Engine/Transmission (1994 - 1998) Timing? Injectors? Smoke/Haze?

[SteveAnsley]

OK - I have the blue/gray smoke/haze again.

About three months ago I had this problem, it's not as bad right now. I pulled the injectors back then and found them to be coked up pretty bad - cleaned them up and all was fine again.



The smoke began again shorly after adding used motor oil to the tank - only 1 gallon per full tank. Could be coincidental, but either way, no more used oil. Could it be causing the coking of the injectors? Assuming they're bad again.



I'm sure the valves also need adjusting.



Three Questions:

If the valves are in need of adjusting, is blue/gray smoke a sympton?



Rotating the motor - I think most recommend using the alternator to turn, when I tried this the pulley just spun within the belt.

I picked up a new GatorBack to change the belt.

If the new belt does not work, how best to rotate the motor? Barring tool? Any other ways without the barring tool?



If I pull the injectors, I'd imagine a shotgun bore swab would be best for cleaning the bores - any other suggestions?

 

[bmoeller]

You have to turn the engine backwards, by using the belt method. It's not like setting the pump timing, so it won't matter on the valves, which direction the engine turns.



What are you running for injectors?

 

[SteveAnsley]

What are you running for injectors?

They're stock 215's



When I pulled them some three months ago I also had them pop tested.



The truck doesn't seem to have suffered as far as performance - therefore I don't think the timing has slipped.

 

[JGK]

The oil is probably causing the injectors to foul up a bit and adding to the smoke coming from the engine. I suspect this is your daily drive and it sees lots of in-town driving (like most of us). I'll bet if you ran it on the freeway with a load so it runs good and hot you wouldn't see the problem so much.



Clean out the oil in the fuel and run it down the freeway for 30 miles or more. Or better yet, on a fast run in the hills to get the engine up to temp for a while. That should tell you if its the oil in the fuel and will help burn it out.



-Jay

 

[Vaughn MacKenzie]

I think I posted about this before but have you checked your prefilter and preheater? Often times the preheater melts the connector then allows air to be drawn in which could cause some of your problem. There are several areas where air can be drawn in on the 12-valve system before the lift pump. I would replace the gaskets on the prefilter & heater, and maybe the 90* rubber elbow to rule that out.

 

[SteveAnsley]

Well - it was the injectors again.

Coked up again after just a few months.



Notes:

I'm running b100

1 gallon of filtered waste motor oil per tank on occassion - I had been doing the waste oil more frequently when the smoke began again.

I don't idle excessively.

It's a daily driver - hardly any towing.



I'm thinking it's the oil causing the problem the problem.

No more waste motor oil.



It's not a big deal pulling the injectors - just don't want to be doing this every 2-3 months

 

[BigEasy]

Let's see... will putting used oil in the fuel make it smoke? Well, it makes every other engine smoke if it's burning oil...



What's the logic for running the waste oil in your fuel? You're taking that stuff out of the engine for a reason. If it's a lubricity issue, consider this. I recently spoke with a petroleum engineer at a local refinery about ULSD and lubricity. He basically said if I was worried about the issue, to run 8 OUNCES of hydraulic or transmission fluid per 30+ gallon tank of fuel... that would raise the lubricity to that of the old high sulfur fuel.



He also said to keep a spare fuel filter in the truck for the next 6 months just in case it gets clogged due to the detergent effects of the ULSD.

 

[SteveAnsley]

What's the logic for running the waste oil in your fuel? You're taking that stuff out of the engine for a reason.

Let's see:

Stupidity; Penny wise, pound foolish, foolish; not the sharpest tool in the happy meal - any other thoughts?



I'd read too many posts about people burning their waste crank oil and that even Cummins has approved up to a 5% blend.

Just figured why not? Saves a trip to the auto store for disposal.



No longer.

 

[DBogo]

well if cummins says its ok then whats the problem

 

[JGK]

Here again, as I implied above, if you were running loaded down the freeway at 65 mph or higher, which would keep the engine right at peak temp/efficiency, you could probably run 5% waste oil, as Cummins allows. But as a daily driver running unloaded in town it never gets hot enough for a long enough time to burn it out.



Just my ordinary opinion...

-Jay

 

[burnin oil]

There is no problem running WO in town either. I short trip my truck all the time and havent had a problem yet. Original injectors came out at 240K and had some build up but no problems otherwise. No hazing problem at idle after the motor warms up. My rig sees 3 gallons per tank for the last 15K miles and runs better with it in the tank. Smoother quieter idle and no power loss. These injectors have seen as much as a 50% mix when going to get fuel!

My daily commute is a whopping 12 miles a day. I do try and put some miles on her over the weekend though. If you are having troubles coking up the injectors you may want to look at your driving style. Excess idle times with short trips must be there. Something else has to be up with your truck! Keep digging and dont blame that 2. 8% mix of WO.

 

[Vaughn MacKenzie]

The injector tips on my '96 always build up a lot of deposits it seems, no matter what injectors I have in there (stock, 300s, BD's) and whether I'm running WVO or not.



I ran a lot of waste engine oil through my '01 HO, and when I pulled my DD2s after 50,000 miles to sell the truck there was ZERO buildup on the tips, just a layer of soot. It seems 12-valves tend to build up deposits much more easily for whatever reason.



Vaughn

 

[Wasilla Rod]

I was running a quart to 5 gallons in my stock 96. She smoked a bit more than I liked and it started to idle rough. I drive 110 miles a day and don't idle -- light er off and go. Timing is verified @15. 5 I replaced the rotten muffler / tailpipe and had the cat out so gutted it at the same time. The cat was good and clean and gutting the mother was quite a hastle and I didn't notice any difference in performance for my troubles. I pulled the injectors and they looked like little volcanos with side vent piles. Cleaned them and had them pop tested, everything just fine. I decided it was not worth running used oil as we can git rid of it for free at the local collection facility.

 

[jeepullr]

I've seen in several places that Synthetic oils don't atomize and burn as well as dino oil... If you are dumping used syn into the tank, that may also be part of the issue.

 

[Vaughn MacKenzie]

Yes my '01 would puff a little blue when I put in about 6 quarts of Amsoil once. Any other oil the tailpipe was always totally clear (except for a little black smoke at WOT of course).



One thing I would really like to know is does everyone with a 12-valve have significant buildup on their injector tips if they've been in for awhile? Man you should have seen the ones on my '96 when I pulled the head at 353,000 miles. The originals had a huge globular calcification on each tip larger than a pencil eraser, larger than the body of the injector tip



Sure wish there would be a way to keep them clean, but I'm thinking they get crudded up from poorer atomization.



Vaughn