ROOT  CAUSE  FAILURE  ANALYSIS  

 

Diesel  fuel  has  been  identified  by  at  least  one  OEM  as  a  Root  Cause  of  Engine  Fuel  System  (pump  and  injector),  EGR,  EGR  Cooler,  Sensor,  and  Turbocharger  failures.  

Ford  Motor  Company  recently  issued  a  new  TSB  (Technical  Service  Bulletin)  regarding  vehicles  using  the  6.0  Liter  PowerStroke  engine.  

TSB  08-­‐2-­‐7  stating  that  "Some  vehicles  with  a  6.0L  diesel  engine  may  exhibit  white  smoke,  black  smoke,  lack  of  power,  exhaust  odor,  surges,  or  no  start  as  a  result  of  excessive  coking  deposits  (un-­‐combusted  or  incompletely  combusted  hydrocarbons).  The  root  cause  of  the  coking  must  be  corrected  or  the  coking  may  reoccur".  

They  further  state:  "Coking  deposits  are  generally  un-­‐combusted  or  incompletely  combusted  hydrocarbons  and  can  form  on  system  components  such  as  the  EGR  Valve,  EGR  Cooler,  EBP  Sensor,  EBP  Tube,  Intake  Manifold,  Turbocharger,  Catalytic  Converter,  and  EGR  Throttle  Plate".  

"Un-­‐combusted  deposits  can  be  linked  to  delayed  combustion  events.  Delayed  combustion  events  can  be  a  function  of  hard  to  ignite  elements  (poor  quality  fuel,  excessive  fuel,  engine  oil,  or  excessive  exhaust  gas  recirculation)  in  the  combustion  chamber  or  a  delayed  injection  event  (calibration,  wire  chafe,  injector  mechanical  issue  (Sticktion)).  

"Un-­‐combusted  fuel  is  usually  evident  as  a  fuel  scented  white  exhaust  smoke.  Un-­‐combusted  fuel  may  create  coking  which  impairs  system  functionality  eventually  leading  to  black  exhaust  smoke/poorly  combusted  fuel".  

 

 

In  situations  where  injectors  have  built  up  carbon  deposits  to  the  point  of  not  being  able  to  properly  atomize  the  fuel,  or  EGR  Valves  that  have  coked  or  "carboned"  up  to  the  point  of  no  longer  being  able  to  regulate  the  Exhaust  gas  Recirculation,  or  EGR  Coolers  that  have  plugged,  to  Turbochargers  coked  to  the  point  of  no  longer  being  able  to  vary  their  geometry;  common  practice  has  been  to  replace  very  expensive  parts.  

Later  some  companies  developed  systems  to  "flush"  the  EGR's  and  Coolers.  Flushing  will  temporarily  improve  the  operation  of  the  engine,  however  this  type  of  repair  lasts  only  a  short  time  and  the  initial  problems  usually  reoccurs.  

Oftentimes  the  same  parts  are  replaced  many  times  and  then  you  have  the  problem  where  the  one  part  that  is  not  functioning  correctly  causes  other  related  parts  to  fail.  

In  these  instances  it  is  vitally  important  to  determine  the  root  cause  of  these  failures.  There  is  a  suggested  method  to  do  this:  

1. Define  the  problem.  

2. Gather  data/evidence.  

3. Ask  why  and  identify  the  causal  relationships  associated  with  the  defined  problem.  

4. Identify  which  causes  if  removed  or  changed  will  prevent  recurrence.  

5. Identify  effective  solutions  that  prevent  recurrence,  are  within  your  control,  meet  your  goals  and  objectives  and  do  not  cause  other  problems.  

6. Implement  the  recommendations.  

7. Observe  the  recommended  solutions  to  ensure  effectiveness.  

Today  the  Root  Cause  of  80%  to  85%  of  the  diesel  engine  fuel  system  related  problems  is  poor  fuel  quality  and  fuel  characteristics.  

In  the  case  of  the  problems  described  above  on  the  Ford  6.0L  and  most  of  the  fuel  system  and  related  problems  found  with  other  diesel  engines,  the  Root  Cause  of  the  Failure  is  poor  fuel  quality.  You  can  replace  parts  and  flush  till  the  cows  come  home  and  you  will  continue  to  have  the  same  problems  over  and  over  and  over  again.  

Note:  Albert  Einstein  once  described  insanity  as:  "Doing  the  same  thing  over  and  over  again  and  expecting  different  results".  

Ford  has  recommended  the  use  of  a  Cetane  Booster  and  Performance  Improver  to  improve  fuel  quality  and  reduce  coking  and  un-­‐combusted  fuel  problems.  

This  is  not  a  Ford  only  or  PowerStroke  only  problem.  Every  engine  manufacturerhas  to  deal  with  these  problems  in  one  form  or  another.  

 

 

 

Well  Worth  Products  provides  products  such  as  our  Summit  Fuel  Treatment  that  not  only  raise  Cetane  4  to  6  points,  but  also  provide  fuel  system  and  injector  cleaning,  inhibits  corrosion,  disperses  (removes)  water,  provides  thermal  and  oxidative  stability  (this  includes  storage  stability),  adds  Lubricity,  protects  o-­‐rings,  gaskets,  and  seals,  improves  fuel  atomization,  prevents  the  buildup  of  gums,  varnishes,  and  carbon  deposits,  (coking)  cleans  up  existing  deposits,  and  provides  unsurpassed  cold  weather  protection  (anti-­‐gel),  and  wax  anti-­‐settling  protection.  

Summit  Fuel  Treatment  goes  to  the  root  cause  and  fixes  it  before  the  problems  occur.  

Applies  to:  

Summit,  Injector  Pro  Clean,  E-­‐Flush,  EOA-­‐D