[super_kev]

Hi folks,
Background here, purchased a 2007 5.9 with about 170K about two years ago, and occasionally it would run a little rough and some occasional white smoke on cold startup until I blipped the throttle and then it smoothed out. I've run several bottles of Power Service Diesel Kleen through it and it took care of it for awhile, but I knew that I was looking at new injectors. I also installed a two-stage fuel filtration system when I purchased the truck (with the Baldwin and Cat water sep/fuel filter combo), so I know that since I've gotten it, fuel has been clean as possible.

For the past 6 months or so I've been running Les Schmidt's single-injection event tune. Recently, I was towing some skis and noticed that when I got back home, there was some black soot all over the jetskis. So, I figured I'd flash to a regular 2-injection event tune that he also provided me, which I ran for a day when I first got it prior to flashing to the single-injection event for better mileage on the highway. So I flashed to the "regular" 2-injection event tune, and around 1500rpm I still heard it go to single-injection, which was weird as it shouldn't have done that. Then, a few days later, I was pulling out of a parking lot onto the road and I hit 1500rpm and I got some bucking, jerking and black and white smoke, so I backed off and as long as I was below 1500rpm, I was good. So I figured, well, stuck injector so I just replaced them with Big Bang Injection (BBI) stage 1s and new 6.7 fuel tubes. The #1 injector had more carbon/sludge buildup on it than the others, and what I found weird was that the exhaust-side 8mm screws that held injectors on #1-3 in were finger-loose. Not vibrated out, but definitely loose compared to the intake-side.

Startup this morning was easy, no rough idle, just fired right up, and engine was quieter. However, when I hit 1500rpm I still get a little rough and misfire with white smoke, but I didn't hit it as hard as I did the other day with normal driving.

My question - it seems to me as though my ECM is fried, or not flashing properly even though HPTuners says so, and it's got some corrupted code and "ghosting" of the single-injection still left once I flashed the two-injection event. Is this possible? Where could I pickup a reflashed or repaired ECM that has the mileage and VIN flashed to it and try again? I've checked all wiring, and the weird thing was that this 1500rpm misfire happened right after I flashed to a new tune. Today I'm going to try and flash back to factory stock and see what happens. But, do ECMs "go bad"?

 

[Mrich0908]

I have Hptuners. Are you verifying your ecm is taking the update. You can compare your old file with your current one. If its not writing certain sections. when you or your tuner goes to write the new map have him click write all in the drop down.

After you drive your truck and in cools down over night pop the radiator cap and see if it has pressure built up in the coolant system still if you probably have a bad head gasket.

I would also do a compression test asap and stop driving until you do one. A compression test will tell you allot about your motor . Its health and if your problems mechanical or electronic. Bad injectors do bad things sometimes. Replacing the injector may not be your only problem.

 

[super_kev]

I have Hptuners. Are you verifying your ecm is taking the update. You can compare your old file with your current one. If its not writing certain sections. when you or your tuner goes to write the new map have him click write all in the drop down.

After you drive your truck and in cools down over night pop the radiator cap and see if it has pressure built up in the coolant system still if you probably have a bad head gasket.

I would also do a compression test asap and stop driving until you do one. A compression test will tell you allot about your motor . Its health and if your problems mechanical or electronic. Bad injectors do bad things sometimes. Replacing the injector may not be your only problem.

Well, Les locks his tunes, so no, I cannot verify if it took it properly. Luckily when I sensed something going bad, I was commuting home from work, 35mph on a country road and basically idled it home, so I don't see me melting a hole in the piston or blowing a head gasket, and it smoothed out once I dropped below that magic 1500rpm where the single-injection starts.

For compression test - I'd have to take the injectors and fuel tubes out again, correct? Took me 4-5 hours yesterday and my back and arms are sore from getting back to the #6. Tell me there is an easier way.

Again, it was running just fine on the single-injection tune (aside from cold rough at times, which is now gone with new BBIs) prior to the ECM flash a few weeks ago, which makes me think I have a corrupt ECM but I'll try to flash again at lunch break.

 

[Mrich0908]

Well, Les locks his tunes, so no, I cannot verify if it took it properly. Luckily when I sensed something going bad, I was commuting home from work, 35mph on a country road and basically idled it home, so I don't see me melting a hole in the piston or blowing a head gasket, and it smoothed out once I dropped below that magic 1500rpm where the single-injection starts.

For compression test - I'd have to take the injectors and fuel tubes out again, correct? Took me 4-5 hours yesterday and my back and arms are sore from getting back to the #6. Tell me there is an easier way.

Again, it was running just fine on the single-injection tune (aside from cold rough at times, which is now gone with new BBIs) prior to the ECM flash a few weeks ago, which makes me think I have a corrupt ECM but I'll try to flash again at lunch break.

I bought my truck knowing it had damage to piston 1 and 6, my ring lands happen to break . I started it up test drove it and drove it 20 something miles home puking white smoke. They will go allot farther than you would think.
We can all make guesses but its really hard to diagnose a what sound is this or I have this color smoke.
White smoke in a diesel is . Incomplete combustion process / Unburnt fuel ( damaged piston or broke rings) or water vapor ( head gasket) in the combustion process.
I suggest you get a compression test because that will tell you the health of the engine . The health of each cylinder is something all home mechanics should know to refer to . If your engines healthy it will tell you the problems electronic. If not its mechanical.
ECM do go but very rarely. Ive repaired allot of cars & trucks , the last broke ecm in any automobile I saw was 15 years ago. It does happen though. I dont know your tuner it could be likely he fudged something . If you feel better buy a new ecm ask him to go over his tune make sure its ok in the rpm band you specifie . It would probably help him if you were able to give him some live data of a data log while driving with VCM suit. Tell him when he writes the new tune click write all instead write.

 

[super_kev]

Ah ha! Flashed back to stock, runs ok, no problems at all. So it must have gotten screwed up when I went from one tune to another (perhaps best to flash back to stock between tunes?), thus messing with fuel injection timing and causing the white (or prior to injector swap, black as well) smoke, and the bad injector(s) were compounding it. I'll reflash to Les' (Silver Bullet) regular tune tonight and see what happens. Otherwise for now it runs great, best it ever has since I purchased it.