Vent: A blown turbo on a mountain pass made me rethink my whole diagnostic order

I was hauling a load over Snoqualmie Pass in Washington when a 2015 Duramax lost all power and started dumping white smoke. My first thought was injectors, so I spent an hour pulling the valve covers to check spray patterns. Turns out, a single turbo blade had shattered and sent pieces through the intercooler, which I found after checking boost pressure with a simple gauge. Now I always check boost and backpressure before I even touch the fuel system on a no-power call. What's your go-to first check when a diesel rolls in with no power and smoke?

2 comments

2 Comments

cole_mitchell579d ago

Yeah, that's a rough way to learn. Eric_morgan59 has a point about checking air first, but sometimes you get stuck in one way of thinking. I had a similar thing happen with an old 7.3, except it was a huge exhaust leak right at the manifold making it run like garbage and smoke. Spent way too long on the injector buzz test before I finally heard the hissing over the engine noise. Now I just start with the basics, listen and look for anything obvious before I grab a single tool.

eric_morgan599d ago

White smoke with no power is almost always a turbo issue, not injectors. That's a lot of work to do for nothing. A quick boost pressure check with a cheap gauge would've told you right away. Always start with the air system before you even think about pulling parts.