lack of power under load

[vulcen]

Hello all. Well this is the first real problem Iv'e had to ask for help with. I have a '71 duece that I use as a tow rig for my camper at a lake that is about 160 miles from my house. I drove it back this last winter to reseal the front differential and about 130 miles into the trip I seemed to loose power not much but enough to notice I was having trouble keeping it at 50 on the flatts. I ran wmo in it all summer but for the trip home filled it up with diesel. I have changed all the filters, checked throttle linkage, shut-off linkage, fuel lines and the in tank fuel pump. The truck does have a little trouble starting have to help it with the trottle a little and it does blow some white smoke but it has done that since before this all started. No out of the ordinary noises misses or hickups except the power loss. But the starting and smoke issue kinda have me thinking air in the lines but most diesels I've worked on dont run smooth when sucking air this one is smooth as can be. Best I can describe it feels like a pluged catalitic coverter on a gas vehicle.

 

[WillWagner]

You got the filter under the alternator, correct? If the in tank pump isn't working you can have a low power complaint, check that. Also, the screen might be plugged on the pick up.

 

[ken]

On top of the intank pump there is a cap with 3 nuts holding it down. Pull that cap off and check to see it the fuse is blown. Next you probally have injector tips that are coked. WMO does work but it does cause problems also. Try a good injector cleaned and run it under a load. White smoke is unburnt fuel and of water inthe fuel. Drain all three filters to check for water.

 

[islandguydon]

I would suggest to run or pump out the fuel down to a few gallons. Then add 4 quarts of fresh ATF to the fuel. Go for a 10 mile run to mix up the fuel and clean the injectors out. I have found ATF has many uses with any diesel and keeping the injectors clean is one of them.

 

[glcaines]

If the in-tank pump is working properly you can hear the fuel being returned to the tank when the master is on with the engine not running. I don't know how well you filter the WMO, but it needs to be well filtered. I would start from scratch.
1. Make sure air filter isn't clogged.
2. Determine if in-tank pump is running and pumping
3. Remove in-tank pump and clean screen.
4. Drain tank and clean thoroughly.
5. Replace all three filters again.
6. Fill tank with fresh clean diesel and add a good high-quality diesel additive.

Doing this you will have eliminated a lot of possibilities and your problem will likely disappear. In my opinion running WMO causes more problems that it's worth.