Can anyone tell me how I can detect a bad injector in my truck? What are some of the symptoms? 2005 Dodge Ram 2500 CTD 134,000 miles. Thanks

 

The understanding I have is your MPG will drop noticeably , smoke out of the tailpipe on startup, oil level will rise and I believe the engine will run rough or idle poorly. The injector will be stuck open or closed. At least that is what I've been looking for. 120k and no problems , knock on wood.

 

depends on how the injector is bad. if the injector is stuck closed you have a miss, if it stuck because of dirt, the miss can be intermittent. if it sticks open you get heavy black smoke and if you do not shut it down fast you will loose that cylinder. if the nozzle is bad you have white smoke. if the crystal solenoid is cracked it causes several different problems and can throw you in and out of limp mode but this one usually throws codes to help diagnose. worn injectors bypassing enough fuel causes no start when cold until you spin the engine faster with ether.

 

I am only seeing a small amount of smoke when someone is behind me at night. I can see it in their headlights while sitting idle in traffic. Truck runs as it always has since new. No other signs of what you guys said. It's got a cat delete pipe and mbrp muffler. The smoke is really faint.

 

I do not think you are actually seeing smoke, the hot air reflects the light differently through the exhaust turbulence.

 

Mine threw a code.

 

hard starting, espicallly when cold is a huge sign of failing injectors.

 

Mine has been as u described for years.

 

The easiest way I have found is having injector performance test done. Dealer run test using scan tool, shows % each injector is contributing, defective injector is lower reading %. Injector return flow test is another way but takes much longer time.

 

I had two going bad yrs ago, as it turned out from some bad fuel and not knowing how to properly service the fuel filter system, I noticed/discovered it in the daytime while idling it had a faint blue haze and would puff white smoke intermittantly upon start up,,,, truck ran fine, It was under warranty and the dealer replaced them with re-mans... grrrrr... I admit I got lucky cause the fuel sample came out clean,,,, they ran the injector% test and those two failed been so long cant remember the values, The mechanic schooled me on cleaning the fuel filter canister housing correctly and since then, I change my fuel filter (Baldwin 5 micron) every time I change oil, on top of installing the GDP Secondary 2 Micron system

 

So how did the mechanic school you on cleaning fuel filter canister correctly? What did he recommend? Thanks

 

I was just putting the new filter in without draining and wiping the sludge/ entrapments from the tank out. He reccomended leaving the drain open and taking a rag with mineral spirits or kero/diesel mix and swabbing the entire canister out and flushing a little through to make sure it runs clear...... because fuel from the tank enters into the middle/open end of the filter then strains through the filter on the way to the CP3 pump. if you dont clean the canister/housing all the crud remains,,, Clean fuel is the life of the triple event bosh type injectors... Havent had a problem since,

There is a thread on servicing the OEM water separation fuel filter,,,, use the search function, it has a good description...

I know a dude who uses Brake cleaner for a cleaning agent, I guess as long as you let it dry it is ok,

Good luck

 

Anyone here of a check using RPMs and time it takes to go to idol? Was looking to trade my truck and dealer said injector going bad. I asked and he said something about the delay in rpm drop after holding at 2k for a few seconds. My gut was they are not willing to pay for the truck what it is worth and coming up with wives tails as to why. Probably should have said hook it up and see. I have left the dealer and no trade at this moment.