I have already read the 2-3 injector threads posted in here in the past week or so and I think I am screwed.Let me back up a few steps... in the past 2-3 weeks, the truck (2004 QCLB stickshift) has been idling rough right as it starts up. Rough enough that it shakes the truck back & forth. for a while, this would last until the truck got warm. No smoke, no hard-start, just that rough idle.Then I took a 1000-mi highway round trip. After I arrived at the destination (500+mi), it was idling rough even after it warmed up. In fact, the warmer it got, the more it began to CLACKCLACKCLACK as I started the truck rolling. It would just clack until the truck started rolling and the load on the motor was relieved.Kept on driving til I got back home (no other symptoms and the truck does just fine at speed on the interstate), but now it CLACKCLACKCLACK's much further through 2nd gear and low in 3rd gear as I am driving in stop n go traffic.i took it to a diesel mechanic (Southern Truck Parts- where Jeff Garmon first started out MANY years ago) and he said it sounds like an injector. He also told me that they are on national backorder with Bosch for at least 2-3 weeks. I have several questions:1. This is my daily driver and I have no other vehicle. I tow with it every Saturday (Approx 7500 lb tool trailer). I can't have this thing waiting in some shop for 2-3 weeks waiting for a test & some new sticks. What do I do here?2. The truck is bone stock with a 4" turbo-back exhaust and an Air Raid intake tube on it. I was only planning on installing some gauges and a Smarty JR later this year. I was never planning on upgrading injectors. If I upgrade injectors (+50hp?) won't it start to smoke without some other supporting mods? I dont' have any smoke now and I don't want any smoke... If upgrading injectors will get me back on the road sooner, then what brand and what size? I don't have the money to just go out & get a bigger turbo to keep the smoke down, etc...3. Is there any way to determine which of the six injectors is failing? If I can buy a single stick, that'd obviously be cheaper...Help me out here.... what do I need to do for minimal downtime? Can I keep driving it while i am waiting on parts?yikes...:banghead:

Well the only problem that I know of with just installing one injector is, that it requires almost the same amount of time it would take to install all six! Private message me and I can get you a price of some good reman injectors! Just put 6 of these in another guys truck a couple of weeks ago and he's running strong!

Now replacement is dealing with the failure but you still haven't dealt with the cause of failure yet... Reason why 3rd generation common rail injectors fail is because of the fuel filter system is poor. If you upgrade to 2 micron filter it should keep your injectors in good health. The small debris that pass a stock filter acts like a sandblaster and erodes the seat inside the inector that controls the firing. So what happen the injectors start to leak and hard starting start to occur because the CP3 can't build rail pressure fast enough.

the mechanic pulled the dipstick (truck was running) and smelled it really closely. He didn't think there was any fuel in the oil yet. But I'm pretty much driving a ticking time-bomb at this point? If the injectors leaks down over night, won't it hydraulic the motor?

You need to closely monitor the oil level, it could be an injector stuck open (most common) or closed. It's not uncommon for a faulty injector that is driven on to melt a motor. Honestly with the current back-order your best bet is to send all 6 to DDP (or another quality company WITH the Bosch test machine) and see what's going on. You will be down, but its the quickest. But there are a few quick tries first, change the fuel filter and put an injector cleaner in it. Once you get the injector issue fixed your next purchase should be fuel filtration, I highly recommend the GDP MK2+ kit with a Donaldson P551313 at a min.

You need to closely monitor the oil level, it could be an injector stuck open (most common) or closed. It's not uncommon for a faulty injector that is driven on to melt a motor. Honestly with the current back-order your best bet is to send all 6 to DDP (or another quality company WITH the Bosch test machine) and see what's going on. You will be down, but its the quickest. But there are a few quick tries first, change the fuel filter and put an injector cleaner in it. Once you get the injector issue fixed your next purchase should be fuel filtration, I highly recommend the GDP MK2+ kit with a Donaldson P551313 at a min.

What he and the others said. Do you tow for a living??? Do you have "business" insurance that would reimburse you for a rental vehicle???? If so, it may be cheaper in the long run to rent a vehicle until you can get "proven, quality injectors"!!! No offense meant mrtowman4u............but if I'm gonna spend some serious bucks on injectors for a 3rd gen, IMHO, they'd better be the best..........not just tips, etc. If you're gonna spend the bucks on your truck for a bad injector........especially if your truck has 150,000+ miles on it.................do all 6 injectors and make sure they are OEM's, or enhanced ones by DDP, Formula 1 etc. In the long run, you'll be money ahead and way happier!!! Tips alone don't mean crappola on a 3rd gen. Often times its the injector bodies or the injector body inerds that fail due to the pressures and multiple injection events. Going the cheap route solves nothing here!!

I do tow for a living, but it's towing a tool trailer with everything necessary to build houses for Habitat For Humanity. I don't have any insurance, and we are a non-profit that wouldn't even begin to sport me a rental on their dime. I can borrow a shop truck (one of 4) but there are already 2 other folks with trucks that are down. While my truck only has 60,000 miles on it, apparently it is just time to do injectors...What is everyone's opinion of running 50hp injectors on a stock motor? Will it just be a hot smoky mess?

I took it to the dealer to get a diagnostic and it's the nozzle on the #5 injector- sooted up. He told me something that I hadn't thought of... according to the data logs, the majority of my driving is in the 1-10% load range. He said that my commuting 25 miles in stop-N-go traffic each way to & from work isn't doing what the truck is designed for. He said that my little 8000 lb tool trailer that I haul 2-3 days a week isn't working the truck enough. He said that the truck is designed to do WORK and even putting it through its paces in Atlanta traffic and dragging trailers (including my 3200 lb Dodge Dakota to the dragstrip) is not working the truck with enough load. His opinion is that this will keep happening occasionally (the injector nozzles will continue to soot up) unless I work the truck harder.Is he right? Did I buy too much truck? In the meantime, he said that I need to run about 4 bottles of injector cleaner through it. If that doesn't work, then it's time to replace the injector.Last question- should I replace #5 injector with a reman injector or should I buy a new set of 6 from somebody like DDP? Or can I get away with new nozzles?

I don't believe a HPCR injector will show any codes/diagnostic info from being "sooted" up. You are working your motor enough that what he said shouldn't happen. A regular injector cleaner is a great idea, and you can see if it works.. but keep a VERY close eye on your oil level.

I've been eyeballing it every time before I turn the key. I'm going to try a new filter and some injector cleaner and maybe I'll hook up to our heaviest shop trailer & do some hills to get some EGT.Is that a mistake? I'm basing that off a post from MoparMan himself over on DieselBombers.com.PS- Also bear in mind that this condition never popped a code. He just plugged it up & the computer showed him it was #5.

I'm not gonna say the tech is wrong, because it very well could "just be the injector nozzle"..............That said, my new work trailer only goes about 3500lbs. and my old one went about 4500lbs. or so. I have never had a problem towing either of them around suburbia where my speeds for the most part are under 45mph. I tow most everyday of the week though, but if I do get the chance, I'll drop my trailer at a farm if I'll be there the next day..........just so I don't have to tow it home and then back again..............I'm being "Green" that way, by saving fuel!!!!!:lmao2:Do you "short shift"??? If so, rev her up to about 22-2300rpm before you shift gears. It's easier on the driveline, and it'll keep you from lugging the engine...............which is probably the major cause of soot/carbon buildup. I'm at 143,000+ miles on my 04.5 now, and she's still running strong as ever.

Hmmm... Carbon will burn at 1,000*F so if you can get you exhaust temps to 1,000*F and hold it for about 4-5 miles they should be cleaned up. Just climbing my way up the canyon here to New Meadows, ID empty I see 800-900*F on a regular basis. Even the Dodge FSM for the 6.7L requires exhaust temps of better than 1,000*F to burn the carbon out of the DPF filter. Yeah I know you're just 5.9L CR but the principal is the same.

NOx is formed heavily when combustion chamber temps exceed 2370° F, so we know that combustion temps on your 05, even in stock trim, are well over 1000° most the time when towing, so you should be fine. A tuner like the Smarty Jr will actually advance the timing and create higher cylinder temps which should help soot/carbon buildup.

I'm gonna say the tech is wrong... I'm not short shifting and the way I drive on the highway, it's not loading up/bogging down at all. I dont' have gauges yet, but whenever I get an open stretch in front of me, I'll accelerate until I get to the next car in front of me. Usually, on the interstates, I'm at 70-75-80 if I can help it and around town, I like to leave the traffic lights kinda quick. It's the drag racer in me.Now, the tech assured me that I'm not doing harm by continuing to drive it, but I'm not so sure.I went directly to the parts place & got the big bottle of Diesel Kleen and put most of it in the tank (filled up on #2 as well). This morning, I've already put about 60 miles on it and tried to use a little more pedal as well. It's idling a lot smoother, but if I've been sitting at a stop light for too long, that fuel knock (clackclackclack) still happens when I first let the clutch out. Other stoplights, there's no knock at all...I have a feeling that the Diesel Kleen is just masking the problem... I think I'm just going to go ahead & replace the injector if it's not any better by the end of this tank. I have a buddy at a Dodge dealer in Fla. who says he will get me a replacement unit at his cost. Then it's off to GDP to get the filter kit.

With the miles on your truck I would do all 6 at once.

If you were to choose between dealer replacements from Dodge and a set of 50hp sticks from DDP, what would you do? I don't have the cash to do either option, but just curious....

DDP all the way. If you can afford the down time you would probably be money ahead to pull your 6 and send them off.

So they won't ship a set & then wait for your cores? They need your cores first?

You can do it that way, but I was referring to having yours checked/serviced/repaired. Call them and see what your options are.

Roger that... I'll call 'em.

Roger that... I'll call 'em.

Tell them of your dilemma, and maybe they'll work with you!!! Just saying here.............this is not from experience. Like I said, "just saying"!!