@#$%$ injectors, anyway...

I had seen the tiniest bit of smoke lately, but just attributed it to cold weather... (K3500 SRW LBZ with only ~67K miles...)

I do recall one isolated incident of 'lopey idle' after a long pull, on the last long trip to Florida and back in February. Mileage has seemed reasonable for an LBZ and heavy/wide towing. Power has seemed fine, no oil usage or dilution.

Today, only 400 miles into a 9000 mile, four boat, "MN to MI to IL to CA to MD to FL to home" trip taking place over the next 6 weeks...I pull off I-39 at Beloit, WI to stop for the night - and the truck is shaking and idling really rough at the end of the exit ramp.

Scan tool indicates that three injectors have abnormally high return rates.

What rediculously bad timing. Calling ahead to Karl Chevrolet in Des Moines tommorrow to make sure they have the injectors in stock. The plan is then to continue to Port Huron, MI and unload boat#1, return empty to Chicago to get boat#2 loaded, and then get down the road a bit, closer to my extended family in central Iowa, for the inevitable day or two of downtime needed to get 8 new warranty sprays...

I hope the injector gods will allow me the miles needed to get situated. :mad:

Hope you can make it that far! May see around Karls. Seems as though mine is having problems with the instrument cluster lights. Minor issue. Hope all goes well, good luck!

They will probably only replace as failed on the LBZ. Remember, the injectors on the LBZ and the LLY AND LMM are all external. Good luck (better luck) on you trip Mark. :)

Better outlook, today.

Started the truck and recorded the injectors with the high return rates. From the cold start, the truck ran very rough, as if it were not firing on those cylinders at all. No smoke at the exhaust - was as if there was NO fuel present, not too much.

Filled the 1/2 tank with fresh diesel, treated the whole tank heavily with additive and drove. At the next stop, the idle was much better, and only two injectors were now slightly out of range - and they weren't even the same two as earlier in the morning???:confused:

Drove that entire tank through, refilled and redosed...all but one injector now in range, and the rough idle has subsided.

Bad fuel? Hmmm....we'll see how things progress, but I am still rolling at 900 miles, or 10% of the way into the adventure. (Flint, Michigan for the night.)

Man ....... Good Luck Mark, One can only hope it's just a fuel issue !!! Never seems to be my luck though. Hope it works out well for ya.

Well, boat#2 from Chicago is loaded and I made it to Des Moines yesterday afternoon. All is well in injector - land. Three tanks of treated fuel and all but #7 look to be back in range, and even that one isn't all that bad.

Guess I dodged a bullet this time!

What scan tool do you use to read your injector return rates? My extended warranty just expired on my 02. Haven't had any injector issues but I am on my own here on out.

What additive do you run??

Actually, I run various. Never have been able to determine the 'best' product. Probaby Total Power the most often. I bought a jug of Howes for this trip.