blow-by.... potential causes....

[dirtywhiteboy40219]

Hello,I have a 1995 2500 4x4, at the moment it has a tick over 123k. I bought the truck about 3 years ago from a German guy, and i know it was well maintained. It is stock other than a Bully Dog CAI, a 4" Diamond Eye turbo back, and a boost elbow. I also have an Amsoil Double By-pass. Thats it for the motor. I have the oil analyzed, and the last one was all well within tolerance. I try to take the best care of this thing I can, as I hope this will be my long term truck. But I am having a problem with oil loss. It does leak a little bit from the turbo oil return, where the oil goes back to the pan, (a little insight on how to repair this would be great too!) bit thats it for leaks. I have also done the KDP. I don't know what excessive blow-by looks like, as i have the only 12 valve around, nothin else to compare to. (Germans like gas trucks better.) It does have a haze that comes out of the vent tube and the oil fill and the dipstick tube. I just cant believe that with 123k, the rings are bad. I did (try to) adjust the valves about 5k ago, and now i am thinking i didnt do that 100%. I couldnt get the tab to go into the pump gear, so i did it the eyeball way. I lose about a quart every 1200 miles. The turbo has a tiny bit of side to side play, but 0 in-out. I figure the side to side play comes from not having oil pressure in the turbo.The truck runs good, but does seem to have lost a little bit of power going up hills. I am a decent mechanic, but diesel is still a bit foreign to me. I will have to do any and all work myself, as long as special tool purchase isn't more than gettin someone else to do it.I'll spare anymore run on sentences and hope that someone can get me going in the right direction. Please don't break my heart and tell me that its rings!!!!!Thanks to all.

[ISX]

When the blowby is pushing the dipstick out, then it's probably a little excessive. Mine does that. You push the dipstick all the way in and the next time you pop the hood the dipstick is out an inch. It isn't necessarily bad but it's obviously been used a little over the years, though with only that many miles I would say there was something else in the equation. Too many cold starts, they used ether....its endless. But mine does it and it's fine and happy. Though I still get great mileage. The leak where the tube drains back into the engine probably just needs a longer hose. You can see the tube goes into a short maybe orange hose that is like 4 inches long. Get one a little longer so you can stick it up a little farther onto the return line pipe and then get a couple good hose clamps on it. Mine does the same thing, just never fixed it haha. I think the oil soaks into that 4 inch hose and it expands to where it doesn't conform to the return line pipe thing. The line going to the TOP of the turbo gives the turbo the oil, the bottom is just a gravity feed back to the oil pan, though it is by no means a trickle, it pours the oil into the pan.. A quart of oil every 1200 miles is a bit much though, but it could be dumping out of that return pipe thing. I'll dig up a test you can do with a manometer so you can see how bad it is. Here you go. I might have my own writeup here somewhere but I can't remember where and I just saw this guy's today. http://www.cumminsforum.com/forum/94-98-engine/232657-checking-blowby.html Threads on the test worth reading: http://forum.mopar1973man.com/threads/2408-Compression-Test http://forum.mopar1973man.com/threads/2001-high-oil-pressure

[dirtywhiteboy40219]

Thanks for the fast reply...The dipstick tube doesnt push out on its own, i get the haze when i pull the stick out. The oil fill doesnt blow out either, it just kinda spins and stops. I cant say the original owner had a lot of cold starts, when i bought it, it had 78k. Since i have owned it, it is garage kept, plugged in (when it gets down to about 20 at night) and it also has the pre heater from Webasto. The German that owned it had this installed immediately after purchase, because in Germany it is like a felony to let your car idle for more than 30 seconds in front of your house. If you get angry neighbors, they will not hesitate to get you a visit from the Popo's. It is programmed to start about 40 mins before i leave in the morning. and i baby the h#@l out of it in the mornings or till op temp... where i continue to baby the h#@l out it. it is actually rather pampered!!!I have seen the post from Illflem on cummins forum. I only have one problem with that....I can't find any of the items to build the manometer here. I have had no luck finding a tee, have only found 3/4 clear tube, the .221 hole i could probably manage...anybody want to sell me one???? PLEAAASSEE???:pray:what are the other potential causes, anything that i can check? would a shoddy valve adjustment cause any of this? I think (maybe it is just wishful thinking) i saw something about poss vacuum lines? or vacuum pump?thanks again:thumb1:

[ISX]

I guess I read your first post wrong. The haze is normal, if it isn't pushing the oil tube out then I wouldn't worry about anything, especially if he does all that. I mean there is no reason it would be worn out with that kind of pampering. Mine has 350k miles and pushes the tube out, has a haze from the blowly tube and who knows what else. I like to blow the cob webs out of it haha. But you do have that oil loss so I would fix that tube up so it's good an sealed and tell us of any other symptoms of this lower power output.. Anything you have noticed, and I mean anything that led up to this. Do you have any gauges like EGT or boost that have changed any over time from their normal range?

[98whitelightnin]

Is there alot of oil on the underside of the motor and frame? Could be vacuum pump, I know mine leaks but im fixing to order a seal kit to fix it. Might just need to get out there and run the heck out of it for an entire tank of diesel.

[dirtywhiteboy40219]

Thanks again ya'll...I don't really know what led to this oil loss. I did the front seal 3 times because it was leaking, third time being the charm. At that point it was leaving oil spots on the ground, but it isnt anymore. The drain tube leaks but only minimally, no spots on the ground just kinda runs down the side of the pan. Yes there is oil on the bottom of my truck, but it starts from the vent tube. I have checked the VP at least a dozen times hoping that was it.:(I do have one issue that occurred twice. While driving it home from picking up a couch, it lost a LOT of power.... would barely go 55 on flat ground. It was dark out, got the flashlight and looked at everything I could.... found nothin. Got up the next morning and looked again, the vacuum line from the AFC (I think) had come undone. That was a nice relief as i thought the turbo was wasted. It did it again about 2 mos. later... at a drag race where it ran a blistering 22.?? quarter mile. :ashamed:I ran the hose under the wiring harness and havent had any issues since. I just drove it to Spain and back..... 3400 miles round trip. I ran 1800-1900 rpm the whole way. Got 22 mpg with 33" mud tires. Its just that d@#N oil loss!!!!Thanks again :thumb1:

[rancherman]

New owner means POSSIBLE different brand/type of oil????I seen this a lot. rings are all nice and sealed up.... poof. NEW owner! Change of oil. synthetic to crude oil base... or vice versa. or different type of detergent in oil. Rings are suddenly 'unpacked'. Or a possible change in driving habits. New owner is pushing the engine to higher rpm from the way the previous guy drove it. Rings suddenly are now going into a 'new area' not seen before.The good news, is.... either will settle down with miles. Your situation is a little more severe.Or, I've said this before.... I seen too many automotive diesels just fired up, and raced away! YA gotta give em a little time to warm up!Or, previous owner cooked the rings.... and promptly sold it to you. are there any 'new' radiator hoses recently installed? signs of coolant leaks?If you are blowing crank seals, pushing dipstick out the tube... umm... You already know it's too much.You getting a puff-puff-puff... from breather tube? or is it a steady flow?I had a diesel years ago that took a lot to get the rings seated after rebuild. Had to work it's nuts off, but It came around! Been perfect ever since. When I see a grocery getter Cummins... I wonder if those engines EVER got broke in?

[Mopar1973Man]

Compression test would verify the cylinder health for sure. :whistle:As for blowby causes. Vacuum pump, worn rings, cracked piston, etc.

[dirtywhiteboy40219]

New owner means POSSIBLE different brand/type of oil????

I seen this a lot. rings are all nice and sealed up.... poof. NEW owner! Change of oil. synthetic to crude oil base... or vice versa. or different type of detergent in oil. Rings are suddenly 'unpacked'.

Or a possible change in driving habits. New owner is pushing the engine to higher rpm from the way the

previous guy drove it. Rings suddenly are now going into a 'new area' not seen before.

The good news, is.... either will settle down with miles. Your situation is a little more severe.

Or, I've said this before.... I seen too many automotive diesels just fired up, and raced away! YA gotta give em a little time to warm up!

Or, previous owner cooked the rings.... and promptly sold it to you. are there any 'new' radiator hoses recently installed? signs of coolant leaks?

If you are blowing crank seals, pushing dipstick out the tube... umm... You already know it's too much.

You getting a puff-puff-puff... from breather tube? or is it a steady flow?

I had a diesel years ago that took a lot to get the rings seated after rebuild. Had to work it's nuts off, but It came around! Been perfect ever since.

When I see a grocery getter Cummins... I wonder if those engines EVER got broke in?

Hello,

Yes, I did do an oil swap. The previous owner ran a cheap (lemme say that a quart of oil here "cheap stuff" with the currency conversion is about $12 per quart ) oil, so I did switch to Amsoil with the Double by-pass. I use the 15w 40 for the older diesels. I religiously let it run for a few minutes EVERY time i cold start it, even if its 90 outside.

I have added a few quarts of Lucas over the miles too. I don't know how the previous owner drove it, he said between 65 and 75 on the autobahn. I rarely exceed 70, had it going 90ish once to run down an a-hole in a Peugeot. I really dont drive it hard. Sometimes at a stoplight I flog it a bit, but thats only for a few seconds.

There are new hoses or anything.... I dont think the thermostat has ever been out. The only hoses i know were changed were the inlet hose to the heater core where it comes from the pre heater.

The guy i bought the truck from bought it in 1996. Dont know how many miles were there when he bought it, the day i picked it up it had 78,267.

As far as the haze from the motor, it is steady.... does that mean anything???

Do I really need to beat on it???

- - - Updated - - -

I guess I read your first post wrong. The haze is normal, if it isn't pushing the oil tube out then I wouldn't worry about anything, especially if he does all that. I mean there is no reason it would be worn out with that kind of pampering. Mine has 350k miles and pushes the tube out, has a haze from the blowly tube and who knows what else. I like to blow the cob webs out of it haha. But you do have that oil loss so I would fix that tube up so it's good an sealed and tell us of any other symptoms of this lower power output.. Anything you have noticed, and I mean anything that led up to this. Do you have any gauges like EGT or boost that have changed any over time from their normal range?

I am gonna do somethin with the drain tube. It really doesnt leak TOO bad, but it is moist and does bother me.

I don't have any gauges, as 95% of funds invested were tryin to make it steer right (not really well spent i might add!!!) Do you have an opinion on whats good and whats just expensive??

The only new symptom of the power loss is that it seems a little louder... valvetrain. gonna get the stethoscope out tomorrow to verify. I need to redo that i am pretty sure. Maybe i be just a bit paranoid.

I can't thank Ya'll enough for takin the time.

[flagmanruss]

Every engine has blow by... It must have clearances if the pistons aren't siezed in the block. Yes, a compression test would be nice but a lot of work. One thing to consider... Many of us here are running small amounts of 2 cycle outboard type oil as a fuel additive. It's good for the VP44 which was intended for low sulphur fuel (as opposed to Ultra low sulfer available state side). I think it may help lubricate the rings... as a former boat mechanic, I have some experience with stuck pistons, rings, hung valves. The 2 cycle oil is intended to burn clean...

[rancherman]

when I see a puff-puff-puff.... I get suspicious of one or two bad cylinders. Something probably broke/collapsed.... it wont take long before you are not moving.A steady stream seems to be more of an even type of wear. All engines have blow by, and it's hard to get a handle on how much is too much without a meter. Lots of people will get too excited when they see a little vapor... Because most engines today route the blow by back to the intake manifold. (thanks to EPA) Ours does not, and it's there for all to see! When I see the amount of blowby that increases with engine rpm (under load) I get a little worried. Especially when the oil pan is ballooned out!! If it stays about the same no matter what the load/speed, I am good with that. (which is hard to see while behind the wheel of a moving vehicle) good to hear you give it time to warm up a little. Keep on running it the way you want... I only 'pushed' that engine of mine on it's original break in period.If you have rings that just need to adjust to your style of driving or type of oil, time and miles should take care of that.Don't sweat the extra quart or two over a year's time.... I have a couple of tractors/combines that take a gallon a day to keep em topped off!

[98whitelightnin]

I wouldnt put lucas in it anymore and I wouldnt run amsoil if its using oil like that either. Good ole valvoline premium blue, dello and rotella will dissapear that same as the expensive stuff. Are you military? Would it be cheaper for someone to mail you oil from the US?

[dirtywhiteboy40219]

I wouldnt put lucas in it anymore and I wouldnt run amsoil if its using oil like that either. Good ole valvoline premium blue, dello and rotella will dissapear that same as the expensive stuff. Are you military? Would it be cheaper for someone to mail you oil from the US?

Hello again, I am in the military and have access to the Aafes stores.... But they don't really cater to car enthusiasts, and really dont offer anything for diesel enthusiasts. That was a big reason I went ahead and switched to the Amsoil. They only have/had Pennzoil 15w40.... IF they had it all. Not real sure, but I have never heard truck owners say they run Pennzoil in their truck. The other problem with petroleum oil is the shipping. Synthetic has no problems going through the mail. But, I may look around again. They sell rotella here, but last I looked it is 18 Euros a liter. Thats about $25. It holds 13 quarts with the d-b-p filter... ouch!!! You don't know the relief to hear the haze is normal. Gonna loosen up the pin on the timing gear, and try to get the valves adjusted right and fix/replace the hose on the oil return. If the truck in your avatar is yours, its pretty similar to mine. So i feel compelled to say... Nice truck Man!! Thanks again.

[ISX]

Don't worry about that pin. All you have to do is watch #1 valves and wait until they overlap. Basically you turn the engine over and if you are going backwards (counterclockwise from the front) then the intake valve will open and as you keep going the intake valve will start to close and then the exhaust valve will start to open. The moment that exhaust valve starts to open, stop. Now on the chart of valves you can do, you do the set that includes adjusting #6. Since #1 is on valve overlap (both valves are on a cam lobe), you can't adjust it so you are not on the set that adjusts #1. Then rotate the engine 360* which will make piston #6 do the same thing, as in you watch the intake close and stop when the exhaust starts to move. Then you can do the valve set including #1. If you are going clockwise, you watch the exhaust valve close and stop when the intake starts to open. This is PLENTY accurate for a valve job and keeps you from having to mess with that pin. That thing is a complete pain and I don't know why they even bothered inventing it. It's not accurate enough to set timing with so it's basically worthless.

[98whitelightnin]

Did you ask a manager at the bx if they could order you some oil, or the hobby shop on base? I know when I was in Okinawa the hobby shop stocked amsoil for cars and bikes but no 15w40. At least you get to have your truck there, mine stayed in my dads shop in Tx when we were overseas. Good luck

[Angelic0-]

I suggest you use Castrol.... Their oils have proven to be worthy of anything from RaceCars to high end German automobiles...Castrol is used on Mercedes Actros trucks from factory and even Scanias from factory in Sweden..I use 10w60 TWS in my truck, no problems... and it runs a lot smoother than it did before with rotela 10w40...