Engine/Transmission (1998.5 - 2002) Engine knock: possible bent or loaded push-tube?

[Rodeobum]

My '02 5.9 24v a few weeks ago while on the interstate, oil filter came loose and lost nearly all oil before i turned the key off and coasted to the shoulder. Let it cool off replaced filter and oil (wasnt showing on dipstick) started up, oil pressure still good, ran a bit rough at first then smoothed out but has a knock that sounds like on the top end. pulled valve cover nothing broke that i can see. Drove it home about 150 miles from where it happened. oil pressure great no fluxuating, power seems fine. just knocking. My question is in my experience working on big truck cummins engines ie. NTC 400 and 350 small and big cam engines, it is common to the push tubes to fill with oil and become "loaded" and thus making the engine knock very bad. This is my first thought listening to my 2nd gen. 5.9 24v. I am not at all experienced with the workings of this engine, but if the knock is something major i cant see the oil pressure being as good and steady as ever. Any thoughts?? Thanks

 

[petersonj]

My '02 5.9 24v a few weeks ago while on the interstate, oil filter came loose and lost nearly all oil before i turned the key off and coasted to the shoulder.

Give more detail here. What alerted you to turn the key off and coast to the side of the road... engine noise?, a low oil pressure reading? a loss of power?

Also, if oil pressure remained good during the event, the engine should not have run rough when restarted.

- John

 

[Bob4x4]

From my experience on the 5.9 if you dump all the oil under load you loose bearings,the push rods do not fit into a tube

 

[Rodeobum]

Ya sorry when the oil started to burn and i was leaving a trail of white smoke then looked and oil pressure was hitting bottom and jumping back up so thats when i turned the key off. When I restarted with oil replaced oil pressure was the same as always

 

[Rodeobum]

If bearings were to go out oil pressure would show it. Plus I drove it home 150 miles after the fact and Oil pressure is fine.

 

[Tuesdak]

Pull your oil filter and cut it open looking for debris. I don't know what year the oil pressure gauge became a switched controlled decorative idiot light, but, use a mechanical gauge to check oil pressure. IMO Oil pressure is not a measure of this kind of damage anyway. Long term wear, maybe.

Consider tearing it down now while it can be rebuilt before you ventilate the block.

I would start by checking the turbo as it generally gets hurt from no oil first.

One of the gas engines I lost in the past had a good knock to it and good oil pressure. Turned out the mains were showing copper with extreme past wear spec clearance and one was ready to spin and lock it up. (The shell locating tang was deformed.) Same with a 6.5TD I tore down 6 years ago - copper showing in the mains and rod bearings, but, good oil pressure. Cam bearing wear will lower oil pressure on a 6.5, but, not main wear due to how the oiling system is done.

Here is a pic of the diesel 6.5 bearings with "good" oil pressure.

 

[Kirwin]

I second the Turbo will be the first bearing to fail at speed with the engine loaded. If you can perceive any motion of the compressor shaft when trying to move in up and down, its bad. Just idling it takes a long while. I lost oil pressure on my 97, caught it after the low oil pressure light came on. This happened around 30K miles, that truck has >160K miles now with no ill effects. My turbo shaft did not move when Mark Chapple from TST assisted me in trying to figure out if the engine was damaged.

 

[Bob4x4]

The majority of 24 valves do not have real oil pressure gauges. Most are just a switch,the computer will show you value on the cluster as long as the pressure stays above about 7 psi. Drop the pan check your rod bearings. A side note turbos do not knock

 

[Rodeobum]

The majority of 24 valves do not have real oil pressure gauges. Most are just a switch,the computer will show you value on the cluster as long as the pressure stays above about 7 psi. Drop the pan check your rod bearings. A side note turbos do not knock

Ok yes i agree not the best OP setup. So first thing is install a mechanical or good OP guage. Will check the turbo, but not thinking its bad, no smoke or loss of power on the 150 mile trip home after incident. Turbos dont knock, but wrist pins do sometimes, and that is what I would guess is the knock if it isnt a loaded push tube ( the bigger cummins engines use push TUBES not rods, and the pressed in end cups and ball ends can tweek enough under stress to let the tube fill with oil. This causes a bad knock and is what i was thinking is wrong here, however i am not familiar with small cummins engines ( by Large i mean NTC Big Cam 400 etc. ) Will get OP guage on and see whats up. have not been driving since it arrived to my driveway. Thanks and will keep yall updated RB

 

[Bob4x4]

Last one I had that dumped oil took 2 rod bearings and a piston where the pin ate some.Turbo was fine

 

[Shadrach]

Push rods are solid on the B and C engines. They do bend but that's usually from too much idling and then they get stuck.
David