it in all directions (including in and out). There should be very little to no play, and the wheel should never be able to touch the housing.
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2. Leaky injector (s)
That's another possibility. Either a bad injector itself, bad injector o-rings, or cracked injector cups can cause that. Sometimes a cylinder contribution test can help you find which one it might be, or removing the valve cover and watching for anything unusual spraying out.
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3. Low compression in one or more cylinder (I dont think so, since the power seems to be normal)
You would also have excessive blowby if that were the case. With the engine warm and at idle, remove the oil fill cap and watch the blowby. It should be a steady "steam" effect. If it's real heavy smoke or chugging, then you've got a problem.
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4. Faulty CPS (this is the one I am leaning toward)
That will cause running issues, but not excessive smoke. You can rule that out.
Question: Is it smoking at idle, or when driving/accelerating? That can tell us a lot. Also, what modifications are on the truck?
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Curtis
2002 F-250 PSD
Best time: 15.3 @ 86.8 MPH at Bandimere - 9/10/08
Hook'Em Horns
