Engine/Transmission (1994 - 1998) Rebuilding motor at 140,000 miles

[thaile]

I couldn't believe it but it sure enough has happened truck developed huge amounts of blowby even going so far as to pushing a puddle of oil out of the blowby tube if it was just sitting there idling if you stomped on it then it would really blow. So it tore it apart and the rings on all the pistons are wore out, and even the rod bearings and main bearings have quite a bit of wear on them. I thought these things would last forever. Just kidding I haven't exactly been the easiest on it and it has seen some pretty high exhaust gas temperatures when towing some of my trailers. Just letting others know what can happen.

 

[Gary - K7GLD]

Poor air filtration might be a big contributor - can't think of much else that would cause so much wear so soon - you use an aftermarker filter?

 

[JGheen]

Ok, just for those of you who are going to chime in and start talkin' about those who run the K&N filters or AFE filters, I doubt very much that was his problem for the wear. I just can't understand how so many people blame the K&N or AFE for the high blow by they see or the engine wear that occurs. Don't you think that if K&N or AFE were notorious for allowing dirt and debirs past their filter medias that they would be out of business buz of all the engines they suppossedly destroyed. I don't think so. Look at all the drag racers and NASCAR cars that run these filters. They don't seem to have any issues as the people with their everyday drivers say they do. I work for Honda and dyno their IRL engines and we use K&N filters and don't have any issues. And these engines are worth like $300,000 each!! I doubt someone with that much money in an engine and its program would allow an air filter on their engine that is going to not filter out the incoming air.

Anyway, my point is, if someone blames their air fitler for the reason their engines cylinders or rings were all wore out, maybe they should check to see if they are leaking air around the filter or something, cuz the dirtier those filters get, the better they filter. Not trying to promote K&Ns or nothin' but people put them down way too much for their proven filter abilty.

 

[krs]

Chiming in... ... . with those big injectors it probably wouldn't take long to wash down the cylinder walls and wear the rings prematurely, especially with the timing heavily advanced. Oh, and if you use a K&N air filter that's surely the reason.



thaile, not making light of your situation. It's a drag to have to O/H a Cummins any time, but the mods you've got could have cut the life in half by themselves and you didn't give an oilchange history or define what you mean by "pretty high exhaust gas temperatures".

 

[thaile]

Oil has been changed every 5,000 miles religiously. And when I say pretty high exhaust gas temperatures I mean pretty high. I have a 1500 degree gauge with the pyro in the manifold and it gets to where the needle will no longer move if you stomp on it the needle get there very quick. From a dead stop going to the floor in every gear by the time you bury fourth gear the pyro is also buried and then there are gears five and six. we dont' even want to talk about. I have towed many heavy loads on this truck as we are in the construction business and I always try to keep it below 1200 degrees no matter if I have to downshift a lot or not. I towe a 32 ft flatbed with 7200 John Deere tractor front wheel asist with a loader. and many other loads. Also backhoes 420 D backhoes that weigh in at around 18-20 by themselves. SO I have toped the scales at 30,000 plus a few times. And I am by no way bragging and know for all those out there that tow by the GCVW rating that people shouldn't do this but hell if you go by that you cant tow jack s__t. I for some expected this and in some ways was just trying to tell others about what can hapen if they go the way that I did. I am in no way saying that it is the motors fault that it failed. I have gotten so into it that I have forgotten I am sure like some other people the reasonable limits that these motors can go to and still be used to tow trailers and be a hard working truck on a everyday basis. Some other people in here I have heard claims that there trucks are everyday working trucks with extremely high horsepower. I say if you actually use the truck for a worktruck that is really going to have to do something on an everyday basis besides haul your but back and forth to work or pull a 3,000 pound trailer as an advisement to others don't go nuts when you get bit by the bug.

 

[Forrest Nearing]

what mods do you have?



as for the K&N? my old '92 is still going strong at ~365k... it's had a K&N on it since about 100k miles. the current owner has put a couple hundred thousand on it pulling overloaded goosenecks. it uses some oil, but not as much as my '97 w/ only ~215k!



Forrest

 

[RT66DOC]

K&N for > 50k miles. Last oil analysis with 10k miles on the oil (Delvac I) ---> silica = 5. Despite this I'll change to AFE soon.

 

[rrausch]

My '95 has had a K&N Stock Box filter in it for almost 100,000 miles.

My last 2 Silicon numbers, on my last 2 oil analysis were 4 and 3 respective.

I've never had one above 5.

 

[bmoeller]

It may be that it may not be sealing around the edges. That is why I bought a BHAF.

 

[Gary - K7GLD]

YUP - best filter in the world is no better than the installation - several potential leakage points for the careless or unwary (JUST like the stock paper ones!) - I use the K&N myself - always good oil analysis!

 

[Texas Diesel]

K&N chime in: Silicon with OEM filter, = 5PPM. Silicon with new K&N = 34PPM = K&N in the trash can. If they work for you, peace bro!! They didnt work for me.

 

[fishjack1]

For what it is worth - I used a K&N filter till about 110,000 miles then switched to an AFE with 181,000 and counting -

Blackstone Oil Analysis -



Silicon -



Unit (my truck) average (last 6 samples) - 5



Universal average for the Cummins 6BT - 9

 

[zues]

I purchased my truck and it had a K&N. Now the truck has 250000 miles on it and running great.

 

[CumminsPower98]

I'm sure some K&N's work fine but I do know that some don't do their job as mine didn't and put my silicone up to 51 PPM. Since the BHAF the silicone has been coming down on every sample. I don't see a good reason for your rings and bearings to be worn out unless it was being dusted for some reason. I don't understand how big power would take that much life out of it that soon.

 

[Lsfarm]

Air filters

You can't compare the use by Nascar, Drag racers, Honda F1 motors etc of the K&N filters. These are RACE engines that rarely make more than a few races before they are torn down and rebuiilt. They could use a bug filter made of screen door screen and it wouldn't make a difference in this application.



Our Cummins engines are in need of very good air filtration if they are to reach their potential long life. K&N filters just don't impress me



Some K&n filters obviously work good, witness the above post's and comments. but obviously not every one of these filters is a good as the next one.



I live on dirt roads, and there is a lot of salt dust on thepaved roads in the winter, so I use a BHAF for most of the year, and use an AFE for the dragstrip, works for me.



Greg Long The Noise Nazi

 

[Vaughn MacKenzie]

thaile I think your hard running and pushing your EGTs took a toll on your engine. It makes sense that pushing EGTs high will make the aluminum softer and add to that the fact the engine is under heavy load and you can see how it would wear them down prematurely.



Vaughn

 

[britannic]

The reusable oiled cotton (or whatever) filters by K & N and others generally get better the dirtier they get up to a certain point.



YMMV, but I've been using them for over 20 years and have yet to see anything other than normal wear on the engines I rebuilt that used them over there life.



For extra protection in heavy dust environments, you can fit a foam prefilter (like the ones on lawn tractors).



K&N have extensive testing to prove their product and a number of aftermarket filter housing providers use their filters.



My first filter on my Triumph motorbike was my mom's silk stocking, cut to fit on my carburettor's airhorn - worked great and the engine was fine after tearing it down after 20K to decoke it (petrol wasn't as clean 25 years ago as it is now)!

 

[thaile]

I don't use a K&N for all of those of you who want to just talk about air filters. I think you all could talk forever about it so why don't you start another thread and see what everybody else has to say.

 

[JGheen]

Originally posted by Tejas Deezul

K&N chime in: Silicon with OEM filter, = 5PPM. Silicon with new K&N = 34PPM = K&N in the trash can. If they work for you, peace bro!! They didnt work for me.

Well, did you call K&N and complain and get your money back?? Sorry to hear it didn't work for ya, ***** happens I guess.

 

[JGheen]

Re: Air filters

Originally posted by Lsfarm

You can't compare the use by Nascar, Drag racers, Honda F1 motors etc of the K&N filters. These are RACE engines that rarely make more than a few races before they are torn down and rebuiilt. They could use a bug filter made of screen door screen and it wouldn't make a difference in this application.



Our Cummins engines are in need of very good air filtration if they are to reach their potential long life. K&N filters just don't impress me



Some K&n filters obviously work good, witness the above post's and comments. but obviously not every one of these filters is a good as the next one.



I live on dirt roads, and there is a lot of salt dust on thepaved roads in the winter, so I use a BHAF for most of the year, and use an AFE for the dragstrip, works for me.



Greg Long The Noise Nazi

It's just like you said they are racing engines and who in their right nid is going to put a bug filter from a screen door on their engine they want to race with??? Of course it makes a difference, who is going to want to put an air fitler that is going to pass dirt through it on their extremely expensive engine. Not I, I paid over $10,000 for a bad Big Block Chevy one time and I wasn't about to put some POS Kragen paper filter on it, I wanted the best from a proven company who makes good filter. I am sure if a engineer wants to make his engine last and reduce cost, from my experience one would be smart enough to use a proven filter that is going to flow good air and not pass dirt though into theri expensive race engine that they built specifically to win.

IMO, its the way one istalls the filter, if your having issue with the filter not filtering, well, it was probably not sealed up very well or the person didn't use the required oil on the filter media.

Not trying to start anything, it's just that I hate it when people put down such a good proven product when it was probably their own fault as to why it didn't work for them. No offense intended.