Oil level going up?

[fritzimax]

Hello, I have an 03 with 68,000 miles on the clock. I have an Edge EZ Programer on 3 that has been on there since almost new. The last few weeks I have been smelling a raw diesel smell when I get out of the truck. I checked underneath but found no leaks.

Today I smelled the diesel smell again so I took another look but still no leak that I could see. I pulled the dipstick and was in shock, the oil level is about 1/2" over the full mark. The oil on the dip stick has a slight diesel smell. The oil was changed about 2500 miles ago.

The engine runs fine though I do have a little black smoke on acceleration. Once in a while the idle is a little rough but it has done that for years.

My question is what can cause the oil level to rise other than the obvious bad injector/s. The engine runs so good I can't believe I have bad injectors. I plan to have an oil analysis done to confirm diesel in the oil. Any recommendations on a good oil analysis lab? Is there anything else I should check before spending a lot of $$$$ on injectors. #@$%!

Thanks to all who reply.

Pete

 

[goodguys75]

blackstone labs... . they send you a kit, and when you send the sample off, you send a check with it... ... have not done it yet, but have the kit, and a people on here use them...

 

[BIGNASTY]

There are labs near you that can test your oil to see whats going on that are just as good and allot quicker

 

[fritzimax]

Hello another quick question, I was just thinking, since the high pressure fuel pump is gear driven could that leak and be causing my oil increase? Not that replacing that is a better option than injectors $ wise. Just don't want to change one and later find out it's the other.
Thanks again to all who reply.
Pete

 

[cerberusiam]

Yes, the CP-3 shaft seal can leak into the oil. Normally, you would see a fuel leak from a weep hole on the bottom of the CP-3 and have noticeable fuel saturation on the bottom of the pump. Might check that first.



On the other hand, you have been running an EZ pressure box on injectors that were not designed for higher pressures, were challenged with stock pressures, without any more obvious extra filtration. Not a done deal by any means, but, injectors are at the top of the list for source of problem.

 

[TCDiesel]

X2, At times the Weep hole get's Plugged. At that mileage it would be rare for the CP3 shaft seals to leak, But they are 10 years old, the only advice I can give is the CP3 is much easier to remove and Check then the the Injectors, if it comes up leaky its and easy fix, if it leaks you just save $$$$ in parts and labor.

 

[JJPage]

fritz



Hopefully the extra pressure the EZ produces hasn't cracked an injector body, tip or both. You may also have an injector solenoid stuck in the energized position causing fuel dilution of the oil. I would not drive it until you determine whether or not it is injector or CP3 related, if injector you risk melting a piston.



I would also remove the EZ, at ten years old, the cheap electronics are going to fail. I also had an EZ on my 03 since new in the #2 position, #2 position no longer works, the other five positions do, but following TC's advice I removed it, so I wouldn't be doing it at an inopportune time on the side of the road.



Keep us informed on what the diagnosis turns out to be.

 

[Bob4x4]

If the fuel is that heavy in the oil no fancy test should be needed. Drip some on a piece of paper in about. 5 minutes you should see some separation

 

[Dieselnerd]

My oil level was rising a couple of years ago at less than 60K miles. Truck ran fine but I did have a wet CP3 pump. The engine was still under warranty and the dealer thought the CP3 might be the problem. The engine ran fine and passed the injector tests they can do electronically so they replaced the CP3 under warranty.

That took care of the problem.

 

[fritzimax]

Just a quick update.

I crawled under the truck today to check the CP3 pump. Bone dry, there is no visible leak anywhere on the outside of the pump. It still may be leaking from the shaft by the drive gear into the crankcase, but I don't know. I removed the Edge EZ upon recommendation from an earlier post by JJPage, I will miss the extra power:{. What would be the best way to check the injectors? Can I replace just one, or if one goes bad the rest are soon to follow? I just don't have a few 1000 to spend on new injectors.

Thanks to all who reply.

Pete

 

[cerberusiam]

Since you had the EZ on it hard telling how many or how bad. At the age of the injectors a full set is recommended.

A lot will depend on how the fuel is getting into the oil, hung pintle or cracked body. Having them leak tested and flowed is about your best bet.

 

[fritzimax]

Hello,
I just received my oil test results and I am not sure how bad things are. The fuel dilution was at 5% and the flashpoint is at 360. The sus viscosity is 57. 6 & the cst viscosity is 9. 53. My oil has only 3350 miles on it. I have not driven the truck since I found the increased oil level. My question, with the above values can I still drive the truck about 10 miles to a local injection shop ? Should I change the oil first ? I really don't want to change the oil and then have it contaminated and then have to change it again after any repair. Any input would be appreciated.
Thanks Pete

 

[TCDiesel]

You should be good, Make SURE the SHOP has the proper test bench for the CP3,I cannot count how many time owners have put faith in shops that have R/R pump $$$ to have it fail on My Bench, The only explanation I can come it with is that they did NOT bench test the Pump.

 

[Dieseldemon]

Retorque the cross tubes frist they might be leaking (before you replace the CP3)

 

[TCDiesel]

Its NOT possible for the Fuel to enter the crank case form loose C-Tubes, the Valley Pressure is less then 10PSI, Now if the outer O-ring (Injector) is bad it will enter the combustion chamber and oil could reach the crank case, But you would have white/Gray smoke and losts of it. The O-ring on the C-Tubes could leak but that would be external. Loose C-Tubes will produce lower Rail Pressure if you can run Good rail PSI and the Truck starts good its unlikely the C-tubes are loose.

 

[fritzimax]

Update, I changed my oil, removed the EDGE programer and am using the truck. The truck starts with no problems, idles fine and runs great. I have done about 100 miles since the oil change and again I think the oil level is rising. When I did the oil change I put in 3 gallons (12 quarts) of rotella T6. The level was about 1/4" bellow the full mark after sitting overnight. Now after 100 miles and sitting overnight the oil level is on the full mark. How can that be? The truck runs too good to have injector problems. Any ideas? Thanks

 

[cerberusiam]

Either injectors or CP-3, thats the only source. Just because it runs good does not mean the injectors are good, doesn't work that way.

The oil test and creeping oil level is the only thing that matters. The EZ likely contributed along with all the normal things.

 

[Dieselnerd]

I'd say to keep watching it. Oil level will vary by about 1/4 inch depending on whether some oil siphons from the filter after shutdown. Mine varies from time to time.



Sometimes when I change the oil filter it is full and other times it's down about a third. This has been discussed on the TDR Forum before. Some owners report the filter partially empty when they change oil and others don't. Mine was always full until after I hit 65K miles and then suddenly it started to siphon from time to time. There is a thread about it somwhere in this forum but I don't remember the title.



Of course if it continues to rise from the full mark to an even higher level, you may have a problem.

 

[sag2]

Just to be clear, there is no "full" mark on the dipstick. There is a "safe" range, and as long as the level is anywhere between the marks the level is OK. The 6. 7 guys are the ones most familiar with the oil level rising. In those cases it is fine to add 11 quarts on the change and as long as the level is between the lines leave it alone. It will tend to rise near the top of the safe zone.

But in this case of a 5. 9 the oil level rising is a concern. And 5% is well within the acceptable range for fuel dilution on a 6. 7 with no ill effects.

 

[rashwor]

My oil level on the 05 sometimes goes up and down slightly between changes. I have seen my filter be partially empty or completely full when I have done changes too. I don't worry about it as long as it is not continuously rising or continuously dropping or there is noticeable dilution. I would not think 5% dilution is a big deal on a 5. 9 either. My guess would be injectors simply because the EZ adds pressure which adds wear to injectors. I would certainly find a good shop to test the CP3 and injectors as either is a lot of money to just allocate to a parts changer vs problem solver. Just my 0. 02 and with inflation / taxes that comes to about 0. 005.