I currently own a Kubota L3400 and a couple weeks ago I cleaned the air filter via high pressure water. Unfortunately, I did not realize the filter had not completely dried out and must have sucked some water through. It blows white smoke and the engine knocks. I thought maybe this would eventually blow out but after an hour or so in use it still blows white smoke and knocks. What can I do to get this issue resolved? Any help would be appreciative..
Blowing white smoke and knocks
- Thread starter ktcollins
- Start date
The only time I have seen a diesel blowing white smoke was caused by a broken injector. I can't believe you have that much water that entered the engine making steam. High pressure water to clean air filter?
Try not to run it too long this way. With the engine above idle speed, loosen each injector line, ONE at a time, to see which injector is making the noise. The noise will stop as the faulty injector's line is loosened. The injector might just be stuck and need to be taken apart and cleaned. It could also need to be replaced. After the repair it would be advised to change the engine oil in case there is fuel dilution in the oil.
Yea, I wouldn't clean an air filter with water- replace it, or blow it out with compressed air.
I'm not sure how water would affect the injector, since the water was brought in through the air intake, not the fuel delivery. If it were mine, I would pull the injectors and check the compression, and then maybe have the injectors tested.
I'm not sure how water would affect the injector, since the water was brought in through the air intake, not the fuel delivery. If it were mine, I would pull the injectors and check the compression, and then maybe have the injectors tested.
yeah, I didn't say I was the smartest tractor owner.. I'm just a city boy trying to adjust in the country.. This started right after I sprayed down the engine and cleaned the filter. I was "assuming" it was the filter.. Maybe it is something else that I sprayed??
Did you get water in the fuel tank?
We all learn the hard way, sooner or later and some more than others. That's why you may get questions here, but I don't expect that anyone will ridicule you. There is a lot of valuable wisdom here, learned the hard way, and the desire is to help you through it. And learn more ourselves- your experience will teach others. So, welcome to OTT, and hopefully you will get through this as simply and cheaply as possible.
We all learn the hard way, sooner or later and some more than others. That's why you may get questions here, but I don't expect that anyone will ridicule you. There is a lot of valuable wisdom here, learned the hard way, and the desire is to help you through it. And learn more ourselves- your experience will teach others. So, welcome to OTT, and hopefully you will get through this as simply and cheaply as possible.
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DITTO the ABOVE...... I sure wasn't born SMART
I have spent the last 47 years learning about Man's mechanical WONDERS!
Well spoken hodge.
At the quarry I worked at I once saw a used air filter cost $125K. The operator on a big Cat dozer blew a hole in the air filter and didn't realize it. He reinstalled it and went back to work. It sucked dust in all day and destroyed the engine.
I know it may cost a little more but I never re-use air filters. To me a filter is alot cheaper than a new engine. I know that's on the extreme side but why risk it. It's not like the filter needs replaced once a month.
At the quarry I worked at I once saw a used air filter cost $125K. The operator on a big Cat dozer blew a hole in the air filter and didn't realize it. He reinstalled it and went back to work. It sucked dust in all day and destroyed the engine.
I know it may cost a little more but I never re-use air filters. To me a filter is alot cheaper than a new engine. I know that's on the extreme side but why risk it. It's not like the filter needs replaced once a month.
Hodge - No, I'm pretty sure I had the cap on the fuel tank. lol.. It was running great, drove it to my shop, took the filter off and sprayed it down, while that was drying, sprayed the radiator screen off and spayed around the engine, put the filter back on, fired it up, and it's never ran the same... Blows white smoke and misses.. Like it's out of timing..
It's an injector stuck......
A friend of mine had a 1979 VW Rabbit diesel that I rebuilt. About a year later he calls me and says it is knocking and smoking white. I isolated the cylinder, replaced the nozzle assembly and it was as good as new.
You couldn't have somehow gotten water into the intake???
A friend of mine had a 1979 VW Rabbit diesel that I rebuilt. About a year later he calls me and says it is knocking and smoking white. I isolated the cylinder, replaced the nozzle assembly and it was as good as new.
You couldn't have somehow gotten water into the intake???
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Just asking but did you happen to spray water inside the air filter compartment while you were spraying the engine and radiator out?
Have you looked at the engine oil since this happened to see if you have water in the oil?
I guess I'm thinking worst case but it wouldn't take but a little water in the air intake to make the engine hydraulic. Since it can't compress water the weakest part will give, cracked head, cracked block, busted piston/rings, ect... Maybe it will be something simple but it could be a very expensive lesson.
Have you looked at the engine oil since this happened to see if you have water in the oil?
I guess I'm thinking worst case but it wouldn't take but a little water in the air intake to make the engine hydraulic. Since it can't compress water the weakest part will give, cracked head, cracked block, busted piston/rings, ect... Maybe it will be something simple but it could be a very expensive lesson.
Bulldog - Check the oil this morning and no signs of water in the oil.. Also, bleed the injector lines for air and still have the same issue. I guess my next option is to replace the injectors?
BTW - I wanted to say thanks for everyone's input and help, I sure appreciate it..
BTW - I wanted to say thanks for everyone's input and help, I sure appreciate it..
Motorhead, I will try your suggestion on looseing one injector line at a time to see if I might have a stuck or bad injector.
I think we hit the jackpot. I have three injector lines and I loosened the first one, to the left, and it stopped smoking and knocking, tighten first one back, went to the second one and it smoked and knocked worse and the third the same.. Long story short, looks like that first injector is the bad one. Are those hard to replace and or clean? Any instructions out there?
Glad you found the bad injector by elimination. The injectors are easy to change out. Find the injector torque for your particular engine. Check with Kubota and see what a re-manufactured or new injector costs. Lastly, Look in your phone book or online for a diesel injection shop and find out what they charge to either rebuild or just clean your injector.
IF and only IF you are well mechanical inclined then you can disassemble it yourself and look to see if there is some debris or broken parts in there. The only issue that you probably don't have is a pressure tester to check thw crack pressure and spray pattern.
BEFORE you do anything as to removal or such make sure your working environment, engine, bench is CLEAN,CLEAN!
aquaforce
New member
Equipment
L245DT FEL, JD450 Track loader, 5' scrape blade&mower, 5x10 trailer, Dump truck
A diesel injection service can be a life saver and a huge cost savings too. I had my injectors done here and I was surprised at the cost savings. That is saying something too because I am a tech in the field so I have access to good sources for parts but the service here did better than what I found otherwise.
All very good advice here and as previously documented, a clean environment will only make your marriage to the injuector world last. The engine is probably already clean since you had just washed it, but consider a shop vac. I like to use my shop vac anytime I am working on the injectors of a diesel. And I use it often, as in each time I move/loosen a part or fastener to keep debris from falling into places that can do damage. Doesn't take much to cost big money, and it also doesn't take much to prevent it.
By cracking the injector nuts you have identified that not just an injector but a certain cylinder is not working correctly .I hope for your sake that the injector is at fault but it has been mentioned eariler in the thread, the fault could possibly be more serious.
dave
Good point there B7100, as a further diagnostic step you may want to consider swapping injectors to isolate whether it's the first injector or the first cylinder.
I have the same problem. My friend drove my Kubota x900 into a puddle and sucked water in the intake...but it kept running.
I saw water in the fuel filter and changed it. I also drained part of the fuel out of the full tank. There is no more water in the see-through filter bowl. I saw my oil was really high on dipstick and looked black and thin, so I changed oil and oil filter. It starts just fine but blows white smoke and knocks. Once it warms up the idle is good but when I load it down driving it the white smoke starts again. I bled the fuel lines and it knocks pretty good while bleeding the lines but comes back to a nice idle when lines are tightened back down. do you think it steamed in the cylinder and blew my gasket? Is it ok to drive until i can get it repaired?
I saw water in the fuel filter and changed it. I also drained part of the fuel out of the full tank. There is no more water in the see-through filter bowl. I saw my oil was really high on dipstick and looked black and thin, so I changed oil and oil filter. It starts just fine but blows white smoke and knocks. Once it warms up the idle is good but when I load it down driving it the white smoke starts again. I bled the fuel lines and it knocks pretty good while bleeding the lines but comes back to a nice idle when lines are tightened back down. do you think it steamed in the cylinder and blew my gasket? Is it ok to drive until i can get it repaired?