OK, I'm a forum lurker. I've learned a lot. This is my first diesel, and so far I love it (had it about a year and 4 months) -- but I have a situation that is worrying me.

For about a week, I have a rough idle -- it's not really rough, just a little vibration in the cab that wasn't there before. No power loss, runs fine. Just more vibration than it usually has in the cab at idle. This "rough" idle isn't constant; happens *most* times right after cranking, and about 50% of the time when I come to a stop. On startup, I do have about 10 seconds of slightly white smoke, but nothing else.

A friend who works on school busses (including Cummins) said lift pump going out...

Situation is this: Wife was out of work over a year (just went back, we're broke as we can be) - so I can't go throwing $ down the drain. Should I worry about this, or just ignore it? If it were a gasser, I'd ignore since no other problems, but with a diesel, I don't know enough to even know if I could do something to damage the engine!

What I have:
2005 Quad Cab 3500 2wd short box. Edge Juice with Attitude. BHAF.

That's it - other than that, it's stock (I'm assuming -bought it with approx 91K on it, has 121K now).

TIA for all replies.
jmowens

 

White smoke on start up does not sound like a lift pump, it sounds like an injector or some bad rings.

Check your codes with the key method. If you don't know how, we have a vid around here for a how to I can shoot you.

As for the vibration, chech your harmonic balancer bolts... I've seen a few back out on their own.

 

I have an OBDII scan tool, and there are no codes, or codes pending. I'll check the harmonic balancer bolts tonight and report back.

If it's an injector... I don't even want to think about that! I don't suppose there's any way for someone with very limited knowledge to test the injectors to see which one is the culprit, is there?

Plus, good grief, those things are expensive!
Thanks,

 

Yeah, I think that there is a way with a scan tool, but I don't know off the top of my head. I could probably look it up in my dealer pub.

One redneck way is to pull the exhaust manifold and see which cylinder smokes on start up.

Try running some power service silver through it.

 

I'll second the ps silver, I hadn't run anything through my truck in probably 20k miles, it was idleing a little rough and would blow tons of black smoke. I've doubled doses through my truck the last two tanks.....My truck runs better and smokes less. I don't run my truck hard, so I believe it was a little gummed up, and needed to be cleaned out.

 

Picking up a bottle on my way home today. I will post on results. Thanks again for the suggestions!

 

Been down a similar path (white smoke at startup then clearing after 30 seconds, and rough idle) at 145,000 miles and it turned out to be injectors. I had mine pulled and flow tested. I had 5 at about 70% and 1 at about 20%. I had them all replaced.

But if I had to do it myself and really mind my costs, I'd probably just pull the exhaust manifold, start it up, see which ones smoke, then replace only those injectors. Chances are you only have 1 or 2 that are really bad and causing the smoking right now. Eventually you'll probably have to do them all though, but this method would keep you going for the time being. There are plenty of write-ups and youtube vids on how to replace these injectors. If it is your injectors like it was for me, I would not risk just letting it go for too long, as you run the risk more severe piston damage.

 

Had same thing at 10k miles and was an injector with no codes.

 

Status as of today:
Went home Monday and poured in a quart of power service silver and one quart of TCW-3.

As of this morining on the way in to work, no rough idle; no start-up white smoke!

Maybe that fixed it?!?

 

I found PS to be a temp fix problem if injector is going out may come back. A good value fix is to pull them and send them to F1 to get tested and just the bad ones repaired.