Intermittent Power Loss

[ratat98]

Hey all,
I had a leaky manifold heater a few days ago, and repaired it yesterday with new o-rings, only to find the fittings on the lines from the pump to the heater were leaking too, so I sealed them up too, but didn't get a chance to test drive it yesterday, so I decided to drive it to work today. I got it warmed up, and no leaks from the heater, so i drove it out to the farm. Once I got up to full speed, I noticed a power loss, then it would suddenly kick back in for a few seconds, then bog down a little again, kind of like a cylinder was missing intermittently. I could hear it in the exhaust too, it would be nice and smooth (for a deuce) then it would be kinda sputtery. Anyone have any ideas? I changed the filters about a month ago and havent put many miles on it since, so I don't think that could be the problem. I'm thinking it may be an injector, or (pray that it's not) an IP issue... I also wonder if I could have gotten some air in the system from taking the heater lines off?

Thanks in advance all!
-Rat

 

[poppop]

Certainly sounds like a fuel issue. Could be air but it should clear up by itself if it is driven very much. Did you disturb any rubber lines when working on it?? If so you may have cracked a hard line and are getting air in the system while running. Also could be filters and it just happened at the same time as your working on it.

 

[ratat98]

I don't think I disturbed abything but you know how that goes. Could it be an injector sticking open or some issue there? I won't get a chance to really look at it for a couple weeks due to work, so I want to get a list of things to check before I tear into it

 

[poppop]

I don't really think an injector would be sticking open. They usually just stop up or get coked and don't spray the correct pattern. Put some small air pressure in the fuel tank for a couple minutes and then ckeck for leaks in the fuel lines. Loosen the bleeder screw and turn on the master switch and make sure you are getting good flow there. This will show if the in tank pump is working. It may be good to change the filters anyway if you have not changed them recently. If it is an injector and it skips on idle then you can loosen fuel lines one at a time and isolate the bad injector if thats what it is. If it only skips sometimes then the only way to check injectors is to pull them and take them to a diesel shop for testing.

 

[ratat98]

Thanks poppop! I will see what I can find! The filters have been changed not too long ago, but I wouldn't be surprised if maybe something got sucked out of the bottom of the tank. I may take an injector out just for the experience. It would be a first for me!

 

[hoop]

Sucking air from the Primary fuel filter.

 

[ratat98]

Sucking air from the Primary fuel filter.

I'll check that out too hoop. Problem is, it acts and sounds like its just one cylinder having issues. Wouldn't they all miss if it was air in the main fuel line?

 

[doghead]

only to find the fittings on the lines from the pump to the heater were leaking too, so I sealed them up too,

What did you use to "seal it up" with?

 

[ratat98]

What did you use to "seal it up" with?

Ah I didn't think of that... Teflon tape. It's a temporary fix but would air being sucked from the manifold heater pump on top of the engine cause a power loss? It should be sucked into the return side right? I didn't do anything with the fittings on the IP.
Thanks for all the ideas guys! Keep em coming!

 

[doghead]

Good possibility.

 

[ratat98]

Good possibility.

Thank you doghead! I got of work early tonight and checked it out. All the low pressure lines on my truck are clear. I'm sitting here watching bubbles go backwards from the manifold heater pump to the IP as I type this! Good call.