blue smoke, oil burning, or pump??

[GMichaels]

I have read through the posts reguarding blue smoke, seems some say its oil burning and others the pump or injector problem.



On my truck when first starting (75 degrees) there is a lot of blue smoke, idles fine and starts right up. But around 1200 rpm I can hear and feel that one cylinder is missing, and looks like it is generating most of the smoke. at higher rpms it goes away.



After warm up smoke disappears and missing cylinder is much improved to almost can't notice.



Now with gassers this would be oil bypassing the rings or valve seals.



So on a diesel its?? bad cylinder? rings. pump, injector? No blowby the oil fill port.



I am trying to determine if I should keep the truck or sell it. If this is a sign that the engine will need rebuilding soon I have answered that question.



270k miles, get5spd 3:54

 

[MRickard]

It is possible that it could just be rings, and that the forged pistons, bore, and rings get hot and seal the excess space, but yours sounds more like incomplete combustion. Does it burn oil? (check dipstick). Sounds more like an injector, especially if it is only one cylinder causing it. I would not ditch out on it if that is all (even a re-ring job is easy, and only 6 cylinders too!).



I would either have the injectors checked out, even new ones are not too high priced unless you want high output smokers and such. I would probably change the fuel filter, and fill it up with a nozzle cleaner, and dump the rest in the tank (get a gallon of it - forget about the ``regular dosage") and see if it gets any better. If not, or only a little, I would have the nozzles checked. There is a place near here that even checks them for free, although I never have been there. 270K miles can wear them out a little, but if it is just one that sounds like a piece of junk got on it, and making it more of a ``squirt" instead of a nice mist, so it does not atomize well, and hence burn completely. A lot of diesels will smoke a little when cold, for the same reason - incomplete combustion, (but due to lack of heat in that case instead of poor atomization) but if it clears when warm it usually is not a prob (except for those who like the smoke ) Yours definatly sounds like a dirty/damaged injector as the spray pattern varies during the rpm, causing at times a nice spray pattern, and at others a poor one.

If it is all the cylinders it could also be timing , but I would not think so if you state it is only one cylinder. You could test that by looseing the nozzle to it and seeing if the smoke goes away, and find out which one.

Dont change/replace just one nozzle though, all or none. I would not put it off though because it can ruin the piston having a bad spray pattern (errodes and burns it up)

 

[1stgen4evr]

Bad injector or???

Yeah it must be shot. I'll buy it.



Seriously, if there is no blowby, then it is in the fueling. If you have a dead cylinder when it is cold and it clears up when warm, then you have an injector that is craping out on you.



From cold, after you start the engine, locate the dead cylinder by feeling the exhaust manifold as the engine warms. The dead cylinder will be coldest at the port. The entire manifold will get warm pretty quick so don't burn you fingers. You can do similarly by cracking the injector lines one at the time and see which one doesn't have any effect. Sort of like pulling off a plug wire.



I have had some luck with fuel additive/cleaner with such a problem. I have never had a problem with any of my cummins however. It was a Mercedes that was skipping that we used the fuel additive.



If you have been around the diesel enough the oil smoke and the fuel smoke have very different odors.



The pump will not have just one cylinder that is a problem. That is an injector.



Where are you located and what other info can you provide on the truck. Surely there is someone near you who can give you some help. 270k miles? Not near worn out is my bet.



1stgen4evr

James

 

[phillips5]

Inj. or pump will cause black smoke and or white smoke almost always. Blue smoke is almost always oil. I would have to guess that the misfiring cylender is the oil causing cylender. For the price you paid for the truck a set of rings and bearings makes it still a good deal. If tearing down a diesel makes you nerves bring 30 miles south of you to my house and I will go throu it with you. A turbo could leak oil and make blue smoke but with a misfiring cylender I tend to think it is a cylender. I have the stuff to do a compression check. I have a official snapon dodge cummins service tool kit less the photo tach ( I saved 800 dollers by outing that). You did say that you lived in blissfield Mi. didn't you.

 

[JKurley]

Mine did the same thing as yours this spring in Taos, NM. Ran real rough, goose it and a huge cloud of whitish,blue smoke would pour out. Diesel fuel is essentially an oil, so bad combustion will produce oil burning effects. I ended up cracking injectors, after a local shop pointed a hand held pyrometer at each cylinder, easily determining all holes were 180 degrees, except #1, which was 130.

If you can get, or borrow, one of these pyros, THEN crack the specific injector with engine running, I think youll find your bad injector. Cummins rarely start blowing oil like a gasser will. Let us know how you fare!

 

[dpuckett]

oil burning

I wotn say it ISNT the rings, et al, but with only 270K, my first bet would be fuel system. White and black smoke are easy- fuel system/ timing related. Blue is kind of a grey area, no pun intended- cuold be either. Friend of mine had a 89 7. 3l Ford that burned a GALLON of oil every 40mi. No joke. No smoke at ALL from the tailpipe of any color. just fill the oil and check the fuel, which was 14 MPG on a good day.



So, I'd start at the cheapest and easiest- injectors, then pump/ timing. Then if you still have the blue smoke, take the head off and see how it all is, though I am not real sure about how to check on that.



Daniel

 

[BushWakr - RIP]

Yup, the guys are all over this one...



pb. .

 

[Jdonoghue]

The only diesels I ever had with blue smoke from oil burning were GM and Ford IDI engines that used about a quart every 400 miles. Every other diesel I've ever seen with blue smoke was from a fuel system problem. Blue or whitish smoke from a fuel system problem smells a lot different than an engine burning oil.

 

[Greenleaf]

All over it like white on rice in a cup of milk, on a paper plate, in the middle of a snow storm.





-S

 

[JLEONARD]

All over it like a bum on a baloney sandwich!



Or. . more appropriately... .



All over it like a 1st genner on a free horsepower mod!:-laf :-laf



Jay

(still keeping my day job)

 

[MRickard]

Keep us posted on how it does... . and of course if you decide against the truck, feel free to just drop it off at my place! :-laf: Just leave the signed title in the... oh wait... if it is on my property, never mind the title... .

 

[GMichaels]

ok, I hope it is just an injector, I will try an isolate it and pull it. I will let you know if this is the problem. I noticed there are not o many posts on rebuilding these engines. .

 

[Paychk]

There would be lota posts on engine rebuilds... ... . if this was a dorf or shoveorleaveit site.

 

[1stgen4evr]

Rebuild a cummins

It does happen. There are incidents that occur which require rebuild even at an early stage with the cummins but usually they have in the neighborhood of 10k hours before much attention is needed. Plenty of owners are getting 500k miles and more. That is why we just don't think your truck is needing a rebuild around the 250k mark. I have had to replace the water pump at about 350k on two trucks. A failed water pump could lead to engine rebuild if you didn't catch the problem before really cooking the engine.



Rebuilding is very simple as to the mechanical stuff and unless you have a test stand, you won't be doing the injection yourself. If you get into rebuilding and need info, that is available.



Plenty of TDR guys can give advise on pulling the injectors and what to replace them with if you want smoke, power, economy, match a specific turbo. Dpucket is a walking dictionary on that stuff. Post your result when you get through. We will all be surprised if you need a rebuild.



1stgen4evr

James