Archived Engine Blow By - EMERGENCY

[CCCRAM]

Hello Fellow TDR Members... I need your help!!

Recently my Dodge began blowing some excessive oil through the blow by cup. Normally I ignore the cup because it accumulates very little oil. I've been seeing a good six inch puddle of oil the last few weeks. I thought it was some other leak, and had the fuel pump replaced.

Today I had the dealership check it out. They said there was excessive oil coming from the cup. They cleaned it up, test drove it up a good hill in our area, about 30 minutes on the road. Came back to dealership and said there was oil in the cup, but not yet overflowing.

Dealership is telling me I need a new engine.

I need your help!! Is this an accurate diagnosis? Are there any other reasons for this excessive oil? Obviously don't want to shell out for replacement engine or even replacement truck, if the cost is too much.

Need your help and advice, as you have save me many times. BTW, signature is off, truck has 165K miles.

Please respond ASAP!!

 

[The patriot]

Hard to say with your description.
Exactly how much oil in how many miles are you using?

 

[petersonj]

Are there any other reasons for this excessive oil?

Double check the engine oil level - make sure that the crankcase is not overfilled. Also check the gear driven vacuum pump for air intake leaks. Not common knowledge, but he vacuum pump discharges air into the engine crankcase each time a vacuum operated component is used (such as switching from defrost to floor). This normal operation would not affect normal crankcase ventilation, but a significant continuous leak in the vacuum system could.

- John

 

[CCCRAM]

I will check. I changed out the oil a few hundred miles ago, so should be good.

 

[GAmes]

165k miles is next to brand new. If it really has excessive blowby the only solution is a rebuild. Do all your mods include a BHAF? Nearly every post I have ever read complaining of excessive blowby has BHAF in the signature.

I would send a sample in for an oil analysis and also take the truck to a Cummins repair shop and ask them to do a blowby check with a manometer. This is assuming you are losing a lot of oil, but having a base line oil analysis is not a bad thing anyway.

Although the vacuum pump vents into the crankcase it couldn't cause excessive blowby even if the inlet t hose was removed, simple physics. The inlet is about 3/16 in diameter, the crankcase vent hose is about 7/8 in. If your vacuum operated accessories work, like the cruise control, you don't have a leak.

 

[sag2]

Pull off the oil fill cap with the engine running and see how much blow by is coming out. It should be a slight amount, but if it looks and feels like a smokestack your engine is most likely dusted. The biggest reason for dust out is an aftermarket air filter that has not been serviced properly. You can also pull the turbo inlet tube off and look at the blades of the compressor wheel. If they have a sand blasted appearance it has been ingesting dirt. While you have the tube off wipe a spot on the bellows area inside the tube. It should be perfectly clean. If you get any dirt residue it again proves the dust out. The oil sample is also a great idea but may not show much if you just changed the oil.
If it hasn't been run that long you might be able to get away with a hone and set of rings, but you would not know for sure until the head comes off.

 

[CCCRAM]

BHAF is after market, Volant type. It's been in at least 60K, is not heavily soiled, as I check it every oil change. I assumed it was okay. Dumb question, is it possible blow by could be caused by clogged air filter?

 

[GAmes]

Just the opposite. Blowby could be the result of an inefficient filter element, thus the suggestion to get an oil analysis. A high silicon count means a lot of dirt passes through the filter and acts like sandpaper inside the cylinders.

 

[CCCRAM]

Double check the engine oil level - make sure that the crankcase is not overfilled.

- John

Well folks, mystery solved. It was a overfilled crankcase. How that happened is a MYSTERY! I had just done an oil change a few hundred miles ago. I always lay out my filter and oil in advance to make sure I get the right amount in.

The dealership had it though, so maybe they had something to do with it...

Anyway on Friday I drained the crankcase, it had 16 quarts in it. Of course it supposed to only have 11, so easy to understand why it was blowing it out the cup.

Talked to Genos guys and suggested I re-route the cup. So I took a bicycle bottle mounting bracket and attached to the axle with tie wraps, extended the hose to the bottle, drilled a few holes in the bottle.

Ran it for three days and nary a single drop of oil.

Feel stupid of course, because I can't figure out how that extra oil got in there. But its saved me $8,500 the dealership would have charged me.

So thanks everyone for helpful comments. I always depend on the TDR group to help me out. This post is DONE!

 

[CCCRAM]

Well maybe I don't feel so stupid, but my saga continues. I checked the engine oil after one half tank of fuel used, and the oil line on the dipstick is creeping up. It appears at least a quart over now.

Someone else posted on another thread to watch my oil level because it could mean fuel is leaking into it. I don't understand how that occurs.

Any suggestions on what could be causing this?

 

[GAmes]

If it was a 12 valve I'd suspect the lift pump first. Since you don't have a mechanical pump I suspect the injector(s).

 

[CCCRAM]

if its a bad injector, how do you test for that? replace them all?

 

[GAmes]

The procedure should be in your FSM. Normally if one injector has failed the rest are soon to follow.

 

[p-Bar]

Be careful what you buy for injectors they all aren't created equal

 

[jhenderson]

p- Bar, x2 . I'd give TCDIESEL a pm or phone call and get some advice and prices. He's been very helpful here for a long time and is very knowledgeable about our fuel systems.

 

[p-Bar]

Your in great hands

 

[DonFitzwater]

With as many miles as you have, I'd highly recommend a new injection pump and 6 injectors as well as connector tubes. You'll be good for a loooong time if you did that.

 

[CCCRAM]

Hey everyone, I got my blow by problem fixed. It was the o-ring at the injector and cross over tubes. Diesel shop installed injector reseal kit. After running for a few days, no fuel leakage into block, oil in midrange. Thanks to all for contributing towards my fix.

 

[p-Bar]

great Christmas gift