Hello. After searching this and other dodge forums, I can't seem to find anyone who has experienced this problem in the same way as me, or was able to resolve it. So here goes . My 2012 RT will emit huge clouds of white/gray smoke at times. Literally It fills the rearview mirror. It seems to be related to certain driving conditions, as it will consistently happen at the same points in my commute. For example, coasting at about 20-25 in ECO mode and turning onto another road. When I get back on the gas and it comes out of ECO that's when I get the smoke. it appears it may be related to the MDS feature? Here's what I've done to troubleshoot/remedy. I ruled out water/coolant being burned .The level has remained unchanged for months . The car does use oil, which according to a TSB is acceptable to dodge. So I installed a catch can. Problem persists. I assume these transmissions are not vacuum modulated in any way, so that would rule out trans fluid getting sucked in and burned. And I don't think it's condensate in the exhaust because it happens 30 minutes into my commute sometimes. That would have evaporated or burned by then. Really I'm out of ideas. I've been driving behind the car when it belches the smoke and its unlike anything ive smelled. Not coolant. Not oil. Maybe slight sweetness .I struggle to describe it. Any ideas? Thanks in advance.
Stevesauer
The engine is consuming (burning) some oil and gas could be getting mixed in with it. Oil in the cylinder could be valve seals leaking and the gas could be from fuel injectors leaking. Have you pulled the spark plugs to inspect them?
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They could be related.
P1411 (Cylinder 1 Reactivation) occurs when MDS fails to disengage for cylinder 1 when MDS is transitioning from 4 to 8 cylinder mode.
Possible causes for P1411 include:
* MDS solenoid #1 control circuit is shorted to voltage
* Oil passages restricted
* Lifter
* MDS solenoid #1 is defective
A bad lifer can also cause P0301.
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P1411 (Cylinder 1 Reactivation) occurs when MDS fails to disengage for cylinder 1 when MDS is transitioning from 4 to 8 cylinder mode.
Possible causes for P1411 include:
* MDS solenoid #1 control circuit is shorted to voltage
* Oil passages restricted
* Lifter
* MDS solenoid #1 is defective
A bad lifer can also cause P0301.
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Wow. That's not great news. But it seems that the common thread between the 2 codes is the lifter. Not overly difficult, just a time consuming and likely expensive job .I also read the 1411 can be due to improper oil weight. The day this happened my wife put about a half quart of 10w30 in (women). Haha. Anyway after a plug and oil change and clearing the codes, it Runs great again. But I did still see some of the smoke that prompted this thread. My guess would be the seals or rings are shot on cylinder 1 and this is just how it's gonna be moving forward .That pretty much where I am?
I don't know if a 1/2 quart of 10w30 would be enough to cause a problem (engine holds 7 quarts) but MDS and VCT (variable cam timing) do depend on the correct oil viscosity (5w20) in order to operate correctly.
Leaky seals or rings in cyl-1 can cause a P0301 misfire code once there's enough fouling of the spark plugs. You can perform a cylinder compression pressure and leakage test. That's about all you can do to diagnose the problem without removing the cylinder head.
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Perhaps I'll have to look into having that testing done. Based upon the condition of the plugs in that cylinder and the issue seeming to coincide with the car coming of of mds mode, I'm kind of suspecting a valve seal. When in mds mode and that cylinder is shut down, the seal allows oil to pool. When the cylinder reactivates, that oil is burned, resulting in the large smoke clouds .Sound reasonable? Or crazy?
If anyone's curious of the plug condition, I've added a pic of cylinder 1. As you can see they are caked in oil and sludge.
If anyone's curious of the plug condition, I've added a pic of cylinder 1. As you can see they are caked in oil and sludge.
Attachments
Could be a valve seal or piston ring. The compression test will tell you if the compression is low. For the 5.7L Hemi (2012) the compression should not be less than 100 psi, it should hold pressure, and not vary more than 25% from cylinder to cylinder.
If the cylinder’s compression is found to be below specifications, inject oil into the cylinder and repeat the compression test. If the compression increases the problem is piston rings. Adding oil into a cylinder with worn piston rings increases the cylinder's compression because the oil fills the gap between the ring and cylinder wall. If there's no increase after adding oil the problem is with the intake or exhaust valve.
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If the cylinder’s compression is found to be below specifications, inject oil into the cylinder and repeat the compression test. If the compression increases the problem is piston rings. Adding oil into a cylinder with worn piston rings increases the cylinder's compression because the oil fills the gap between the ring and cylinder wall. If there's no increase after adding oil the problem is with the intake or exhaust valve.
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2011 DODGE RAM 1500 5.7 hemi.. EXACT same problem. I know this is an old post, but I just ran into it. Every time MDS kicks off, I get a white "PUFF" of smoke. NOW, today it started to misfire badly.. getting code P0301 and P1411. Did anyone ever get a fix for this issue. Don't know where to start looking.. plug, lifter, fuel injector....HELP!
How about a focused picture of the plugs, and a side profile. Put your glasses on before choosing a pic to post.
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P0301 is a cylinder-1 misfire and P1411 is a cylinder-1 MDS reactivation control problem.
Power (voltage) is supplied to each MDS Solenoid when the engine is making a transition from 8 cylinder mode to 4 cylinder mode. By actuating the solenoid, oil pressure is raised to the pair of lifters that coincide with each particular solenoid. The oil pressure pushes in the locking pins that allow the lifter to collapse; decoupling the valves and camshaft.
Reactivation occurs when power is removed from the MDS solenoid and the spring loaded locking pins are allowed to push back out; allowing the lifter to lock back into a functioning lifter.
P1411 is set for cylinder-1 when MDS fails to disengage for cylinder-1. Cylinder-1 is not reactivated and stays in 4-cyl (lifter collapsed) mode.
Problem could be electrical (MDS solenoid, wiring harness/connector) or mechanical (lifter).
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Power (voltage) is supplied to each MDS Solenoid when the engine is making a transition from 8 cylinder mode to 4 cylinder mode. By actuating the solenoid, oil pressure is raised to the pair of lifters that coincide with each particular solenoid. The oil pressure pushes in the locking pins that allow the lifter to collapse; decoupling the valves and camshaft.
Reactivation occurs when power is removed from the MDS solenoid and the spring loaded locking pins are allowed to push back out; allowing the lifter to lock back into a functioning lifter.
P1411 is set for cylinder-1 when MDS fails to disengage for cylinder-1. Cylinder-1 is not reactivated and stays in 4-cyl (lifter collapsed) mode.
Problem could be electrical (MDS solenoid, wiring harness/connector) or mechanical (lifter).
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