Engine losing power...possible problems?
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Engine losing power...possible problems?
ok, so i got this truck running i bought, its an 84 f250 (diesel). now, problem is when i start it, depending on whether its happy or not it will run different. some times engine will roar to life, and sound powerful when i hit the gas, and sometimes it will barely get past idle. even when it is running good (presumably) i will take it for a quick drive, just a few miles, and the engine will eventually start slowing down and losing power, acting almost like its losing gas.
best way to explain it, it acts like im letting off my gas pedal when i am not
im thinking that its a problem with the fuel injector pump being clogged. main problem is am mechanically handicapped for this is my first ever vehicle. any suggestions, solutions, comments, or even negative feedback?
best way to explain it, it acts like im letting off my gas pedal when i am not
im thinking that its a problem with the fuel injector pump being clogged. main problem is am mechanically handicapped for this is my first ever vehicle. any suggestions, solutions, comments, or even negative feedback?
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Get a new fuel filter, and a bottle of diesel clean or some other diesel fuel cleaner/additive. Take the additive and pour it into the new filter to fill the filter up, and then carefully screw it onto the engine, start it, and see if that makes a difference.
P.S. Warm the engine up before doing the above so it starts easier after you change the filter.
P.S. Warm the engine up before doing the above so it starts easier after you change the filter.
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ok, ill have to try that.... dont have many other options.
What im afraid of though, is that the fuel injection pump my be going bad, or is just dirty inside. because when i start it it tends to let out alot of white-ish smoke, and today it smoked for a good 5 minutes straight. this along with engine power loss is most common symptoms of a problematic FIP.
Anyone have any tips for cleaning, or just replacing the filter on the pump? i cant find any diagrams, even in my service manual, on where the filter is inside the pump.
What im afraid of though, is that the fuel injection pump my be going bad, or is just dirty inside. because when i start it it tends to let out alot of white-ish smoke, and today it smoked for a good 5 minutes straight. this along with engine power loss is most common symptoms of a problematic FIP.
Anyone have any tips for cleaning, or just replacing the filter on the pump? i cant find any diagrams, even in my service manual, on where the filter is inside the pump.
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ok, ill have to try that.... dont have many other options.
What im afraid of though, is that the fuel injection pump my be going bad, or is just dirty inside. because when i start it it tends to let out alot of white-ish smoke, and today it smoked for a good 5 minutes straight. this along with engine power loss is most common symptoms of a problematic FIP.
Anyone have any tips for cleaning, or just replacing the filter on the pump? i cant find any diagrams, even in my service manual, on where the filter is inside the pump.
What im afraid of though, is that the fuel injection pump my be going bad, or is just dirty inside. because when i start it it tends to let out alot of white-ish smoke, and today it smoked for a good 5 minutes straight. this along with engine power loss is most common symptoms of a problematic FIP.
Anyone have any tips for cleaning, or just replacing the filter on the pump? i cant find any diagrams, even in my service manual, on where the filter is inside the pump.
White stinky smoke out of the exhaust is just unburnt fuel. Do you have a automatic glowplug controller still on it or do you have a manual button setup? If some of the glowplugs are not working, it may still start, but it will miss and smoke till the cylinders with the faulty glowplugs build enough heat to start burning the diesel fuel. This engine has no sparkplugs, it works on heat only.
A couple of bad or clogged injectors can also cause smoking. If they are not not misting the fuel into the cylinder, the fuel will tend not to burn correctly. The concentrate of fuel cleaner may help this also.
The most common failure mode of the pump is the engine will not start after it gets hot. The timing being off can also cause crazy smoking and running problems.
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ill hopefully be flushing that filter with diesel cleaner today so we'll see if that works. And also...
it has the automatic glow plug system, is there any way to tell if they are/aren't working correctly, if the cleaner doesn't work?
it has the automatic glow plug system, is there any way to tell if they are/aren't working correctly, if the cleaner doesn't work?
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How old is your filter? The idea is not to flush the filter. The idea is to put a new filter on it, and instead of pre-filling it with diesel to make the engine start easier after the filter change, to instead pre-fill it with the fuel system cleaner. Once you start the engine, the 100% fuel system cleaner gets sucked into the pump and the injectors, and the engine actually runs off of this cleaner for awhile and it knocks stuff loose in the system.
If you have a brand new filter, I would still pour it out in a bucket and see what's in it. If you see debris, trash that filter and get a new one, you are not going to get that one clean enough to work. If you have debris in the filter, that's a sign you are sucking stuff from the tank, and it may take a couple of filter changes to clear it out.
If you have a brand new filter, I would still pour it out in a bucket and see what's in it. If you see debris, trash that filter and get a new one, you are not going to get that one clean enough to work. If you have debris in the filter, that's a sign you are sucking stuff from the tank, and it may take a couple of filter changes to clear it out.
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The filter is almost brand new, i took it off and didnt find any debris, filled it with Sea Foam engine cleaner, and ran it, but it didnt seem to help a whole lot. But the engine is sounding like its not firing from all 8 at an idle, and its constantly pouring out bluish smoke. So im wondering if it might be glow plug problems, but i dont know how to tell if plugs have gone bad or not.
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The glowplugs don't matter, if it sounds like it's missing then it's an injector.
They only help with cold starts, they are not even active or needed when the engine is running.
It sounds like you have a fuel delivery problem, and a bad injector. I don't know if your truck would have a filter at the tank selector valve or not.
They only help with cold starts, they are not even active or needed when the engine is running.
It sounds like you have a fuel delivery problem, and a bad injector. I don't know if your truck would have a filter at the tank selector valve or not.
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I would take that filter the previous owner added off. It can quickly clog and give you fuel delivery problems.
If you think you have a bad injector or two(sounds like you could) get the engine running, and then go to each injector and crack the line nut loose so it starts leaking. The injector has a spring in it and requires over 1500 psi to open, so once you crack the line that injector will not open anymore. If the engine gets worse, than that injector is working. If the engine stays the same, then that injector is not working. It's just like pulling a sparkplug wire on and off to find a dead cylinder.
If you think you have a bad injector or two(sounds like you could) get the engine running, and then go to each injector and crack the line nut loose so it starts leaking. The injector has a spring in it and requires over 1500 psi to open, so once you crack the line that injector will not open anymore. If the engine gets worse, than that injector is working. If the engine stays the same, then that injector is not working. It's just like pulling a sparkplug wire on and off to find a dead cylinder.
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alright sweet, ill get on that and hopefully find something to fix, nothing better than no clue, and endless possibilities to troubleshoot...keeps me busy and gets me hard. thanks for the help guys
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