Hows it going everyone?! So I had an account here before, but for some reason i could not access it. So i made a new one.

I recently bought another Powerstroke. Its a 2000 F250 7.3 XLT Extended cab/long bed 4x4 Auto, with 345,000 miles on it. With that being said, i bought the truck for 4,000$. The truck is great, was running sold for about two months.

I recently strait piped it, installed an intake and put a mild programmer on it. (Hypertech Power Programmer III). Yesterday i went to start it and it was harder than usual to start, ran rough and was blowing blue/white smoke. I know the roughness and smoke is indicative to having injector problems so that is why im here. I then replaced the fuel filter, which was the dirtiest ive ever seen (BLACK). I cleared the bowl out and put the new filter in and it started and idle much better. About a mile down the road i started to notice the idle getting "choppy" and sounding different. I also notice a decrease in power as i drove the truck. (NOT A MASSIVE DECREASE BUT ENOUGH FOR ME TO NOTICE). I can put the truck in park, give it gas and it still blows Blu/White smoke. Im thinking its maybe one or two injectors but am unsure.

Is there anything else that can cause these issues besides injectors going bad?? I know injectors are an expensive problem so i just want to check everything before i pay for the job. Thanks for the help!!

 

It may just be an injector o-ring problem. Remove the fuel bowl lid again and see what color the fuel is. If it is dark, it has oil in it. This is an indication of an injector o-ring issue.

Injector o-rings are a lot cheaper than a set of injectors, so hopefully this is your issue. If not, than a problem with the injectors is likely. Especially with that many miles (if they are original).

 

thanks for the info. I will look at the fuel ASAP. I did check the oil yesterday and there was no indication of fuel in the oil.

 

Justin is correct. You more than likely will not see fuel in the oil if it is just the o-rings. Fuel pressure in the heads is 50-70 psi. High pressure oil in the heads can be upwards of 3200 psi. I had a problem similar to yours, black fuel filter, and replacing the o-rings along with changing oil brand and weight bought me an additional 50k miles on those injectors.

Also, what weight oil are you running and how long has it been since you changed it?

Rotella T6 5-40 full synthetic can help buy some time with injectors. The guys with the 6.0L swear by Archoil and its' ability to get more out of injectors. Our injectors are similar to theirs.

Can you monitor ICP and fuel pressure?

 

345K miles, $4000, and runs good? Depending on the condition of the rest of the truck, I may know what happened here - you might have a "Tugly" truck.

I theorize that the injectors (and hence the O-rings) have been replaced already. While it's normal for a high-mileage truck to start losing injector O-rings and cause your symptoms, my gut says (from way over here in the comfort of my bathrobe at the laptop) the truck was sold for a reason.

Every once in a while, some hapless victim like me) will come along and "think" he can improve the truck with very basic tools and no diesel experience or listening to sage advice. I used the wrong type of torque wrench and made many other mistakes under the covers (as in valve covers, for those who went all perv), leaving me with prairie doggin' injectors. After a few rounds of playing Whack-a-Mole, my injector hold-down bolts needed some extra attention - impish children.

Before going down the path of long instructions for something that may have nothing to do with your situation, I'll suggest two tests:

• Cody Test - remove HPOP hoses to each head, then inject 100 PSI air into the head through the HPO fitting with a rubber-tipped air nozzle. Use a rag around the nozzle, unless you enjoy oil showers.
• If the Cody test produces a gurgle and/or no pressure build up on either of the heads, grab a proper inch/lb torque wrench. You want one that has 120 in/lb closer to the middle of the scale, not near the limit. Check your injector bolt torque to ensure none have fallen below 50 in/lbs, then check them again for 120 in/lbs.

If the torque is pretty close to good, injector O-ring are highly suspect. If the torque is toast, there is no guarantee tightening them again won't produce a cycle of tighten, drive, tighten, drive. We can discuss that if it becomes relevant.