E4OD woes.. (torque converter shudder?, and then some.. )

Fredrickson

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Multi-symptom issue.. looking for trouble shooting ideas

background:
Just flushed cooling system, changed injectors, and replaced diff fluid with full synthetic. (This was a shakedown run)
Oil changed a few hundred miles ago, maybe 2k miles on trans fluid.
(this is a new issue)..

Driving my truck (7.3 IDI NA, E4OD, ex-Ambulance 246k miles) last night.. on a long highway run. After getting gas, and getting back on the highway.. when accelerating I had that 'rumble strip' sensation and felt the vibrations in the steering wheel.
(Vibrations seemed to match the engine cylinder firing.)

O/D was engaged. The O/D light is NOT on.

As I was going up a long hill, (long, gradual, not sharp and steep) I look in the side mirror and see I am crop-dusting everyone behind me in my lane with smoke..(night time so I can't tell the color) but the cab had a nauseating, sweet smell.. not coolant, it was different.
And I am also loosing speed.
(my first though.. dead cylinder???)

At about 45 mph (in the slow lane) constant speed, the speedometer needle starts waving back and forth between 40 and 50 mph like a metronome. (back and forth.. back and forth.. back and forth.. )

I put the gas pedal to the floor, it downshifts, the shudder goes away. and speedo stops waving.
(but when it upshifted.. the shudder came back when under load)

When I get about 15 miles from home, get off the highway, and take back roads the rest of the way, (35-50mph)
(in case I broke down it would be easier to park and recover later)

Then.. the ABS light comes on..

Got home, parked it.. and there it sits..
There were no puddles this morning..and I haven't popped the hood or crawled under it, yet.

I had lots of time to think as I was driving...My thoughts ran from
torque converter about to die,
Somewhere a wire has come loose..
vss in the pumpkin is messed up from cleaning the diff
the tach sensor is going bad
Signal from brakes is messing with the TC and ABS sensor
FIPS?
(then there is the smoke...)

Anyone care to suggest things to check at signals measure?
 

Fredrickson

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Is it possible that with the new injectors, the timing is very retarded?
(haven't changed out the IP yet) and it just feels like a TC issue?

and the VSS is just a coincidental thing?
 

IDIBRONCO

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I would say yes. That would explain your smoke. I wonder if it's possible that the new injectors affected the FIPL in some way since the timing appears to be so far off. You may have to adjust the FIPL to get the "shudder" to go away. The "shudder" sounds like the torque convertor locking and unlocking to me. It would also explain why when you downshifted the transmission by stepping on the throttle, the "shudder" went away.
 

steve phillips

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Fredrickson, Trackspeeder knows much more about E40Ds than I do ,but a couple of thoughts occur that wont cost a lot to check. 1 pull codes 2 check ecm fuse in fusebox under hood. 3 check connector on passenger side of trans , these will get hot and melt. may not help but cheap and fairly easy to try before throwing money at it.
 

Fredrickson

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UPDATE

Last night was the first time I was able to look into things.
There was a puddle of diesel on the floor by the gas pedal.

There was fuel along the valve cover flange..

What I thought was a leaking injector cap on #8 turned out to be an actual HOLE in the injector cap, that was spraying fuel.

Diesel was hitting the inside of the dog house, and it seeped on to the floor.

When I started the engine without the doghouse on, I could watch the fuel spurting out the hole while it idled. (shooting far enough to reach my pants)

(Could back-pressure from a blocked return line rupture an injector cap???)


The picture is a little out of focus, but you can see the hole along the seam on the midline of the cap.
 

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ISPKI

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possible stuck injector
If the injector was stuck, wouldnt the pressure just push it's way down the return lines and out to the fuel tank? There shouldnt be a way for pressure to build up like that at the cap to the levels needed to block a hole thru the injector return cap...right?

At least injector caps are easy fixes and that explains your smoking and performance issues. I drop my truck about 12 miles with one injector cap loose and it was a miserable experience. You dont really realize how much fuel flows through those tiny fuel lines until its billowing out of your truck like a steam engine.
 

gnathv

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If your injector hangs open on compression stroke (heat) is pushing up to the caps and ip lines.
 

TNBrett

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You said you just changed the injectors. Who are they from? My first inclination would be to mark that one, pull all 8 and pop test them.
 

Fredrickson

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The set is from one of the providers often recommended on here..

I will change out the cap and o-rings, and see what happens,
as well as take a look at the ruptured cap.
 

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