Deere 160d lc black smoke

[Falcon1115]

I have a deere 160d lc, sn:FF160DX050279 around 10000 hrs .that would pour black smoke under load and acceleration when i got it about a year and a half ago. I went through as much of the machine as I could with my knowledge, replacing all the oils, filters and parts I thought it needed including 3 cracked engine mounts replaced, chasing multiple hydraulic leaks, some pins and bushings. its clearly been around the block. Well i am now on to fixing the fuel tank as I keep getting an error code of water in fuel. The top of the tank was apparently smashed by something at one time and patched/welded. Problem was it was the fill tube was pushed down just enough to allow water to lay around it and im assuming it allowed that water to seep into the tank through a cracked weld repair. I cut the whole top of the tank off and replaced it and now am installing a new water separator bowl and filter. I am wondering now what else I should look at to help remedy the still occurring but not as bad black smoke under acceleration and load. New filters helped but not nearly enough. Is this an injector issue? Any suggestions what else I should look at here? Especially considering the ongoing water contamination. I did take a sample of fuel from the bottom of the tank before the repair but no water ever settled out. Clearly there was water though as the inside of the tank had a bit of rust inside. Any help is greatly appreciated! These older machines always provide plenty of education for me when i get to fix them.

 

[skyking1]

are you draining the sump and inspecting that fuel regularly? That is the first step, make sure it is clean and sump it on a schedule and look at it in a jar. Swing the machine around, have it slightly off level when you do so and all the water will end up in the sump dent after a few cycles of sumping and swinging.

 

[Falcon1115]

I was not until i kept getting that error message. Since then ive been doing it religiously and the code would usually clear but it got to a point I could drain the water separator, tank over and over but the code would never clear. Took the water sensor off the bottom of the water separator and cleaned it but no luck. So im replacing the water separator with one that has a bowl. I also noticed the wiring on this thing is dry rotted and has exposed wires to the sensors so that could be the cause of the water in fuel code never clearing.

 

[skyking1]

Do you see water in the sump samples?

 

[Shimmy1]

Have you pulled the intake piping off the turbo and inspected it? Black smoke usually means not enough air, or hydraulic malfunction overloading the engine.

 

[thepumpguysc]

Definitely check the turbo..
Once a turbo looses its seal(piston ring) it’ll suck oil thru the intake and smoke like a freight train..
If ur gonna disconnect it, give it time to burn off all the oil..
Good luck

 

[mg2361]

Are the filters constantly filling with water? If they are water free and you have a WIF sensor warning then perform the following (which I recommend you do anyway).

The flywheel end of your engine, opposite side of the starter, close to the oil pressure sensor there is a 2 pin connector not being used. That is where they used to have the fuel filter on prior models and that is the original pigtail for the WIF sensor. The "D" series moved the filter to the pump compartment. If that pigtail is missing the cap or if the cap is not sealed properly and water gets into the connector then it will keep the Water In Fuel warning active. I would recommend removing the connector, make sure the terminals are dry and then seal them individually with heat shrink tubing.

 

[thepumpguysc]

THATS some great “secret stuff” right there mg.!!!
Whoda thunk it.??
It makes complete sense, and it’s probably not written anywhere..
Thanks for the tip..

 

[Falcon1115]

Are the filters constantly filling with water? If they are water free and you have a WIF sensor warning then perform the following (which I recommend you do anyway).

i found this one there. Looks clean though

The flywheel end of your engine, opposite side of the starter, close to the oil pressure sensor there is a 2 pin connector not being used. That is where they used to have the fuel filter on prior models and that is the original pigtail for the WIF sensor. The "D" series moved the filter to the pump compartment. If that pigtail is missing the cap or if the cap is not sealed properly and water gets into the connector then it will keep the Water In Fuel warning active. I would recommend removing the connector, make sure the terminals are dry and then seal them individually with heat shrink tubing.

 

[Falcon1115]

Definitely check the turbo..
Once a turbo looses its seal(piston ring) it’ll suck oil thru the intake and smoke like a freight train..
If ur gonna disconnect it, give it time to burn off all the oil..
Good luck

How would I disconnect the turbo to check it?

 

[Falcon1115]

Have you pulled the intake piping off the turbo and inspected it? Black smoke usually means not enough air, or hydraulic malfunction overloading the engine.

What should i look for when i pull the intake off the turbo?

 

[Falcon1115]

Do you see water in the sump samples?

No not recently.

 

[skyking1]

Well don't worry about the sensor anymore then. It's not as accurate as your eyeball observations of clean fuel. If you think you got it all then don't bother with another filter change but if you Don't have confidence do another filter change and then move on because that ain't the problem anymore.

 

[mg2361]

 

[Tones]

The fuel filter with the water separater has a rubber washer over the top of the sensor. It needs to be removed when cleaning and will throw codes even if there's a tiny amount of gunk on it. The other thing that happens is some people are to lazy to unplug the wires to the sensor when changing the filter and they get damaged inside the sensor.

 

[Delmer]

What should i look for when i pull the intake off the turbo?

There will be a little play in the bearing, but the turbine shouldn't touch the housing, it should spin smooth, and there shouldn't be oil anywhere to be seen. For testing, if you think there is oil leaking, you can remove the center cartridge of the turbo with both wheels, leave the exhaust part and cover it with a piece of sheet metal, then plug the oil line and start it up to see if it smokes less, at your own risk in an excavator.

Have you checked the boost pressure?
Also, the oil can leak into the exhaust and make it smoke without going through the cylinders. Is it using a lot of oil?

 

[Falcon1115]

The fuel filter with the water separater has a rubber washer over the top of the sensor. It needs to be removed when cleaning and will throw codes even if there's a tiny amount of gunk on it. The other thing that happens is some people are to lazy to unplug the wires to the sensor when changing the filter and they get damaged inside the sensor.

Thank you very much for the information. I will be replacing the sensor wiring along with the entire fuel water separator next and see what happens.

 

[Falcon1115]

There will be a little play in the bearing, but the turbine shouldn't touch the housing, it should spin smooth, and there shouldn't be oil anywhere to be seen. For testing, if you think there is oil leaking, you can remove the center cartridge of the turbo with both wheels, leave the exhaust part and cover it with a piece of sheet metal, then plug the oil line and start it up to see if it smokes less, at your own risk in an excavator.

Have you checked the boost pressure?
Also, the oil can leak into the exhaust and make it smoke without going through the cylinders. Is it using a lot of oil?

Not alot of oil really. How do I check the boost pressure? Forgive me if I don’t even know what that is? Still learning as i go

 

[mg2361]

Turbo boost pressure test is checking engine power using the pressure the turbo puts out. There is a port on the side of the intake manifold just below the air intake pipe that a test fitting can be inserted and a gauge is then attached to.

First though is to check for codes. While in the Service Menu portion of the monitor (see below for access to Service Menu) scroll to the "Troubleshooting" then press select. Scroll to "Engine Controller" and press select. If any codes show up post them (post a picture of the codes?). You should also be able to highlight and select each code to get more information.

 

[terex herder]

Black smoke sounds like to much fuel for the amount of air available, or just poor spray pattern from the injector. How does it start when cold?

I have water in the fuel in my 200D on a frequent basis. I've drained the tank of water but still find water in the separator when the alarm goes off. I fill a dozen other pieces of equipment from the same fuel tank and nothing else ever gets water in the fuel. There has to be a leak somewhere, I just don't know where. I've been tempted to just lay a bead of silicone around the fuel riser just in case.