True Oil Burner... :'(

[osus86diesel]

Drove the ole beast from Ohio to PA this weekend and burned off about a gallon of oil......

Any ideas on where it may be leaking from? It isn't leaking out of the engine it is getting burnt and going out the tail pipe. It is clearly visible blueish smoke, even at operating temps...

Should I worry about a rebuild? Or would it be easier to swap out the engine?

If that is the case can I put a 7.3 in it without too much hassel?

Thanks!


1986 F250. 6.9 Diesel. C-6 Trans. 2WD
182,000 miles on it

 

[Diesel JD]

If its not leaking and the correct oil is in there its getting past the rings or you have a hole in a piston. As far as a rebuild versus replacement is concerend it depends on your skill level and how long you can afford to have the truck down, if you have time to work on it etc. Can you swap in a 7.3...yes absolutely! Its a direct bolt in swap. They have good and bad parts though, the pros, less chance of leaky head gaskets the cons more chance of cavitation and perhaps of dropped valves.

 

[RLDSL]

First off, did you check the oil level after warming up and letting sit for 10 minutes? If you filled the oil level when cold, you overfilled it and it will burn off quickly.

Otherwise, you may just have sticky rings ( very common in old diesels )
Try running a couple of treatments of Auto Rx first before condemning the engine. I've revived a number of old diesels from near death with that stuff. It's costy, but it works.

 

[david85]

First check the oil as described.

Clean out your CDR valve. Its the tuna can on the back of the intake manifold under the air cleaner. Take it out, and submerge it in some gasoline, sloshing it around in there.

Take it out and let it air dry (no compressed air). Inspect the intake and look for signs of hard brittle pieces of rubber. If you find any, the CDR will probably have to be replaced.

The rest of the oil consumption could be from valve stem seals. They can be replaced without removing the heads from the engine, but you have to take care not to loose the valves in the cylinder (bring the piston to TDC on the cylinder you are working on).

Are you able to perform a compression check?

 

[osus86diesel]

I checked the oil as stated before I added any extra.

I am not sure I can get a hold of a compression tester. Being away from home has limited my mechanical resources drastically. I will make a few phone calls tonight.

 

[Mr_Roboto]

What kind of oil are you running? You need a diesel specific oil such as Rotella T, Valvoline Blue etc. Use 15w40, straight 30w thins out too much in the heat.

 

[Agnem]

Try removing the CDR and plugging the holes, then rig up a road draft tube. If not permenently, then at least temporary for diagnosis purposes. You can filter the blow by in a condensing rig to see if a lot of your oil is leaving that way.

 

[lotzagoodstuff]

How does it run? I would definitely look at your CDR and/or install a road draft tube to see if you are getting blowby there. I would also buy four bottles of AutoRx, do a two bottle treatment, see if your consumption goes down, and then figure out whether or not you think your engine is really worn out. AutoRX will make your truck run better if the rings are stuck.

Good luck.

 

[cleithau]

Do they sell Auto RX at Napa or CarQuest?