Have a pretty good running (I think), 2000 7.3 with 151K that has always been pretty noisy. Lots of clatter. After much education by all you good guys about all kinds of stuff, just wondering if there's an easy way to tell if I may have injector issues starting to come up.
Any input is always welcome.
Thanks again for all the great info from y'all.

 

Where in So Cal are you located? I can bring my truck over and it'll make you feel better about yours. Lol The clatter could be from air in the fuel, or loose injectors. What mods if any are done to it?

 

Have you compared it to another 7.3? These are pretty loud engines, even for a diesel!

 

Live in Laguna Woods, the Old Farts zone.
Mods I know of are, 4" stainless exhaust, Cold intake by ARE Magnum Force, replaced turbo pedistal 0 rings, cockpit pedistal gauges, Prodigy trailer brake controller, self installed backup camera.
Shoot an email if you want to drop by. craigc3@***.net

 

Air in fuel or oil are huge causes of "Cackle" (knocking), with air in fuel being by far the most common. Our fuel pickups have a fancy-but-frail design, and the quick disconnects on our fuel lines are O-ring sealed - which don't at this age. A failed seal on a vacuum means air is sucked in and sent through that blender of a fuel pump - making froth that is hard to separate.

 

if you don't have a shop computer to use for a buzz test, you can preform a drop test. Unplug each injector one at a time and put in back in then move to the next. Do this while in idle. If one or multiple injectors do not change rpms drastically then those are failing, if they all drastically change the engine sound then they are all ok. But before doing injectors it's always good to check fuel pressure a bad pump will cause bad injector symptoms. If fuel pressure is ok and you do a drop test and you find a failed injector it's time for a new one, if you find some that are failing try adding hot shots Stiction eliminator to your oil, stuff is pretty magic I've seen 4 failing injectors work fine after using it.

 

Just to clarify a few things, and this post is a good jumping point.


Keep in mind that buzz tests and the like are only good to check the electrical portion. These tests do not actually test the injectors themselves.


Look up something called a "break-out box". There is high-voltage running to each injector, as well as moving parts in very close proximity. It's better to utilize a tool that can remotely shut off each injector safely and easily rather than pulling each connector by hand.


That said, yes shutting down each injector individually while the truck is idling is pretty much the only sure-fire way to test for one to a couple of bad injectors.


Absolutely correct, and very sound advice.


I will disagree with adding anything to the oil.


These motors are engineered to run with a specific type of oil. Additives can change those oil properties to something completely different, opening the door to the possibility of other issues elsewhere.


Oil additives have always had the reputation of being "snake oil". They get that term because in nearly every case they have either done nothing to improve the existing oil technology, or they have caused actual engine damage.


In every case it's best to have the repairs done correctly and immediately to prevent further issues..... if you indeed have bad injectors.




That said, to the OP if your truck feels like it's running good, then it probably is. It's pretty easy to tell on these when something isn't right. Bad injectors will make very distinctive noises and even have obvious symptoms such as hard starting, rough idle, smoke, etc.

 

Never used a break out box but most of the time I have to pull the valve covers off becuase the computer tells me a specific injector is out but you can't always trust them anyway so I test them manually. I get you don't agree with the Stiction eliminator I didn't at first but when we got it in the shop and some customers are too cheap (then you shouldn't drive a diesel) and my boss would tell us to add it in for them. After a quick test drive I couldn't believe the results, no misfires and no vibrations

 

Yeah... I see that one. There's also the aspect of modding for more power isn't simple or cheap, so one has to be braced to take his lumps if he chases that dragon.