02' Chevy 3500 6.6 Turbo Diesel code issue

[lttrivette]

HELP! I have a service engine light on and the code states that it is an intake air heater code. The vehicle has been blowing out alot of white smoke and some say that this could be due to the intake air heater problem code? And do you know where this is located on the vehicle and is it hard to change once the part is ordered? Thank you in advance.

[DmaxMaverick]

Welcome to the Forums!

The heater is simple. Easy as replacing a spark plug. Problem is, it probably isn't the problem. It is located in the intake pipe above the plenum. Locate it, remove the connecting nut/wire and check it for continuity. If it is an open circuit, it's bad. If it checks good, the problem will be the relay. You can replace the entire controller for much less than a single relay.

If you are getting a lot of white smoke at idle, it is not likely caused by a failed heater. The heater will help reduce white smoke at a really cold startup (like less than 30°F), but does pretty much nothing after/above that. If all your filters are good/new, look to the injectors as the source of the smoke. Fortunately, as long as you have less than 200K on the odo, they are covered under warranty.