raw fuel coming from manifold

I just got my truck started a couple of days ago from doing an engine and tranny swap. I finally got to drive it today and it was driving great all day untill i was a mile away from home or so and it started smoking really bad, like I couldnt stay on top of the turbo. Fuel pressure jumps all over, and I think there is fuel dripping out of the manifold inbetween the manifold and up pipe on the passenger side. Im thinking its and injector issue or maybe a broken rocker arm? Idk why a broken rocker arm would cause fuel to be dripping out of the manifold but its just wishful thinking. Any thoughts???

Like Chef Ramsey would say, Shut It Down. Do not crank it again until you find and fix that injector issue.

Arisley said:

Like Chef Ramsey would say, Shut It Down. Do not crank it again until you find and fix that injector issue.

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I agree with Andy.

so your saying you think its an injector issue? They were sent to ryan casserly and gone through before I put them in.

Only way fuel is getting into a cylinder is through an injector. Could just be something as simple as not being seated down all the way. But you need to find it. Do not even try to crank it over until you purge the cylinders.

if its a injector not tight, you can burn up a cyclinder quick, or a broke tip will do that as well. money is on a injector issue. pull the covers and put a strait edge on the injectors and find the one that isnt seated, if one isnt seated pull it out check orings. if there all seated id pull them and look for a broke tip.

Yeah i'll have to pull the valve covers tomorrow after work and see whats up.

I pulled the injectors on the passenger side tonight and they all look good. All of them were seated all the way and none of the tips are broken. Is it possible that one of them is stuck open or will just stick intermittently?

Yes. You could have a nozzle hanging open causing fuel to leak past even when the injector is not activated.

What color is the smoke?

You mentioned that it was like you just couldn't get on top of the charger.... making a person like myself imagine black smoke. Yet an issue with a nozzle/not fully seated injector would produce blue/white smoke...

So which is it?



Aside from that.... a hung nozzle will not make the truck hard to drive, or make it hard to get on top of the charger. A badly hung nozzle will also include the sound of your engine hydrolocking on each stroke, which sounds like a large hammer hitting the side of the block each rev. None of that happening I take it?

Fwiw, driving around fine, then all of a sudden having an issue sounds like maybe a forgotten copper, or an unseated injector that finally burned up the lower o-ring.

That, or a cracked nozzle, which I would expect to be banging pretty good.

But for starters.... smoke color?

The smoke was black for the most part. Fuel pressure was also all over as well. I would set it at 65 psi and when I would get back from a short drive, like less than a mile, it would be at 80 psi.

oldbluef250 said:

The smoke was black for the most part. Fuel pressure was also all over as well. I would set it at 65 psi and when I would get back from a short drive, like less than a mile, it would be at 80 psi.

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I've never seen a nozzle/seating issue cause black smoke...

Are you sure the fuel pressure wasn't doing this before and you just didn't notice until something went wrong?

And does it smoke like crazy even when you're not on the throttle? If not, it's not a nozzle.

Is it missing or smooth?


Did you simply blow a charge air tube to the intercooler? Are you making boost?

The fuel pressure thing does not make sense to me. You set it at 65 and then its up to 80 psi later? Could this be unrelated or pointing to the actual issue?

How could fuel leak from inside the manifold out? If the fuel comes out wouldn't there be an exhaust leak also. Could you have some how damaged the fuel line going into the head and it just looks like it is coming from the manifold. That would explain the fuel pressure fluxuating but not the smoke. I would look at the fuel line and for boost leaks.

That is what I was hinting at as well. Huge fluctuation in fuel preasure could cuase the smoke as well. I have seen a couple times were guys with pumps going outr other issues have had smoke issues. However it cuases it I am not sure and never gave it much thought as I haven't had to deal with it myself.

Maybe a lose fuel fitting on the rear of that head or hose end.

I have seen the fuel line chafe on the clamp in the valley and leak also.

oldbluef250 said:

I just got my truck started a couple of days ago from doing an engine and tranny swap. I finally got to drive it today and it was driving great all day untill i was a mile away from home or so and it started smoking really bad, like I couldnt stay on top of the turbo. Fuel pressure jumps all over, and I think there is fuel dripping out of the manifold inbetween the manifold and up pipe on the passenger side. Im thinking its and injector issue or maybe a broken rocker arm? Idk why a broken rocker arm would cause fuel to be dripping out of the manifold but its just wishful thinking. Any thoughts???

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After reading this part again I think a fuel leak is the source of all his issues or at least is something that needs addressing before going forward. Fuel leaking down the back of the passenger side head and regulator presssure all over the place, a connection maybe? LOL. Believe me I have had more than my fair share of fuel system issues justlucky have not had any fromleaking fittings or worn hose pipe etc knock on wood.

It would seem to me that if you are setting it at 65 and then it is jumping to 80 after a short drive, that it would seem more like a restriction in the fuel rather than a leak.

Where is your gauge in the fuel system? Where is the regulator? If you had something that works it's way around in the fuel lines and can cause a restriction before the injectors, depending on where the above mentioned stuff is mounted, it could give you a high psi reading but you have lack of pressure getting to the injectors which would result in poor atomization and black smoke?

Not sure if I'm on the right track with that but the thought just popped in my head.

As far as the leak, have you cleaned the area off to make sure that it is still leaking and not spillage?

where would fuel spillage come from on top of the motor?


I should say I am assuming this is a reg ret fuel system minus the bowl as he is speaking of setting the pressure but I guess the bowl could still be there.

TARM said:

where would fuel spillage come from on top of the motor?


I should say I am assuming this is a reg ret fuel system minus the bowl as he is speaking of setting the pressure but I guess the bowl could still be there.

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Not sure where spillage could come from, just trying to get more info and rule things in/out. He just did a motor swap, not sure to what extent anything was apart. Fluids added/spilled could be possible. Mainly just getting at whether it is a definite leak, his post said he THINKS there is fuel coming from the manifold.

With the fuel system, a reg return was my assumption too, but people shim FPR's and set pressure that way, and if it is a home made system we have no idea how it's plumbed.