HELP blowing white smoke!!

[rebar]

I should have suggested it earlier but stop at Walmart and pick up a big bottle of grey Diesel Kleen, I think it's $16.88 and worth every penny. Pour half of that in the tank and see if the smoke is reduced, that stuff is so good that it'll hide injector/boost leak problems but nothing will hide a leaking head gasket. If the smoke diminshes, then most likely it's not a leaking head gasket. You can also take a look in the coolant bottle/radiator while the engine is running...do you see any bubbles? Are you losing any coolant?

I think and hope you're good to go, from the sounds of it nothing sounds catastrophic

I made it home running the same power level as when I left, but I have issues. Oil under the engine in the morning on top of the white start-up smoke.

I always run the power service stuff at 3 oz per 10 gal. Was running 9 oz per tank silver bottle when all this happened.

No room for a radiator expansion tank.. The engine always ran cool the entire time except the mountain pass. But never came close to over heating. Always runs on the N of the normal. The high egt's are what hurt me. I continually had to back off the fuel to keep post egt's lower than 900. Egt's leveled out at around 750 degrees, 8 psi, at 65 mph cruising. After sundown the egt's dropped enough to run 70, 75 down hills 10 psi. But I floored it once with cool egt's for a few seconds and never saw more than 18 psi. So hearing a stock gasket can handle up the 40 psi, and the fact I never over heated.. The gasket should still be good?

Regardless. I don't trust this engine any longer and it needs rebuilt, or parted out.

 

[LOW50S]

the whole thing sounds like it would be fun to rebuild, and keep it in the van !

 

[bfdiesel]

Just pull the head and see what you got probably as simple as a new head gasket. Like that one mechanic said he had seen worse run for months, would have been years had the problem been fixed. These engines are made out of some very robust parts, but you already know that or wouldn't have taken the time to throw it in there.
I ran my 7.3 IDI for months leaking coolant into the intake, new gasket and good to go. I had thought it was leaking elsewhere or it would have gotten fixed sooner. Such as long before I started making massive fog through the crankcase depression valve and pulling the engine down. First time I ever drainded oil and it steamed, I was fairly sure it was never gonna be the same again. Proved me wrong and it is fine as it ever was.

 

[rebar]

Yes I was planning on a new head gasket, but want to figure out whats causing the white smoke before I tear into it.. I didn't lose any water, so that points to the injectors.. And I didn't over heat or have boost over 18 psi so I'm guessing the head gasket didn't fail..

One new bad thing surfaced on the way home.. When hot at idle, the oil pressure gauge would wag back and forth like the pump was failing or low oil level.. Not when cold or driving and the level was just a touch below the add line. Fuel in the oil thinning it?

What worries me the allot is the 1/4 cup of oil on the street the next morning.. I haven't pulled the dog house yet to pinpoint the leak location.. But the oil leaking worries me more than the white smoke..

All in all, the power was a big disappointment. I wanted to run the speed limit loaded, but my egt's wouldn't allow me to go faster than 70-75 down a hill and 55 mph shifted back into forth going back up the hill. So I either rebuild it for more towing power, or buy the truck I should have bought from the get go.. Maybe the engine compartment for the van is so small, it could never get rid of the heat required to run the speed limit loaded.

What diesel test kits are available, and which ones should I try to pinpoint the problem? I don't want to tear into anything which doesn't need fixing..

 

[bfdiesel]

You can have compression tested, you can crack injection lines one at a time and see if any do not change the idle or pull the injectors and have them tested or use laser temp gun and shoot the exhaust manifold to see if any cylinders are cooler than the others. Finding the oil leak may help to find the problem. You can hook up a known good gauge to see if it bounces like your installed oil pressure gauge. Honestly hitting up 4btswap's or another cummins forum will have lots of knowledgeable people that will be better help than me. Nothing will beat a good 12v mechanic that can actually look at it though. Retarded timing can cause white smoke, higher egt's, and higher fuel consumption.

 

[rebar]

There are some knowledgeable people on those forums. But allot of them would rather tell you, "you should have bought a gas motor" instead of helping.

I think I found where the oil is coming from. Its all on the fuel (driver) side of the engine.. Looks like its coming from the dip stick tube and after a few minutes of research found this..

Two things can cause that:

1. Excessive blowby caused by worn or damaged piston rings.

2. Big vacuum leak, because the vacuum pump vents whatever it draws through the vacuum hoses into the crankcase.

So I need to rule out the vacuum pump first, but I fear the worst.. At least with it still running ok I shouldn't have to go over 20 thou. And its probably cylinder #1 or #6.

Im not seeing this as a fun job. But it will be rewarding if it all comes together.

 

[4671 Hybrid]

Leaving the oil a separate issue, I think you might have a boost leak and/or injector issue. A infrared temp gun will be your friend, I'm curious to hear what each cylinder is doing. As for the oil from the dipstick, if you were having that much blow by then you shouldn't have so much white smoke, have you watched the engine to confirm its actually coming out the top of the tube?

Bfdiesel was dead on with his suggestions, a compression check will show us the light as will cracking the injector lines.

Keep us posted!

 

[rebar]

As for the oil from the dipstick, if you were having that much blow by then you shouldn't have so much white smoke, have you watched the engine to confirm its actually coming out the top of the tube?

Bfdiesel was dead on with his suggestions, a compression check will show us the light as will cracking the injector lines.

Keep us posted!

No I haven't confirmed the oil from the dipstick and I'm not sure if oil will come out at idle. I cleaned it all up last night but I didn't have the guts to start it up in my neighborhood. And I better notify the fire dept before I crank it up Wednesday because my neighbors love me to death..

I have the infrared temp gun ready and will crack the lines also but I only have a compression checker for gas at the moment.
And I plan on pressurizing the intake and check for leaks with soap bubbles.

How do I I.D. which injectors I'm running? And should I build a pop tester or send them off to get checked? Suggestions on where?

 

[Buliwyf]

Pressure test the coolant system. See if it leaks down after an hour or so.
Is there a lot of exhaust gas coming out the dipstick tube if you remove the stick and start the engine?
The cloud in your pic looks "coolant fluffy" to me.

 

[bfdiesel]

Unless you plan on needing to pop test your injectors a lot just find someone with one or a shop that is fair. You can call cummins with your engines serial number and they can tell you everything about it.

 

[rebar]

Bad news.. Massive blowby. I haven't capped the inlet of the vacuum pump but the tubing to it looks newer. its kaput. I cracked the injector lines and got a lower rougher idle each cylinder. Not allot of white smoke but a steady trail that does smell sweet.


Video below.

 

[Betarocker]

What about the turbo? If there is no change in engine performance, an oil leak on the drive side is a possibility.

The 6bt is known to overheat the 2 rear cylinders, with #6 taking the most of the brunt.

 

[rebar]

What about the turbo? If there is no change in engine performance, an oil leak on the drive side is a possibility.

The 6bt is known to overheat the 2 rear cylinders, with #6 taking the most of the brunt.

Didn't check the turbo yet. But I don't think a bad turbo would cause my blowby

Hoping for a hole in the piston and trying to decide which way to go about fixing it. Rebuild, replace engine with donor, or sell as is.. Chassis space is limited and I cant fit a P-pump. Thinking about removing my A/C for more intake turbo space.. Vans 5" to tall to fit in the garage and city wont let me work in my own drive way.. Roll it in on rims? lol

Always something..

 

[Buliwyf]

Running at 1800 rpm without load, there should be little blowby. Should feel like a childs breath. With load it can feel very powerful like an adult blowing on your hand. The B-series deos spew a lot of goo out the blowby tube so that might not be a bad thing. Unless it's puffing hard at idle, that's a smoking gun (almost literally).
-
If you have a lot of blowby or smoke coming out of your blowby tube or dipstick, then it's a cylinder rebuild. No big deal. If it runs, it can be rebuilt.

 

[bfdiesel]

Rebuild it, then you know where it is at. If you got to roll it in on rims so be it.