I have a Cat C7 engine that won't start. It turns over but nothing. Getting fuel up to the fuel filter and water separator, but nothing after that. I'm thinking it may be the injector pump, but would like 2 second opinion. Thanks
Machine, engine models and serial #'s first.
Well you don’t really have an injector pump. You’ve got a heui pump Which uses oil pressure to fire the injectors. I’m with vetech. Give us the info and then I’ll ask my next set of questions.
These engines have a fuel pressure regulator on the return line don't they?
Yes they do, right at the fitting on the back of the head.
The reason I ask is Series 60's use a regulator on the return line. Those can have a issue and cause same symptom.
What is it in? Hell the ECM fuse could be blown, if it’s a track hoe the switch on the bottom of the seat could be flipped…..C7’s were in a lot of different machines and trucks.
Saying "I have a C7 that won't start" is a bit like like saying "I have a white Ford pickup that won't start"...........
I do have a white ford pickup that won't start. But I think the blown plastic intake is a first breadcrumb on my personal trail of tears.
Like auto engines I'm thinking these also need a timing signal that will come from one or both, cam and crank position sensors. Your going to need, 1 the high fuel pressure at the rail (dangerous stuff) 2 a firing signal at the injector. I would really like to have a newer engine to fool with and the likely way over priced service manual and the computer to access the ecm. I'm from the old mechanical fuel system days.
These don't have high fuel pressure but rather a high pressure oil rail. You do need a computer and a manual, but you can't say you are old school and don't work on newfangled stuff like the C7, because they have been ancient history for quite a while now. If you want to see inside one, look up "I do cars" on youtube, he just tore one down for parts.
I have not been around anything electronic as far as diesels go. Plenty of gassers though, I know OBD2 stuff pretty good and even some of the automotive CAN stuff. I am sort of familiar with the IH Maxxforce that does have high psi fuel rail. C7 ancient history? Thats my life. Cat didn't have them in 1990 or so. Did lots and lots of 3406's back then (not a huge fan of them, they had some problem areas), some of the 3208,s(worse), 855's, Detroits etc as far as truck stuff. Yeah I saw that I do cars the other day. Personal opinion, I don't like that engine design. But then most all newer engine designs are trade offs. Lots of corners cut on new engine designs now, and yes some how they seem to work.
Well since we’re all here and the OP is gone, you guys think he left any beer in the fridge?
Yup-It was like throwing raw meat at a pitbull. All the cat guys circled their wagons with extra ammo for the Colt and Winchester, peeking out from behind a wagon wheel with arrows zipping by. Led by Count Vetech with buck privets Mike L and Truck Shop hiding behind a rock. Then across the prairie came the reinforcements led by general Nige and his assortment of cavalry consisting of Major Junkyard, Captain Ahart, Sargent Birken Vogt and Master Sargent Crane Operator, followed by Colonel Chidog, with Captain Ahart getting in the last shot. They all narrowly escaped another another bogus attack, picked the arrows out of their ass and carried on to the next battle.
I’m finding it very difficult to not make some sort of bud light reference…..
Surprising no mention of the mighty parts cannon in this great battle . . .
With or without the OP, this thread shall go down in infamy if only for the humor content it contains. Happens all too often and I think we should take advantage of the moment
I can’t be the only one who thinks about the scenario where one of the infamous members of HEF just suddenly disappears leaving me with no answers as to what happened to them. I don’t personally know any of you but that’s not how my brain interprets it. My subconscious thinks we all work together.
Back when they came out, in this territory, they had expensive problems left and right. I don't remember so well any more, but I think the problems were sucking valves and contaminating the HEUI system with metal and the dealer would not fix/clean them correctly so problems would continue. They were also frustrating to drive, small and wimpy and high revving with no torque. I think they were the base level/cheap engine in a chassis, and you had to pay extra for an 8.3 Cummins or whatever else was available.
Some of them, at least the early models were really cold blooded. Crank no start when it's 20* out if the driver forgot to plug it in.
Since were all here killing time, lets talk about the white ford truck. So the white ford pickup has been a saga. Its a 5.4 in a 2006, under 100,000 miles. Bought it not running well, its been sitting because its broken- but rainbows and unicorns and it will get fixed. Truck runs poorly, timing chains and variable timing crap is worn out, needs heads, and we decided to just go reman engine. Reman engine gets lock outs put in the engine, and somehow when we get it in and running- it wonks the timing again, and blows the intake off. Confusion and unhappiness. So we get the timing sorted, still doesn't run well, someone has knocked the cats out in the past, and now its got the muffler plugged. Engine can't breathe- so unplug the muffler and the trucks is finally running right. Again. One of my guys is driving it all over, its his "new" truck, have put quite a few miles on it and a new set of tires... and it blows the intake apart, again. He somehow drove it 7-8 miles to the shop with the blown intake, who knows what all it sucked into the engine. I think the valves and pistons have ate up all kinds of little chunks of plastic intake. So- now that we've shot another plastic intake, and I'm pretty convinced its not a timing issue, I'm thinking I have a fuel injector sticking slightly open- when the truck gets shut off, the bad injector is dumping fuel in the intake. Hop in and hit the switch and kablooie, intake blown. So hopefully, new intake and new injectors, and we will back in the saddle. I've sworn every time that when we get it running, that I'm going to sell it- while its running. And every time I do get it running, I'm convinced I've got it sorted and its going to make a good truck. And then it goes down again....
When I worked for the Ag company they bought/ordered 2 1997 Top Kicks with them. Not even a month had pasted and the issues started, and it was everything. Set up as field/sprayer delivery trucks, at 170 hp the most gutless wrong ratio rigs that could have been bought. One spent a fare amount of time at Cat. I had both rerated which helped a lot, but with 19 rubber if either saw any loose dirt-get the Challenger.
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I have a blue 2006 Ford with a 5.4 in it as well. It was supposed to be a cheap truck . . . well, anyway. It was one of those that didn't have rust, but had been ridden hard and put in wet for years before I got to it. The level of compound issues with this one have been impressive. It would make for a good heartache thread for a rainy day. The three valve 5.4's have their issues, but blowing intakes off isn't a typical one. I guess your theory about the injectors is as good as any, I wonder if there would be a way to verify it. Probably an intermittent issue though.
I had a customer with several of them in 525 skidders and they would start no matter what the temp was. Not many places to plug them into while in the woods.
he’ll be in for a big surprise if he does come back. By then we’ll have several pages of nonsense. Bashing on everything from C7’s to bud light to OP’s who leave us hanging.
I was ready to help fix his problems by having him take a doohickey and a watchacallit to help.inspect the doodads for the thingamagigger .
It’s obviously not the doodads. You’ve been working on pavers for too long. Now it could very well be the hootiekai malfunctioning
It's all rotgut-made by Schmitt.
The last one I had anything to do with was 300+HP in a truck but could not hold a candle to a 315 HP Cummins 8.3. This one shelled the HEUI pump under warranty but the dealer only just got it barely good enough and the problems never stopped after that. Funny story I like to tell, there was a stop sign teeing into a busy 50 mph road. I got halfway across said road towing a telehandler on a flat trailer, turning left up a steep hill, when the engine quit completely, as usual it would wait for the worst time. Boss said put it in low gear and run starter to get us out of here. Made it about 5 more feet and batteries were done. Local lumber delivery truck showed up and pulled us the rest of the way to the shoulder. IIRC I think I got it started there with pliers and baling wire and drove it to a shop for the umpteenth time.
I used to look after a Freightliner M2 with a Cat C7 Acert in it. The truck had a steel service body and a 77' Altec boom. It was really heavy and under powered. I was troubleshooting a hard start problem with it and had a fuel pressure gauge plumbed in. You could watch the fuel pressure slowly climb while cranking and as soon as it hit 65PSI it would fire up and run great until you shut it off again. It turned out there is a bypass valve in the fuel pump that allows the hand primer pump to pull fuel past the gears in the pump. The bypass valve was leaking and allowing fuel pressure to leak from the output side back to the inlet side. a new fuel pump fixed the problem. I saved the gears out of the fuel pump, they are tiny they look like they should be in an oil furnace pump.
The guys were in Fort Saint John with the truck with the C7 Acert and were about to make the 13 hour drive home when the engine suddenly started to miss. I called several of the local shops but they couldn't get it in for several days. I told them to leave it there and get a ride with the rest of the crew. They had several vehicles for the job there. They decided to make the 650 mile drive running on five cylinders. It made it but it must have taken for ever. They hated the truck and I suspect they were trying to kill it. There were no fault codes so I pulled the valve cover and found a broken valve bridge. I replaced the bridge and it ran as good as ever. The crankcase was way overfull with diesel fuel too and it started using a fair bit of oil afterwards. The truck is still running to this day. They are probably still cursing me.
The only thing the C7 shared with the big Cats that are well liked, is the yellow paint and the hand primer. Otherwise it is a whole different animal and I scratch my head at these internet people who think it is cool to put them in a pickup and whatnot. Back in the day there were those who would stuff an 8.3 in, that is a real engine and a lot more boring than a C7 because it just keeps working.
Since were all just here drinking beer and who knows when you might need a new torch striker, I just bought this unit on Ebay the other day and it is easily the best unit ive ever owned. No flints, no batteries, just spark. Squeeze the handle and it sparks both on the way down and when the handle comes back up. At a little over $20 it seems to be a good value compared to a flint striker. It is called the Lightnin Bug. Just thought id buy another round until we get back to the task at hand.
Went to work yesterday morning and there was a truck with a C7 with a bad oil leak waiting for me. The plug for the HEUI oil passage in the front of the head had the O-ring fail after 20 plus years. It was a pain to get at but four hours late it was back to work.
I have a couple of old 7.3 Powerstrokes that seem to spring big oil leaks every couple of months from one plug or another but oh well, comes with the territory I guess.
The white ford has a new intake on and injectors in it. Engine runs like a house afire. BBUUUTTTT Now its throwing a blinking "tow/haul" light, and won't shift down into first......
For some reason I'm thinking something to do with TPS.
Supposedly its the "limp" mode of the transmission, likely a shift solenoid according to the code reader.
E4OD or later than that?
5r110w - I think.... Its a 2006 f-250, 5.4 with 5 speed overdrive - 4x4.
Way too late for me.
An interesting thing with a Lightnin Bug is you can dare people to put their finger on the sparking end. Amazing how many people are scared of it. It does give a pretty good shock but not enough to really hurt you.
Tow haul wasn't found on E4OD/4R100, way too crude for that. They had an "OD off" button on the end of the stalk that would blink if it had problems. Tow/haul is you having to use your own brain to select which gear by using the stalk, a little bit more effort than using the blinker but some can not be bothered. I have a little trouble driving them switching from a GM vehicle that has all 4 gears on the shift selector to a Ford with 2 and 1 on the selector but 3 is selected by pushing the OD button.
That ended in '97 . . .
The one and only time I’ve worked on a 3116 is in school otherwise I’ve spent almost a decade avoiding them and its descendants the 3126 and C7. I was even saved by a washout rainstorm from working on one out of a pickup in a skidder. I looked at it as God looking out for me lol.
Wonder if we’re getting close to getting this C7 started or if another round of drinks are needed? OP still hasn’t returned since the first post. Got a lot of guys hanging in the balance here.
I don't think the 5r110 came in a gas
Yes it did, 2005 and up. 2004 was the last year for the 4r100 in the pickups.
I’m starting to get the impression that the OP has forgotten about us. Maybe a couple more pages of nonsense and he’ll come back
Nonsense? White ford is starting- running, hasn't blown the intake off in a week, and replacing the coast solenoid has removed the transmission light. I'm thinking of going truck shopping while I've got a running trade in.....
Maybe you finally got it fixed up and it will be a good truck now ...
Wasn't smart enough to trade it. Tow haul light is back on and blinking, won't downshift to first. And it doesn't have any low end power. I see stupid 5.4's for sale with 250,000 miles on them, but I don't have any idea how they get there.
They either are junk and just don't know it or they been changing oil when they are supposed to and replace the timing after 100k