Driving home from the dunes ealier today, pulling my trailer (6000# ballpark), 9 mile long 6% grade, 65mph... the truck let go about 6 or 7 miles up. Loud knocking, a little smoke, and more than the usual Cummins shake. Had my ODB scanner with me, 0306... "Misfire in cylinder #6". Truck still starts and runs but it's not pretty.

EGT was 1200-1250, it touched 1300 a couple times but I was keeping a close eye on that gauge. I thought I was safe but obviously not. Had the truck towed to my local Cummins shop which cost me $110 after the insurance coverage ran out. I've got to go back to the tow yard tomorrow to pick up my trailer because their truck wasn't equipped to handle a truck and tow vehicle.

I'm still in shock, I know this is going to cost me a fortune. I'll head back to the shop in the morning to get the truck checked in and then I'll wait for the phone call when they tell me how many thousands of dollars it's going to cost me to get my truck back.

This sucks.

 

Where is your pyro tapped? If it is post turbo then those EGTs were way too high. If they were pre turbo then that is starting to get into the danger meltdown temps.

Several possibilities I can think of. Popped head gasket, not likely though. Failed injector or a VP44 that is starting to die.

 

Pyro is pre-turbo. VP44 only has 14K on it, I know that doesn't mean it couldn't be bad, but I doubt that's the problem... fuel pressure is good.

 

Ok, rule out lift pump. VP44 most likely good. Looking more like an injector or maybe even the valves in the head.

 

I put the 1.6s in last weekend... Because #6 is hard to get to I thought that maybe I didn't get it seated good enough and it popped loose. So I pulled the valve cover while I was on the side of the road to check 'em out (shot in the dark, I know) but everything looked fine... other than the smoke that came out when I popped the cover.

Haven't checked the valves since I've owned the truck... was actually the next thing on my list believe it or not. How would the valves cause it to burn up? I ask because I really don't know... not quite the gear-head I would like to be.

 

Just out of curiousity, what grade were you pulling?

 

I-8 Westbound out of Ocotillo (West of El Centro).

 

If your valve clearances become to tight the valves (especially the exhaust valve) won't spend enough time in contact with the valve seat where a lot of heat transferance takes place. If this happens you could burn a valve, but I think in your case you may have burned a hole in a piston, The smoke coming from your crankcase when you took off the valve cover may be evidence of this. I hope I'm wrong!

Good Luck!

 

I wonder if it dropped an Oil Cooling Jet under #6 piston.

 

https://www.dieseltruckresource.com/...cat/500/page/1

Pulling 21000 pounds up Afton Mountain at 72 mph. Burnt up number six piston. Started knocking real bad but oil pressure was still good and temps were good. Drove it almost 400 miles knocking like that. Figured it would either get me home or fall out on the pavement smoking. Hauled it out to Scheid Diesel in Terre Haute. Bill was $10858 but I had a lot of machine work done too. Now, it looks like this under load.

https://www.dieseltruckresource.com/...php/photo/3800

 

Am I reading that right? Almost 11 GRAND?? Good GOD that is a lot of money!!

 

YEP, eleven grand.......

 

Sounds to me that you might have burnt number 6 piston but thats just a guess..

 

I'm assuming it's #6 also since that's the code it threw... hopefully that's the only damage. They were starting to look at the truck around lunch time so maybe I'll hear something today.

 

Didn't even score up the block on mine even driving it that far with the burnt piston. I had six new ones put in anyway. It was eleven grand but I had some machine work done, fire ringed the block, installed head studs, new street cam. new oil and water pumps, 35/40 turbo, Blue Chip box, and a lot of other stuff that would not have been necesary for an average overhaul.