Any blowby=bad news?

[Bluebird]

I'm just about 46K in two-years, and five months... I read a post that stated, "Any blowby is bad news. " I find a 3" diameter spot from my blowby tube every time I park, (pizza pan collects). In two-years and five months my rig seems to be good. I use about . 25 of a quart every 4K . Should I be concerned? I sevrvice my truck regularly, and my goal is to make it to at least million-miles before I rebuild the engine (I'm convinced that the Cummins will make it). Am I dreaming?

Thanks in advance for any replys, Patrick.

 

[BHiggins]

All internal combustion engines produce blow-by to some degree, the amount you described does not sound excessive so don't worry about it. I've seen "catch cans" on several second gen trucks that I believe are factory, they hang under the blow-by tube to catch any drips. I'm sure you could make one with little effort. If you notice the blow-by increasing drastically, then start worrying, but for now I don't think you have a major problem.

 

[cerberusiam]

Sheesh, mine leaks more than that between oil changes!



You will always have a certain amount of discharge from the breather pipe. The oil tends to condense out in the tube and drip. Unless you have a steady stream of oil smoke out of the tube I wouldn't worry too much. You could do like the 2nd gens and put a catch bottle on it so no more drips.



Depending on your driving style and use it could just need to be worked hard periodically. Load it down and head over the hill for Barstow once a week. That'll blow the snot out of it! The reason I say that is and a diesel mechanic told me the 5. 9 should use 1-2 quarts between oil changes if it is being worked to its potential. Mine uses/leaks 1 to 1. 5 between changes and I drive the snot out of most of the time.



My . 02

 

[k2diesel]

Bluebird... ... ..... Not to worry bud, and ditto what Cerberusiam said. My 1st gen with ~140K on it drips a little out the downdraft tube and uses about 1-1 1/2 quarts of delo 15w-40 between changes. But heck, so does my 2nd gen that I've owned since new and only has ~34K on it. After a fresh oil change of delo and you can smell it really well ( I happen to like it! ), I've crawled under the truck with engine running after a hard pull, and actually saw a very fine oil mist wafting from the tube. It runs real strong ( factory 215 hp 5spd 4. 10 gears) and gets as good as 23 mpg on the highway. Don't worry and be happy!... . K2

 

[bmoeller]

. 25 qt/4k? Heck . 25 qt in 500 miles wouldn't be at all exessive. Since I got my oil leaks fixed, it virtually never leaks any oil on the ground. Even from the blow-by tube.



You are doing just fine. Don't worry, be happy. Got a good truck there.

 

[Greenleaf]

Yeah. What they say.





Hey Patrick... . BTW..... Them 24 valvers in my buses spew oil out the breather vents. Make a real mess as the oil mist coats the side of the engine/engine mounts.



You may wish to check your breather vent tube for the common pinch point. They are routed behind the starter motor from the factory and will pinch off as the tube hardens. I removed mine and installed a longer hose out around the starter.



Scott

 

[JLEONARD]

In the marine applications, it is dependant upon engine rpm... the higher you run, the more "puke" comes out of the crankcase vent.

It is also dependant on how much oil is in the pan and the running angle of the engine... . the solution is usually to only fill the oil up the the "low" mark on the dipstick... . that normally minimizes the amount of puke comming out of the tube because it minimizes the amount of oil whipped up by the crankshaft.

 

[1stgen4evr]

blow by

Since I am the one that posted that, I guess I should go to a bit of detail as to why I made the statment. First, I agree with all the post here as to 'not to worry'. Our engines do definitely breath with the normal stroking of the pistons. The six cylinder is very smooth as to crankcase pressure from the piston movment but there is some palpitation. RPM, oil level, winter summer, and how the engine is used all play a part in the pretty normal consumption of a small amount of oil. As the engine ages, there will be more and more 'normal' escape of compression gasses that occurs. As long as the cylinders are in good shape and the rings are not scuffed, very little will escape there. More gasses will be coming from the valve stems and turbo than from the cylinders. (And certainly no one ever raises the turbo pressure to increase the possibility of leaks at the stems. )



BUT, I made the statment from personal experience on a truck that I bought about two years ago. Thinking that since the truck only had about 160k miles, it couldn't have anything wrong with the engine. I drove the truck, noticed brake problems and was satisfied with the power level. The transmission worked fine and the tires were shabby. I noticed that the truck had a new water pump. Really decent paint and super clean interior. Cranked instantly just as you expect the first genner to do. Also noticed that the vent pipe had what I thought was too much discharge of gasses. Still I figured it just need a good work out. So I made an offer, bought the truck and drove it home. In fact drove it around for a couple of weeks not running it very hard. I worked it a little and still no improvment in the blow by. Now we are talking about real blow by and not just a little venting.



The net result when I pulled the engine down was that it had scuffed the number six cylinder and it required a complete overhaul. Needless to say, I didn't really come out on the purchase. Doing all the work myself, I am still ok but had it required a shop overhaul, I would have been really stung.



So, if you are looking at a truck that you know nothing about, be critical of a stream of gasses from the vent pipe. It could be grief. Still, price is the final factor.



James

 

[RWWinslow]

A good oil analysis will also provide indications of blowby. Check with Polaris Labs - Indianapolis or any of the other major oil analysis labs out there.

 

[Bluebird]

Blown away... bye, bye...

Thank you all for the outstanding replys I know I can always count on this great TDR 1st Gen Forum Oo. Excuse me for the late reply, really busy 'round here, number-one Daughter Graduating

All of your experiences combined set me at ease with my truck. Is this 1st Gen Family growing or what :-laf

Patrick.