99 7.3 missing and white smoke

1999 F250 with 384k miles

I recently had the glow plugs replaced due to cold start issues. The truck ran perfectly for the past year, aside from that. Everything was fine for a few weeks, but yesterday, after a warm start following a short drive to the store, I heard a popping sound. After that, I noticed it was missing, lacked power between 1500 and 2000 RPMs, and had a steady stream of white smoke from the exhaust.

I am still fairly new to working on diesels. I saw some mentions of tubes popping off, so I checked the turbo tubes, and they all seem to be secure and tight. I also came across posts about the MAT sensor, but when I looked at my truck, there was just a bolt and washer where the sensor should be, so I couldn’t investigate that further.

Are there any other parts or areas you’d suggest checking before I start taking everything apart?

9 Likes

Scan codes to retrieve them. Look for open circuit code on glowplug/injector. To locate any dead cylinders, run cct.
To determine whether a glow plug is backing out, check the crank case pressure. Then, to rule out a turbo failure or boost leak, check the boost or check for oil in the exhaust.

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Does it occasionally drive well? and then lose authority? To me, that sounds IPRish.

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I had a similar issue, it turned out to be a cracked injector tip. I needed a new injector and cup harness. At that time, I also replaced the glow plugs and had the cylinders checked to ensure the rods were okay.

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Verify the torque settings for each of the eight injectors. Had a similar problem, which was caused by an excessively loose injector. In the case that it is hydrolocking and dumping too much fuel, don’t run it any longer than absolutely required.

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You definitely have an injector problem. As others have mentioned, don’t continue driving it. Excessive fuel can wash down the cylinders, leading to significant wear on the cylinder walls and piston rings.

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It sounds like you have an issue with the injectors, possibly related to the under-valve cover wiring harness. If your engine is misfiring and blowing white smoke, it’s likely that one or two injectors aren’t functioning properly.

DO NOT IGNORE THIS—get it to a shop immediately before you risk blowing a hole in a piston.

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Sounds like an injection problem, white smoke is excessive fuel.

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When it’s running rich, it produces black smoke. For a gas engine, at least, white represents coolant.

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Excess gasoline can ruin pistons and appears white in a diesel engine.