Hey all.

My 02 with 171,000 KLMs is smoking. Last time it smoked like this I got 1 new injector.

Goes in on Tuesday to get the balance rates checked.

Any other thoughts?

Truck doesn't see allot of milage lately because I am working five minutes down the road. Doesn't warm up.

what color of smoke? white, grey, black?

Mine smoked because of bad injectors too. If you gave it any throttle at all, the thing would cloud up the sky. I just got 3 injectors replaced this past week and I can't even get mine to smoke anymore even under heavy heavy throttle.

I just had all 8 done because it was smoking at idle. 5 were out of spec, 2 were borderline, Had them do all 8 while they were in there.

Whitish grey I would have to say. Also it does smoke under hard acceleration. I put that to my driving it very easily to conserve fuel milage.

Sounds like to appt to go into the shop is a good idea.

Thanx guys.

She gets a new air filter this week.

sounds like an injector or a few. white is usually raw fuel.

what color of smoke? white, grey, black?

x2. Color tells a story.

Well......................

$3,000 repair is forth coming.

APPARENTLY the injectors checked good. But my glow plug conductor railS were not kosher.

While taking a rail off, one of the glow plugs broke off in the head.

It is like doing a head gasket. But the head has to come off to get the plug machined out.

So back to my original question for this thread....................

What causes a Duramax to smoke?

If they were just taking the glow plug rail off there was no need to remove the glow plug. I just took my glowplugs out recently and the plug comes out seperate from the rail(conductor rail). May wanna poke around and see if you can get the real reason they need to take the heads off sounds fishy. I would ask alot of questions at this point.

And make them foot the bill for thier screw up!

And make them foot the bill for thier screw up!

Yeah, what he said.

Does the plug not mount through the glow plug conductor rail?


There was a nut or two on the end of the glow plug that was rusted.................

?

The glowplug screws into the engine. Then you place the rail over the glowplug and use a smaller nut on the tip of the glowplug that is threaded. The glowplug rail will come out with just releasing the one outside nut.

Apparently (from what I saw and heard) all but one plug was able to be disconnected. The nuts on the top were apparently rusted.

I was kinda knumb from the $3,000 part so my mind wasn't working properly.

Gonna try and sneak out of work early and poke around today.

how many glow plugs were bad? it is unusual for multiple plugs to go bad, i have seen two, maybe three at once. they do get rusty though. that would not cause smoke while driving though. just on start up, with a hard start if enough are not working.

Would the rust and corrosion cause the glowplugs to not work?? That may be possible in my mind but I am no expert. Before I dropped 3K on a repair like this, I would be doing alot of "poking" around. Keep us informed buddy.

Both of the rail conductors were rusted/had a break in them.

Know this won't solve my smoking issue, which I let the service manager know about.

As an update, the mechanic got the glowplug out without having to take the head off. Should save (better) some money on the bill.

The hole in the head on the outside is a little chewed up, but spose that woun't hurt much.

Thanx for the replies, guys. Appreciate the info.

If the rails were corroded and broke then this could solve the smoke issues if this is all thats wrong. What all did they do to the truck? Replace rails and all glowplugs?

Best of my knowledge so far is rails and one plug. The broken one.

The truck smoked after getting off the highway. Its more than the glowplugs, I think.

Ether will kill your glow plugs too.

Ether will kill your glow plugs too.


Will either kill your glow plugs, or does it kill the rings and possibly mean a BOOM?

If you disconnect your glow plugs and intake heater, then you can use ether.

The reason for a kaboom is the ether igniting on the glow plugs or intake heater.

Well.

$1389 later............

Well.

$1389 later............



What did that get you? A new glowplug and what else?

New conductor rails (X2) new glow plug. And a good balance rate report.

Can they really check anything by that balance rate "thingy"??

Because my truck supposively "tested" okay by two different dealers, after it started smoking at idle and every start-up, which it didn't do just one hour before it started this. They both told me the injectors were fine and that I should be happy that for 197,000 miles I should be happy that it only smoked so little. Well, I am not happy and now it takes two to three times longer to start, it cranks longer. Two nights ago I was pulling a 30,000lb trailer back home and when I got home I found it had been leaking diesel in my crank.........I have less than 700 miles on my 200k warranty.

So what is the moral of the story?

If your Duramax is smoking for no apparent reason, I think it is the injectors, I don't care what that balance rate test says. Something is wrong. I have had this truck for 100k and it only smokes when the injectors are bad and that is it.

Sam

Injectors can still have high return rates with good balance rates.

I am really sorry to hear about your repair. Find another dealer because that one took you for a ride.

I don't have any confidence in their ability. The tech did what the GM computer told him to do. No troubleshooting of his own.

For that price, I'd have had an atomic meltdown in plain view of as many customers as possible.

Yeah what he said ^^^^^^^

I just do not see how its possible, I mean you have like $50 in parts tops.

$900 was for the glow valve part of the job. $300 was for the conductor strips.

$900 to fix his f up?

yea

Well.

I still have truck where the smoking has gotten worse. I can say for sure that the smoke is a blue/gray colour.

This time I am gonna have my return rates checked.

It is going to the GM dealer next door to the Chev dealer. When I booked the appointment I WARNED the service writer about my last experience.

Any suggestions?

Took it in this morning for my balance rates.

All checked fine. Couldn't get the truck to smoke (go fiure) for the tech.

Paid my bill and took it on the highway. Went back to the shop. It was smoking, but not as bad as I have seen it.


Between the service manager and the tech, they are gonna "make it work" to get all 8 injectors replaced under waranty.

Due to "excessive smoking" and "loss of power"

I am being done a favour here, so far.

SLAMM....I couldn't imagine being told my injectors were fine and right after the warranty goes out so do your injectors. Holy sh*t!!! Have you gone back to the dealers to thank them for screwing you over?

my dealer is feedin me with the same crap. Took mine in for injector replacement, (glowplugs worked fine before i took it in). They tear into it and Im guessin while they were taking the buss off the plugs they broke them off. So now they're saying that i will be paying for new plugs, buss, and labor. I'm definately gonna fight this. They tore into it, they broke the plug to fix their brand of truck's faulty injectors, they should cover their crap, not me.

Well.

I still have truck where the smoking has gotten worse. I can say for sure that the smoke is a blue/gray colour.

This time I am gonna have my return rates checked.

It is going to the GM dealer next door to the Chev dealer. When I booked the appointment I WARNED the service writer about my last experience.

Any suggestions?

I am going to add my name to the list. I am having the same problem, asked the dealer to check the balance rates while replacing my new brake lines. They charged me $45 and no balance rate check, I asked for just a balance rate check.... that was all. They just gave me the print out of my snap shot of the over all truck. (Sorry do not know what this is called)

The smoke is also blue/gray and at idle or when coming to a stop. It seems to be fine while underway. I also get a trembling idle at times. It does not seem to be losing power or running rough while pulling.

I stopped at a friends house today to show him the smoke..... it was not doing it! When I got home..... it was doing it again!

What the hell is going on? :(

Sorry, also forgot to add. A couple of times when it was wet/damp outside I could smell diesel fuel. So far no fuel in the oil.

No Wake;

Try and duplicate the smoking condidtion. Mine seemed to be at its worst after getting of the highway.

After having my return rates checked and they were fine. Couple on the high side but still within spec.

I took it on the highway for about 45 minutes and went straight back to dealer. Showed the tech and he went and got the service manager to show him.

My complaint was the smoking, but the service manager also said "loss of power" to make it work for warranty.

I am going to hook up with another member to check my balance rates.

I also read smoke with hard starting will also make for a claim.

So, where are you know with the smoke issue? I just received some Opti-Lube but reluctant to add some just incase it takes a dump and they check the fuel. I remember reading the dealership tests the fuel!

injectors

injectors

Max Owner's injectors are checking out within tolerance.

I got all 8 replaced under warranty.

In my testing of the rates, they suggested I try the GM fuel conditioner. Did but didn't give it a chance.

The smoke is gone?

Were the rates really out of whack? I thought they were within limits the last time they checked. What made the dealer finally replace them?

Thanks for your help, I think this is the road I am currently heading down.

The service manager saw the excess smoking.

BUT.........................

He also said loss of power to make sure warranty covered the replacement. Although not true........ So I could get them replaced.

Very good to hear..... loss of power is all in the eyes of the beholder.

Thanks for all your input!