[Roy50]

I have a 2004 Ford F250 6.0 diesel. Under a hard pull it begins to cut out and puffs of black smoke roll out of the exhaust. It's only got 53,000 miles on it. Wondering if anyone knows what the problem might be.

[TxGreaseMonkey]

. Check engine oil level--ensure it's filled to the top line. Since this affects fuel pressure, begin by ensuring it's properly filled.

. Black smoke is usually a signal that there's too much fuel, not enough air, or injector pump timing is off. One of the most common causes is an air inlet restriction. The cause may be a dirty air filter, a collapsed intake hose, or an exhaust restriction.

. Check air filter--ensure it has been changed recently.

. Check fuel injectors. Leaking injectors create an overly rich air/fuel mixture and cause black smoke. Take the valve cover off and look at the exhaust part of the injector, when it is running. Each time the injector fires, you should see oil exhausting from it. If you see oil coming out, then the injector is good. When replacing a bad injector, take the glow plug out and crank the engine to get any oil out of the cylinder. If you don't, you could hydro-lock and bend a rod.

. Check turbo for carbon buildup and bent turbine blades. This ties into exhaust restriction.

. Purge fuel filter or fuel separator of water. Do this at least monthly--daily, if necessary. Water can be a big problem with diesels. Watch for and treat bio-organisms.

. Once you isolate and fix the problem, use synthetic heavy duty engine oil. Installing a by-pass oil filter makes using top-quality synthetics very cost effective, when integrated with a used oil analysis (UOA) program. All engines run better on synthetics, particularly turbo diesels. Besides significantly improved engine life, turbo life, performance, and gas mileage, synthetics promote easier starting, by allowing increased cranking speed. This last factor is particularly important in cold weather. Synthetics are also easier on batteries and starter motors. Anyone who has a turbo and doesn't use synthetics is asking for trouble. Here are several good choices:

http://www.mobiloil.com/USA-English/...uck_5W-40.aspx

http://www.mobil.com/USA-English/Lub...ac_1_5W-40.asp

[fireman5492]

Throttle actuator sensor, unplug it and you will be fine, it cost me 175 .00 for the same problem and they just upluged it and gave me the bill

[deals]

I have a f 250 if you put your foot into it to acculate a few times pyffs of white smoke and lose of power to nothing then in picked up and took off back to house coolant low 1 gal in hasn't seemed to do it again is it coolant or injector

[TxGreaseMonkey]

deals, white smoke is a sign of water vapor or fuel that has been atomized, but not burned. Water vapor may be present in the fuel, or water may be leaking into the cylinders from the cooling system. Also, air in the fuel can cause white smoke. White smoke usually occurs when there is not enough heat to burn the fuel. The unburned fuel particles go out the tailpipe and typically produce a rich fuel smell. It's not unusual to see white smoke in the exhaust, during cold weather, until the engine warms up. Bad glow plugs (burned out, coated with carbon, or not receiving proper start-up voltage) or a faulty glow plug control module can cause white smoke on engine start up. Low engine cranking speed may also produce white smoke. If white smoke is visible after the engine has warmed up, the engine may have one or more bad injectors, retarded injection timing, or worn injection pump. Low compression can also be a source of white smoke.