al_fol

Just a question and thought. First the question, do the block heaters have a built in thermostat of some sort to tell them to quit heating or do they just heat all the time?? Now the thought, I always try to plug mine in when i park it at night and the truck is at operating temperature. I just figure that if the heater is thermostatically controlled it would be cheaper to heat as it cooled than to heat from dead cold.

Just a thought, might save u a few bucks. Have u tried a headlight restoration kit? I have had good success with those. $30 bucks or so at your local auto parts store?

Well, the turbo really wasn't the problem. Finally decided to take truck to a mechanic friend of mine. He checked everything out and it appears the valve seats/seals are the culprit. He also recommended rebuilding the turbo because of the little bit of play in shaft. Maybe good time to upgrade turbo, any suggestions

I was speaking of the HE351CW, not the VGT. They are different aren't they?

Was wondering what issues I might have doing the swap? I realize that the newer turbo is a larger and more efficient. How should I go about dealing with the electronic wastegate, downpipe etc....

Ok, i am pretty sure my turbo is the culprit for my problem. After actually looking at a good turbo and feeling the amount of slop and play it had, i went back to mine and took a look. Mine actually spins freely, but it does have some side to side play and by pushing lightly to one side it really will not spin at all. it has no in and out play. I have yet to pull the exhaust side of the turbo to see if there was any oil in it (been way to busy). Does this make sense? If this is the problem, how hard is it to replace the turbo with let's say a 2004.5 and up HE351CW? Wastegate, downpipes etc........ Just trying to wrap my head around this.

Yes! I am actually south of that in Richmond, but I know where that is, and i too chuckle overtime I pass by. Wifey says I will never grow up. And you know what, she's right.

I am going to definitely going to recheck the turbo again. I pulled the intake use of turbo but did not pull the exhaust side. I too am leaning tiwards the turbo, but with my luck that would be to easy. I also noticed that the wastegate will operate when cresting a couple of hills, and I am just cruising along. Just let off the throttle to crest hill (quick transition from uphill to downhill).

I would be in central ky, 1 hour south of Cincinnati.

Thanks for offer, if u were closer I would surely take u up on that!

Thanks for reply, valuable information is always helpful, I just hope it isnt the rings or valve guides because I can not afford those repairs!

Well I would not call it excessive, but just enough to say huh, wonder what caused that? I am concerned. Also it will do same thing after going down a steep grade with tranny pulled down to 2nd(auto) to hold back the truck.

New symptom, need guidance. I have noticed that when idling at a long stoplight or waiting to get a gate open that when i go take off there is white smoke, followed by a bit of blue then it clears up. Could this be signs of turbo failure like moparman mentioned earlier in this thread or is this an entirely different issue? Guidance please.

Well changed my oil today, went with Rotella 15w-40, delo is not readily available. Might find a gallon here and a gallon there. Anyway, we will see what happens. I hope it is that simple.

Yes, I have checked it religiously every morning, same level place, engine cold since i have been monitoring it. Before that, i did not check it that often. The "check gauges" light never did come on. Always showed good oil pressure on the gauge.

Thanks to all the advice, and insight from everyone. I am going to try a different oil, hope it is that simple. Maybe I'm wiping all my oil off my rag checking the oil so often???

Thanks for the replies! I plan on changing the oil soon and i will switch to delo or rotella. Maybe that will make a difference. I hope it is that simple!

Amen to that!

Ok, yet another update. Have been monitoring oil level everyday. Oil level has stayed the same except yesterday morning and this morning. When I refilled to the oil I filled it to the "a" in safe. Now it is at least a 1/4" below that. Here is breakdown of last couple days. Wednesday: checked oil and all good, changed ccv filter. Thursday: checked oil all good, hauled a load of mulch in bed of truck maybe a 1000 lbs. Worth. Had daughter moving truck around unloading mulch, noticed it was producing a bit of haze just kinda easing around. Friday: checked oil and it was down to bottom/left side of the "s". Saturday: checked oil and it is now at least a 1/4 inch below the "a". Now I am really concerned! There is also a very steep hill that i go down daily. When I do, I always pull tranny down to 2nd and let motor hold me back. Got to bottom of hill to stop sign, took off and there was a pretty good ploom of a white, almost steamy looking smoke that exited my exhaust followed by a little blueish smoke then it cleared. Now what? I'm about ready to trade.

Another update, finally got a chance to take apart the turbo side of boost air, and I am happy to report there was no oil in the hoses , the fins on turbo look good, no play in shaft and spins freely. So, anybody else have any ideas? I am going to switch oils at next change and see if that makes a difference. Thanks for all the ideas, input and tips, please keep them coming

ok, here is an update. Home from vacation, truck has sat for 9 days. Checked oil again, still nothing on dipstick (didnt think there would be). Added 6 quarts of oil to bring to the middle of safe range. Checked all the places everyone has mentioned, tappet cover appears to be fine, no oil in antifreeze, no leaks anywhere. looked at ccv hose under truck it is black with a little bit of gunk on end. Have not pulled the hose from turbo to intercooler to check for oily residue (its too flippin hot outside!), i will get to that when this heat goes away. Now that i have oil level correct, i start the truck, 1 turn of key and 4 turns of motor later she fires right up, purrs like a kitten (a loud kitten). After a minute or so of idling i blip the throttle just a bit and there is quite a bit of white smoke\steam that comes out of exhaust, normal i believe. Drop truck in gear to run down road to get my daughter from church, notice in mirror there is a short trail of blue smoke behind me that clears pretty quick. After that all is normal. Truck smokes very little black smoke at takeoff, gets good MPG, and will smoke a little when I mash the skinny pedal. Only code I have is the smarty code P062. I hope i have covered all the bases here, I know I am forgetting something. Oh, took oil fill cap off while truck was running and just sat it on the hole and the only thing it did was basically screw itself back on. Noticed a bit of steam/smoke coming out of hole. Any more suggestions???

Switching oils sounds like a good idea. May i ask why that could make a difference? Just trying to wrap my weee little brain around the concept

If the tappet cover was leaking, would there be an obvious puddle or oil all under truck?

Where is the tappet cover located on a 2003? Okay, don't answer that question, suffering from analysis paralysis.

Thanks for all the replies! I will do more checks when I get back from the beach. what causes excess crankcase pressure, what is it, and what damage can it cause?