So I just wanted to share a pretty intense failure on a customers work truck. The customer complaint was died while in flight, then was a crank no start from there. Customer replace fuel pump on frame rail, and ICP sensor with no change. They then took it to a different shop where they charged 4.0 hrs to test the IPR valve and replace it(which made no change obviously). So then it comes in to our shop, it had the BPD oil to air cooler kit so checking base oil pressure/flow isn’t as easy. 20-30 seconds of cranking and the oil pressure gauge would not rise, and would build any high pressure, so base oil pressure test is next. Removed the oil pressure switch and installed a manual gauge to find 0psi. Next went down to the oil pressure regulator valve, removed it, had no spring tension and valve was not stuck open. Still having not found the issue, the low pressure oil pump was removed and inspected. It was in great shape with no issues seen, so a new gasket and front seal was installed(was leaking). So as a last resort, removed the high pressure pump cover(with intake manifold on) to find a completely annihilated high pressure oil pump. Looks like the bearing went out and it’s “crank/cam” ground through the housing. So of course that was replaced, then we had to go get all the crap out of the pan so it wouldn’t damage anything else.

I just wanted to share the story and pictures as added proof that high pressure pump failure can cause no low system pressure.

 

Good story and good job. That is one nasty failure.

So my take:

• Customer had no means of good monitoring, went directly to the gas motor fuel supply theory (most gas engine failures back to the days of points and condenser are electrical in nature). A fuel pressure gauge and monitoring ICP pressures would have reduced the diagnositic.
• A shop who stated they knew diesel, no not know diesels.

I'm actually surprised some debris did not take out the LPOP. I guess a quick hard failure, with continuing damage only from trying to restart the motor kept the debris down low.

 

Could you post how many miles and operating hours that are on the truck?

 

Toomany,
They definitely had no monitoring of any sort on the truck, which is super common in all of the work trucks we get in, they just have no idea the damage they are doing to these things. The LPOP was close to becoming damaged as there was a good amount of debris stuck in the pick up tube, but none seemed to have made it further than that. Also to note, resealed the upper leaking oil pan while we were there.

Bismic,
I know the mileage was right at 254,000. But for the life of me can’t recall the engine hours.

 

Mild carnage -- seen mucho better.

 

Thanks for replying. We are probably going to see more issues with those later HPOPs as mileage and engine hours start getting to, and past, that 250k mile mark.

 

I agree it would be good to know the hours on that engine.
I have a feeling that more may of gone into that. Like high hours and late oil changes.