Shakes... Then diesel smell.. Ending with diesel in Oil...

[TheAmigo]

When driving the 2002 yesterday I noticed a slight shakiness. After parking I smelled diesel. When I checked the oil the dipstick shows that diesel was there too...

I'm at 120,000 miles.

When running there's no smoke or anything major noticeable other than the slight, slight shake(wife didn't notice).

Thoughts? Seems it's some type of injector failure. I wonder how worried I should be able the other parts with diesel soaking everything. I don't know how long it was like that since I rarely drive it.


It's of course outside of the 7yr/200k mile injector warranty.

[Mark Rinker]

Sure sounds like injector problems. Search this forum for more info...sorry...

(For the rest of you 'regulars' here - thats it, I am opening a light diesel injection service shop. GO VIKINGS!!! )

[TheAmigo]

Sure sounds like injector problems. Search this forum for more info...sorry...

(For the rest of you 'regulars' here - thats it, I am opening a light diesel injection service shop. GO VIKINGS!!! )

Thanks. I have read quite a bit. I'm not a regular but I have been here since I bought it new.

At this point I'm leaning heavily toward buying a shop manual and trying to do this myself. It'll be the most involved thing I've done with an engine.

Thoughts I have:
It's definitely out of warranty but maybe I can talk with a dealer to see what can be done?

What about just replacing one, not all?

I really don't know how long it was like this. I'm going to drain the pan tomorrow to see what the fuel/oil mix is(will I even be able to estimate?).

Think the rings are gone in that cylinder?

If I'm able to find the bad injector and replace it properly with other issues may be there from now on? I know a loss of lubrication can cause any number of problems.

Just searching for thoughts here.

[Mark Rinker]

At 120K, I'd do all eight.

Rings will be fine, nothing unusual but don't continue to drive it, of course...

Good luck - let us know how your project goes.

[TheAmigo]

At 120K, I'd do all eight.

Rings will be fine, nothing unusual but don't continue to drive it, of course...

Good luck - let us know how your project goes.

Thanks. Do you happen to know of a sticky or other great thread that points to how to diagnose this in an ordered fashion?

[Mark Rinker]

Fuel in the oil is all you need to know.

[More Power]

Heard from a couple of individuals this past week with similar stories. Both were interested in doing the injector R&R themselves. I would recommend resealing the injector cups at the same time. Stay away from the cheap eBay injectors. Buy them from a reputable dealer, preferably from a genuine diesel injection franchised (Bosch) shop with some history. Replace all of the banjo copper sealing washers on all of the fuel return line fittings.

Jim

[JohnC]

Ditto on do them all. It is very labor intensive and if one is bad the others are likely not far behind.

[TheAmigo]

Ditto on do them all. It is very labor intensive and if one is bad the others are likely not far behind.


Since I haven't opened it up yet, what's the best way to diagnose which one is bad when I really don't want to run the engine?

[DmaxMaverick]

Since I haven't opened it up yet, what's the best way to diagnose which one is bad when I really don't want to run the engine?

You don't. Unless one has failed electrically (which should be obvious by the DTC, which you aren't seeing). Even under the best of conditions, dealers often don't reliably diagnose individual injectors. Weigh the cost (and inconvenience) of several tear-downs vs. the cost of a full set. As said above, if one is gone, the others are likely on borrowed time. If they are original (or early replacements), this should be a no-brainer. Any competent dealer or independent would not do this job, if you insisted on replacing less than 8. Lessens learned.

[pete m]

I thought the original GM extension on the injector warranty stated that they would only replace the faulty injector,(s), not all eight, which made me wonder why?

[DmaxMaverick]

Actually, it's the opposite. If injectors are diagnosed and replaced in accordance with the injector special policy extended warranty, they must replace all 8. If less than 8 are replaced, then they are NOT in compliance with the policy. I'm sure exceptions can occur, such as, if one fails shortly after a warranty replacement.

[TheAmigo]

You don't. Unless one has failed electrically (which should be obvious by the DTC, which you aren't seeing). Even under the best of conditions, dealers often don't reliably diagnose individual injectors. Weigh the cost (and inconvenience) of several tear-downs vs. the cost of a full set. As said above, if one is gone, the others are likely on borrowed time. If they are original (or early replacements), this should be a no-brainer. Any competent dealer or independent would not do this job, if you insisted on replacing less than 8. Lessens learned.

Oh I'm certainly replacing all 8. I just wanted to "know" which one had the problem as a reference. So, I'm starting to piece together the part list now. Fun times.

Anything else I should do while I'm there?

Thanks everyone.

[DmaxMaverick]

If you're following the manual, and TDP article (very important, IMO), you should have all the bases covered.

If you haven't already done so, at 120K, it's also a good time to replace the belt and tensioner, and do a good flush/fill of the cooling system. The manual doesn't call for it, but a drain of the cooling system is highly recommended. This keeps the coolant out of places it doesn't belong, if there's even the slightest chance of pulling the injector cups (intentional or not). Most dealers won't do it unless absolutely necessary (extra time), but I, and others, recommend pulling and resealing them all. And......since you are in there that far, new head gaskets would go a loooong way. They've been updated with a more durable replacement. This also gives you an opportunity to get a good look into the combustion chamber, valves, cooling passages, etc. (not that I would anticipate any snags, just peace of mind). If you plan on keeping the truck for a while, it'll be money and time well spent.

[TheAmigo]

If you're following the manual, and TDP article (very important, IMO), you should have all the bases covered.

If you haven't already done so, at 120K, it's also a good time to replace the belt and tensioner, and do a good flush/fill of the cooling system. The manual doesn't call for it, but a drain of the cooling system is highly recommended. This keeps the coolant out of places it doesn't belong, if there's even the slightest chance of pulling the injector cups (intentional or not). Most dealers won't do it unless absolutely necessary (extra time), but I, and others, recommend pulling and resealing them all. And......since you are in there that far, new head gaskets would go a loooong way. They've been updated with a more durable replacement. This also gives you an opportunity to get a good look into the combustion chamber, valves, cooling passages, etc. (not that I would anticipate any snags, just peace of mind). If you plan on keeping the truck for a while, it'll be money and time well spent.

Is there a sample article available that helps me see if membership is worth it? I've found other walk-throughs online and am buying the shop manual...

Here's a question. I was planning on doing a full walkthrough with photos like I've seen elsewhere, and posting it here. Am I allowed to post that here, or is it frowned on due to the member area having what seems like a similar article?

Thanks.

[Luis]

I found this on another site.
http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/showthread.php?t=279436