06 Dodge Diesel Engine Shutdown Adventure-UPDATE

Please define "trash". Are you speaking of trash like debris etc or algae? If algae I would go for a new tank. At any rate sounds like you have it pinned down to fuel system. Not that it is any prize. I've been having my own problems with leaking fuel or low fuel pressure. With mechanics that either don't care or won't admit they do know. This might help with your question. Sort of what's next or ideas. I keep a copy of this in glove box. Keeps me focused. Hope it helps you.


High Pressure Common Rail Basic Information

The high pressure pump builds the high pressure and delivers it to the fuel rail manifold where it flows through the injector lines and injector connector tubes to the injectors. The fuel pressure regulator (fuel control actuator) in the high pressure pump controls fuel rail pressure. The injectors have a hollow check ball that holds high pressure fuel until the fuel solenoid is actuated by the ECM, this allows the check ball to rise off its’ seat and an injection to take place. If the injector connector tubes, where they seat into the injectors, leak or the check ball in the injector is leaking or the high pressure limit valve then it will not build enough rail pressure to start the engine. It takes approximately 4000 PSI rail pressure to start the engine.


CAUTION
The fuel system contains high pressure fuel up to 25,000 PSI. Do Not use you fingers to find fuel leaks! High pressure fuel entering your bloodstream may result in amputation or loss of life.

Preliminary checks

1.Record and repair any active DTC, they may be related to complaint
2.Ensure that you have a good clean fuel supply and good fuel supply pressure.


No Start or Hard Start

1.No or low fuel supply to the high pressure pump (CP3)
2.Monitor rail pressure and see if you have over 4000 PSI during cranking, if not one or more injectors can cause a hard start, see injector section for further diagnostics. No smoke from the tailpipe after about 10 seconds of cranking means no fuel is getting into the cylinders.
3.Injector connector tube not seated in injector, bad tube or improper torque on nut.
4.Leaking fuel pressure limit valve, should not leak at idle or during cranking.
5.Verify high pressure pump output volume (see high pressure pump info). You can also cap off all the injectors and see how quickly the rail pressure climbs. It takes about 4000 PSI rail pressure in order to start.
6.Shorted fan clutch, unplug fan and try starting again.

Black Smoke

1.If at idle, use the scan tool to cut out one cylinder at a time and see if the smoke disappears.
2.Dirty air filter
3.Exhaust leaks or Boost leaks, you can usually hear a boost leak as a high pitched squeal under load.

Misses

1.Use scan tool to isolate one cylinder at a time.
2.A bad or incorrect torque on an injector connector tube, missing or damaged chamber gasket, low compression or excessive valve lash could all cause a miss.

Knocks

1.Use scan tool to isolate one cylinder at a time
2.Use cap off tool 9011 to block off one injector at a time.

Surge at idle

1.Low or no fuel supply pump pressure to the high pressure pump
2.Actual pressure versus desired pressure too far apart, map the fuel pressure graph, may be a bad FCA (fuel control actuator). If you have a fluctuation over 500 PSI this can cause a surge.

White - Blue smoke at idle when cold
If the smoke clears in less than 1 minute, this would be normal depending on temperature and altitude. Blue white smoke that burns your eyes, is un-burnt fuel, cold temperatures, high altitude and excessive idle time all mean cold

1.Possible bad injector, leaking at the nozzle tip. Use the scan tool to kill one injector at a time to isolate. However, this does not reduce rail pressure in the injector and the tip can still leak fuel. Cap off the rail one line at a time (cap is tool # 9011) to pinpoint injector.
2.The intake air temperature, engine coolant temperature, inlet air temperature and battery temperature should all display normal ambient temperatures when cold. If not, repair as necessary.
3.Check intake heater operation when cold.
4.Check rail pressure when engine is off, it should be 0 PSI (+/- 500 PSI).
5.Low or no fuel supply pressure, supply pump or fuel filter etc.
6.Excessive idle time can cause white smoke when cold due to carbon build up on injector tips. More than 20% idle time is excessive.

Dilution

1.Upper injector o-ring
2.Cracked injector, remove valve cover and inspect for leaks while the engine is running. A leak will often look like a fog or haze of fuel.
3.Leak at the high pressure pump driveshaft seal.

Fuel Supply Pump

•2003 and 2004 model years originally had the fuel supply pump mounted on the fuel filter housing. 2005 through 2007 5.9L had the fuel supply pump mounted in the tank. There are replacement fuel supply pumps for 2003 and 2004 that mount on the fuel filter housing, but have been updated to a different style. There are also fuel supply pumps that mount on the frame rail and replace the in tank supply pumps, such as the FASS pump and the BD Max-Flow pump. Test the fuel supply pressure at the inlet to the CP3 pump. Normal pressure is 10 PSI at idle and they typically drop close to zero PSI under load. Zero supply pump pressure will not damage the CP3 high pressure pump like it does to the earlier VP44 pump

High Pressure Pump (CP3 Pump)

1.Most starting problems due to low pressure are caused by bad (check ball seat) injectors. You can unplug the fuel control actuator and the pressure should default to maximum pressure (23,500 PSI), however if there is a leak in the high pressure system then the pump will not build enough pressure. If there has been a major contamination issue with dirt and or water then it is very likely that the high pressure pump will need to be replaced. The injectors are typically damaged first, but any contamination that got into the injectors also went through the CP3 pump.
2.Volume test; the CP3 pump should discharge 70 ml (at 150 rpm or 90 ml at 200 rpm), from the CP3 to rail manifold fuel line, in 3 10 second cranking intervals (total of 30 seconds cranking). Remove the fuel discharge line from the CP3 pump to test out put.
3.If the cascade over flow valve is bad this can send fuel out the return line instead of to the charging circuit of the CP3 pump.

Injectors
It takes about 4000 PSI rail pressure in order for the injectors to deliver fuel and the engine to start.

1.Maximum allowable leakage for all injectors combined is 160 ml per minute: check when engine coolant temperature is above 180 degrees, 1200 rpm and fuel rail pressure is equal to 20,305 PSI.
2.Any injector contributing more than 40 ml is excessive. IE: if total leakage is 200 ml and blocking off number one injector reduces the total leakage to 160 ml, cylinder number one injector has excessive leakage and is bad.
3.If you have a no start condition, maximum allowable return is 90 ml per minute at 200 rpm cranking speed, be careful not to over heat the starter during testing.
4.Damaged or loose high pressure injector connectors can cause excessive leakage.
5.Excessive leakage usually results in a starting issue, which could occur hot or cold, but usually occurs hot because the fuel is thinner when hot.

Use the following information regarding diagnostic trouble codes in addition to the normal diagnostic procedures outlined in the service manual or technical service bulletins.

DTC P0148; high pressure common rail checksum, which is a deviation between the fuel pressure set point and the actual fuel pressure.

1.FCA, check for rust on the fuel control actuator, which could indicate other fuel system problems caused by water contamination.
2.Fuel pressure sensor
3.Lift pump or fuel supply issues, check fuel supply pressure and fuel filter condition.
4.Cascade over flow valve
5.Pressure limit valve
6.Injectors, excessive return, see injectors
7.High pressure pump (CP3)

DTC P0300 – P0306; injector misfire, all and 1 through 6

1.Low fuel supply pressure
2.Use scan tool to isolate each cylinder

DTC P0217; decreased engine performance due to a engine overheat condition

1.Check ECT sensor
2.Restricted air flow (caked dirt and bugs) through the intercooler and radiator.

DTC P0251; CP3 pump regulator control, ECM detects a discrepancy between PWM signal supplied to FCA and the PWM returned from FCA

1.Low or no fuel supply pressure (bad supply pump or plugged filter)
2.Fuel Control Actuator (FCA) bad, use the scan tool to verify rail pressure set point versus fuel pressure. Normal idle pressure is 6000 – 7000 PSI. If you have a fluctuation over 500 PSI this can cause a surge as well.

DTC P0336; crank position sensor (CKP) signal, CLP below calibrated value

1.Excessive cranking with a no start condition
2.CKP sensor
3.CKP wiring issue

jmckelvy wrote:
The 06 RAMs have the low pressure pump in the tank.

Do you have a check engine light? Any codes?

It does sound like something obstructing fuel flow.

After the first set of incidents, the engine light would come on but immediately go off once the engine started again. There were no codes initiated.

skipro3 wrote:
Did you buy the truck new? If not, a previous owner might have installed a aftermarket fuel filter in line from the tank to the factory filter under the hood. I did that on my '06 in order to get the Cummins mandated 4 micron filtration they spec for this engine.

Look under your truck, along the frame on the driver side, between the tank and the driver seat area for an after market filter. (I presume a filter under the hood would have been obvious.)

A truck with those miles might have a filter that is blocking flow if it's not been changed because you weren't aware a past owner had installed one.

We did buy the truck new.

Dave Pete wrote:
MrPhelps - what you describe is different from what I experienced last fall on a TT cross-country trip, but it is worth a check in the event your cause is a worse than mine similarity. Mine was an intermittent act-up like a gas engine would describe as a miss. Sometimes ran normal, sometimes a slight stumble/hesitation and sometimes an awful stumble. If it got any worse, it could have resulted in an inability to start. I expected mine to be injectors and yet it was worth checking what I did.

There are about six separate electrical connections on the the fuel pump and filter areas. I disconnected each, cleaned with an electronic spray cleaner, reassembled with die-electric grease. It took twice, but the problem disappeared. It was poor electric signals telling the engine to do its thing.

I also have a 2006 Dodge 5.9L diesel. Good luck.

That is an excellent suggestion. I have had a few electrical issues lately with it. My truck spends a lot of time in the salt air on the coast of Florida and electrical connection integrity could definitely be an issue.

towpro wrote:
what does the filters look like when you pull them, Black slime?

if not, Maybe your in tank lift pump is starting to fail.

On the previous failures, up until the third changeout, they looked pretty dirty. I noticed what appeared to be slivers of black debris. After reading a bit I wondered it this was a microbial trash.
However, on this last failure, although the filter had a gray look, I saw no evidence of these large slivers. I saved it to discuss with the shop.

Reddog1 wrote:
I gotta say, to clean a clogged pick up and not the tank is ridicules. There is more stuff in the tank than just what was on the pickup. Where does the mechanic think the trash came from?

Wayne

Exactly what I thought. The Tifton Shop should have finished the job. However, we will soon know if there is more trash. I have a good trustworthy local guy to look it over.

path1, thanks. I have copied and pasted your information to a word document and printed it for reference with the shop today.

12V Cummins wrote:
Just install a aftermarket lift pump and install a fuel pressure gauge.

The in tank lift pump WAS the solution for the engine mounted lift pump problem. Look at how long it lasted

I modified my truck to take car of this problem in a parking lot in about 10 minutes.

Cut out all in tank screens on the module.

Mount fuel pump on the Frame near the tank.

Install a primary filter before the fuel pump to protect the fuel pump from debri thus, able to change the filter anytime. Primary / prefilter helps save the secondary factory filter on the engine from getting overwhelmed/ clogged, besides protecingt the fuel pump.

Check fuel pump inlet for screens too and remove letting the primary filter do the job.

Primary filter should be around 30 microns.

Adding ball shut off valves helps a lot in changing filters/ servicing.

If a boat was set up like these trucks people would capsize at sea with engines shutting down. Never would boating safety regulations allow such a bad set up as these trucks. In other words folks you need to modify the fuel system and make it reliable. It's really set up wrong. Dealerships get more business w/ the factory set up.

I also have a fuel pressure gauge too btw.

MrPhelps wrote:

Dave Pete wrote:
MrPhelps - what you describe is different from what I experienced last fall on a TT cross-country trip, but it is worth a check in the event your cause is a worse than mine similarity. Mine was an intermittent act-up like a gas engine would describe as a miss. Sometimes ran normal, sometimes a slight stumble/hesitation and sometimes an awful stumble. If it got any worse, it could have resulted in an inability to start. I expected mine to be injectors and yet it was worth checking what I did.

There are about six separate electrical connections on the the fuel pump and filter areas. I disconnected each, cleaned with an electronic spray cleaner, reassembled with die-electric grease. It took twice, but the problem disappeared. It was poor electric signals telling the engine to do its thing.

I also have a 2006 Dodge 5.9L diesel. Good luck.

That is an excellent suggestion. I have had a few electrical issues lately with it. My truck spends a lot of time in the salt air on the coast of Florida and electrical connection integrity could definitely be an issue.

I had also ran additive injector cleaner for about 3000 miles hoping to get a clear-up on this trip so we didn't have to go home or get expensive repairs (injectors) on the road. Had just changed the filter prior to the trip.

I didn't find any OEM dielectric grease evidence on the connectors as is commonly placed on bulb connections. Your salt-air probably adds to it, but simple air oxidation over time was the probable cause of mine.