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Can LB7 injectors go bad from sitting?

GM Guy

GM Guy

Manual Trans. 2WD Enthusiast
Messages
4,838
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Location
NW Kansas and SC Idaho
Hey all,

I moved the project 01 around the yard today, its supposed to have pretty low time (50K miles? ) on a full set of injectors, and it never smoked at all up till today. when I fired it up and had it idling it started hazing whiteish smoke.

This thing has always ran perfectly smooth with no stutter or shaking.

I did pump up the primer button before trying to start as it seemed to have a little air.

If these injectors are bad I think I might just wash my hands of this thing and not even try to fix it.
 
First thing is air itself will cause rough running. That should be eliminated. Is this the primer pump known to leak and draw in air? If so an easy fix & repair kits aren’t to expensive. Open the filter and examine for water, bugs, and that it is sealing proper to not cause the air intrusion.

Just sitting - how long?
Humidity- how full was the tank?

Modern diesel has ethonal/methonal which will outgas from the fuel turning diesel into lower power fuel like old gas that sat for couple years used to 20 years ago. Also from the ethonal/methonal they cause any of the moisture present to be absorbed into the fuel and harder to separate or set off the wif alarm.

On the flip side if alchol free fuel, it sits in the tank separating and sinks to the bottom, getting sucked in all at once and ran through injectors if water seperator isnt working - like the water absorbing all in one fuel filter is already “full” of moisture in can handle.

White smoke is either unburned fuel or water being steamed. A third item that has seen to create any color smoke is different algeas (bugs) in the fuel. Either way the safest answer is drain the tank and go with new fuel. You need to save the fuel and let it settle to see if water was in there. If no water then it can be mixed back into the fleet.

On the subject of a water - we just had 2 days of non stop rain here, which most of you would even consider a rain, just heavy drizzle. Followed by 12 hours of fog, 100% humidity. A day later it’s 94% humidity. (More rain than last 10 months combined). It only happens here about once every 8 years would be my guess. But soon we will be back to Dust in the air like normal.

Also having worked for 1 of the 2 major fuel suppliers for this area, I got them to install the most advanced water separator systems for distribution there is and saved them long term money doing so. Our “competition” is friends with a half owner of our company and they discussed it. Last I heard as I left the company, they were installing it also. So water in fuel in Vegas area is just not a concearn almost ever.

But my friend, my older Sister lives in Idaho (Jerome) and she and her husband are truckers. Stories I’ve heard over last 20 years- plus iirc NW Kansas is higher humidity yet, so you probably get water in diesel all the time. I’m considering an aftermarket water separator just for road trips. If I lived and travel where you do- every truck would get one.
 
It's not uncommon for the injectors to begin to stick when they are left to sit for a long time. Unfortunately the latest vco nozzles have been known to fail in well under 50K miles. Mine had 55K on them, and 2 were done.

You said it started smoking white after it set idling. How cold was it out? Theres always a chance you were getting some wet stacking if it was cold enough out. If the injectors are questionable, then doing a flush on them with a bottle of the GM cleaner and a half gallon of diesel tends to clean them up if it's just light deposits. If it's worn vco nozzles, then only a new set will correct that. I would take it out and run it to get a good load on it and see what they do then if it was mine.
 
I'm not having any sign of touble but I don't see how it could hurt. Maybe it'll help clear up my sticky turbo vanes a bit more. Changing to synthetic oil took care of most of the codes for those though.
 
btfarm said:
View attachment 51543Is This the right cleaner or is there a specific one for diesel? Doesn't seem right but this is all a quick search turned up
Click to expand...

This is what I used on my LLY to clean it up after the bug issue was solved.

btfarm said:
Got a jug on order. I won't put it in until I know I'm going to make a good run over 50 miles at 60 mph plus
Click to expand...

:facepalm: WRONG ANSWER!!! :facepalm: Because one facepalm isn't enough.

You run this stuff through the system from a 5 gal jug, pail, etc. :eek: DO NOT PUT IT IN THE TANK!!! You pour it into the 5 gal of diesel in a bucket and run that through the engine till it runs out of fuel in the 5 gal container. You disconnect the return and pickup lines from the tank to the bucket. You then change the fuel filter and hook the normal tank back up.

If the tank needs service you drop it and clean it out separately.
 
It would be smart to drain the fuel filter or ruin a new one. The Stuff has lots of alcohol in it to get water out of the system and IMO is the reason to only use it at idle. Let alone not getting a slug of water from the tank past the separator.
 
79jasper said:
That stuff sounds similar to the liqui-moly diesel purge. (Vw crowd uses it)

Sent from my SM-G892A using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Now that is funny.
I went to Denver to help My BIL destroy the 2.8 engine {long story} in His 01 Passat. We went to the VW dealer for parts, there on the shelf was several cans of the LiquiMoly fuel system cleaner. LOL
 
I think I will be sucking the tank dry and dumping it straight into the old detroit diesel powered 76 Chevy 90 grain truck.

To a 2 cycle detroit all our garbage diesel goes. :)

I will be tracking down a used fuel filter housing (anyone got one? :) ), PO rammed a SAE bolt into the bleed screw hole.


As far as air, while the primer did pump soft like there was air, this thing has never really responded like it has air in it. It runs very smooth.
 
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