Engine/Transmission (1994 - 1998) Oil in #1 cylinder

[krs]

I've got a problem that I'm naturally hoping isn't a worst case scene. It started with heavy white smoke after timing so I figured that the gear didn't hold. Now I've done the timing three more times - the last with new nut and washer, careful cleaning with the gear cover off, the pump pinned, and timed to stock 13. 5. It's a 215 hp pump on a '98 12 valve. The whole thing reads like the timing is still retarded except for the oil in the cylinder.



I thought that maybe the turbo had lost a seal and was letting engine oil (Royal Purple if it makes any difference) into the intake and changed the turbo with the original stock one. While there I thought I might as well remove the AST (?) three piece exhaust manifold in case I trade off the truck or something. When I pulled back the manifold I noticed that the #1 port was sootier than the rest and there was black oil on the gasket.



This truck had passed Washington emmissions only two weeks before with a 3 ppm NOX reading. I don't think I drove it 100 miles since then.



I had a #10 plate but used a valet system to cut fueling for the test. Being nervous about it I had also slid the plate all the way back and cranked the AFC toward the engine quite a bit. The stock plate is back in now.



So to make a long story shorter, I'm stumped at what could have happened to give me this grief. The truck starts easily and idles smoothly but stutters badly on runup and pours out smoke like a DDT machine.



I don't have a gauge that'll take a compression reading. Is it worthwhile to think about the injector? Would the pump just take a dump suddenly like this?



Anybody have any ideas or similar experiences?



I wish I was closer to Piers. Does he tow?



If I try to make it down to cummins Northwest the cops'll get me for sure.

 

[Vaughn MacKenzie]

KRS what appears as oil in the exhaust port is probably unburned fuel, not engine oil.



I've had similar issues with my '96, it ran bad and missed a lot on one cylinder until I moved the timing forward from 13. 3 to 15. 25 degrees. That helped it a lot. But I am still having a smoke and slight miss problem I am tracking down. If I ever solve that I will let you know.



Some things to check is your overflow valve, get a prefilter service kit and clean/replace that using the new O-ring, and start checking to see if you have a fuel line allowing air to be sucked in before the lift pump (what I am checking on my truck).



If you want to read my long story here it is: Still Lots of Blue Smoke (NW Bombers)

 

[Snow man]

Id suspect the head gasket. they love to blow oil on #! cyl.

 

[A-bomb]

If it started with the timing, it must be related to timing. You stated that you had the gear cover off, but did you very carfully align the marks on the cam gear teeth and crank gear teeth? It almost sounds like the timining may not have been set with the engine at TDC. All I can think is when something undesireable happened after working or changing somthing always go back to that somthing and make sure that somthing didnt become a different somthing. Did that make sense?

 

[krs]

Thanks Vaughn, I've seen your saga - wish I knew how to help you. I hadn't even thought of that oil being fuel because it's contained to #1. Hmmm, could a delivery valve flood the injector enough? That one's been in and out so many times with this that it doesn't have paint on the outside anymore.



"All I can think is when something undesireable happened after working or changing somthing always go back to that somthing and make sure that somthing didnt become a different somthing. Did that make sense?"



Yeah, it made sense, and that's why I've gone through the timing procedure four times. I had previously made a mark of my own on the pump gear and marked the pulley clearly so that I'd never have to struggle with TDC again, and the cam is right with the crank mark. Still, I am not so wrapped in myself that I would say that the timing is right for sure after all that and it acts like timing all the way. Or until I saw that oil it did. I've had this pump jump off time like the 215 ones are known to do and THINK I prevented that by pinning the thing using that plastic thingy in the side of the pump... . now I'm fed up with it. It's gotten wet and pretty cold out where the truck is and I feel like another attempt at timing will turn out the same way. We're talking about whether I could sneak down to Portland and Cummins without getting stopped - 25 miles at idle .

 

[A-bomb]

Sorry I could not offer any help. I wish I could, as these types of problems cause me to loos sleep. With all the smoke, it definately is getting over fueled and the fueling could be so severe that it is makeing it run rough. There are several things that could cause over fueling, but where to start? Maybe pull your AFC off and look inside the govenor and start with the fuel control arm. Then move on to over flow valave. I do not think it could be an injector, as the pop off pressure is impossible to mess up after set. So, the delivery valves or delivery valve springs could be another source of fueling. I hate to say this, but did you put the delivery valve back in the right way after timing? Just a thought. Do you have access to a spare pump you could borrow to see if that changes things? If you lived near Denver I would come over and let you borrow mine. I believe your issues are most probably in the pump. Unfortunately they may have to put it on a bench to sort it out. There is only so much we can do in our driveways. Especially when we are our own warranty.



Keep us posted on what you find.

 

[krs]

"I hate to say this, but did you put the delivery valve back in the right way after timing?"

I THINK so, and that was one of the possibilities I had open. The piictures of delivery valves in the factory manual are sort of ambiguous in that the cylindrical piece doesn't look like the ones in the two pumps I have. They show a thin raised lip while mine have a thin step down toward the end that goes downward into the pump. I do have two pumps although I'm real hesitant to try the one on the bench as it's a junkyard takeoff that has been messed with. The delivery valve cylinder in the #4 hole (which had never been removed so far as I could tell) in that bench pump is set up just like the #1 that I've had out of the truck pump so I assumed that I got it right.

I think that I'm through with it and will find a way to get it to Cummins. They can pull the pump, set it up, and test it back on the truck before they call me.



I appreciate your help, all, and the sentiments that you express, A-bomb. You're right I think - there's limits to what we can do in the driveway, especially so when I'm close to 56 years and bending into that too high truck starts to hurt.



(Why am I thinking that all Cummins will find is an out of time? Maybe I will run through it one more time... ... ugh. )

 

[RPerrenoud]

I had a similar problem with my truck, Oil comming from between the exhaust manifold and head on #1 cylinder. I turned out to be valve stem seals took me about a hour to replace the 2 seals. The engine would smoke prety good until the oil would burn out after a short period of idleing also I seemed to me the truck rattled a bit more when these were leaking. All has been good since valve stem replacement. Oo. Oo. Oo. Oo.