Cat IT28 running on 2 cylinders

I am trying to help a friend troubleshoot an IT28 Cat. He was plowing snow and suddenly it started to run awful. It smokes which it never does and is running on 2 cylinders. I crack number 1 or 2 injector lines, some fuel comes out, and there is no change in the motor. I crack 3 or 4 and the motor just about dies. WE did fuel filter and screen in the priming pump with no change. The oil is clean, and the antifreeze needed a gallon, not unusual, but had no bubbles like a head gasket. Want to help out without hunting and pecking at Caterpillar prices. Thank you.
 
If it was an old John Deere you would be golden.LOL. Sounds like 2 bad injectors or blown pistons. Check the dipstick and see if it is making oil, in other words is fuel oil getting into the crankcase. If making oil, take out the injectors and get them checked. If injectors are good, then the pistons are probably at fault. Was ether used to start this machine? If so that might be the root of the problems.
 
Well first of all IF the antifreeze is usually a gallon low you must have had a leaking head gasket which now has finally gone out all together. High dollar fix but you MIGHT get lucky with some good stop leak but I suspect you are in to rebuilding an engine.
 
Pull the injectors from 3/4 and drop them in place of 1/2 and see if the problem follows the injectors or stays in the hole.
Given your description I suspect you've probably got a blow head gasket and the fire rings are blown between 1/2 and they're just pumping air back and forth. That thing got a 3204 or a Perkapillar?

Rod
 
Thank you everyone. I was skeptical on the head gasket with no oil water mix. Either way we will see. Is there any other tell tale sign I should look for with the blown fire ring?
 
If it's bad enough you'll hear it farting or squalking. It'll also erode the deck if you run it long like that...
The only other thing that would immediately come to mind with this thing.... if it is a Cat pump on it... there could be a problem with the plungers or delivery valves in an inline pump. If it's got a CAV rotary pump then the pump will most likely not be the problem.

Rod
 
That does add some variables to the mix... If you had the ability to do a compression check on all 4 cylinders and see if they're within 5-10% of each other that would be a big help in knowing where the problem is. If the comp checks out then you'd look hard at those two cylinders on the pump provided the injectors check out.

Rod
 

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