Cheap Motor Oil

[tonkadoctor]

Never assume something is OK because it's only a couple months old. New parts can be bad out of the box and seals like this can be bad within seconds of firing the engine up......like the one I just replaced.

There are collection systems out there that let you reclaim the oil, pass it back to the oil pan and vent the gasses back into the engine but for the life of me I can't find the links to them or remember who makes them right now. You could also try running the RDT higher to allow oil to drain back into the crankcase first before it vents to atmosphere or back into the intake and see if that helps.

IMHO it was worth it to pull the engine in my truck to reseal everything and take a good look at the internals bearings and bores from below. Great peace of mind knowing the internals looked excellent and should give me good service for a few more years. Bonus is the fluids stay up where they belong and it doesn't mark it's territory anymore.

Good luck with whatever route you take on the engine and school

 

[zigg]

The rear main seal was replaced 2 months ago, so that's probably okay. I pressure washed my block a few week back, and all the oil has shown up below the pan. With the exception of the injection pump gear cover, which leaks down the front.

Can you remove the pump gear cover without fiddling with the timing?

When I had the RDT going, there was definitely a lot of oil dripping out. I'd like to come up with a way to vent the gasses back into the intake, but re-collect that oil. I bet that's a large source of consumption.

You can remove the inj. pump gear cover without messing up the timing. Doesn't matter if you do anyway though, 'cause it's real easy to get it right anyway. That cover can leak a ton of oil down the front, and then the fan blows it all over the place.

Valve covers are a known bad leak spot, and the oilpan seal can be questionable. You might be able to reach up under there with a small socket and snug up a lot of the bolts that hold it on even with the engine in the truck.

As for collection of oil from the blow-by. There are those of us that have tried several systems. I have one on my '86 right now that routes the blow-by up to a pipe in front of the rad. It is all 3/4", and the pipe snakes back and forth 9 ft. overall. It ends in a "T" with one leg going back up to the back of the intake, and the other drips down into a collection jug. It does collect quite an impressive amount of oil, but it doesn't seem to slow down the consumption at all, and it's really messy. I think when these things get old/tired, they just need to be rebuilt/resealed. Mine has almost 400,000on it, and it still runs fine, just gulps the oil.

zigg

 

[swampdigger]

JD: Yeah, it certainly gets wet quick. I'll try and pick off the easy leaks first and work my way down--after a do a compression test to see if this motor is worthy of new seals


Tonka: I found that out when I bought a new coil for a gasser that was DOA. After rebuilding the engine harness needlessly, I found that out

I have probably a month between when school ends and I go back out to the oil fields. If time allows, I'd like to take a look at the bearings, cause I hate the thought of tossing money at a potentially dead horse. The only reason I toss money at this truck, is the thought of one day rebuilding and transplanting the motor into a nicer chassis.


Zigg: When I bought the truck I was told the inj. pmp cover was a leaker. They said it'd mess up timing if I tried to fix it (that's why they never did). That'll be the first leak I fix, because it's an easy one.

It's got 383,000kms on the clock right now. Thankfully the injectors and return lines are damn near brand new. And the injection pump isn't too old either.


Anyway thanks for the info guys

 

[ericboutin]

Valve covers are a known bad leak spot, and the oilpan seal can be questionable. You might be able to reach up under there with a small socket and snug up a lot of the bolts that hold it on even with the engine in the truck.
zigg

Well I got barely .02 to add but here's my .02...when I first got my truck it would leak oil so bad underneath I couldn't park it in the driveway. I don't know how much it ever lost between oil changes cuz I got under there pretty quick to try and figure out what was going on. Anyway believe it or not...I still can't believe it (that it was that simple) the oil pan was leaking. I got an extension and socket and started tightening the oil pan bolts. About half of em were loose. Anyway a short story longer she hasn't leaked since and I can now park in the driveway! Maybe you can get that lucky too!

 

[swampdigger]

My starter * off tonight.

Sounded like a dead battery, but the bright headlights said otherwise. Got my buddy to give me a jump start although I had my doubts. Told me he saw sparks falling out the bottom of the truck when I tried to turn it over.

Haha, I guess oil leaks are the least of my worries now. By the time I'm done, I'm gonna have a whole new truck!

 

[ttman4]

My starter * off tonight. Told me he saw sparks falling out the bottom of the truck when I tried to turn it over.

Something loose??
Mine threw sparks once & acted funny intermittently. It was loose power stud connector.

 

[subway]

yea chech your connections first, i dont think there is even a opening for the brushes to throw sparks out of.

 

[swampdigger]

I love you guys. Gives me a bit of hope for the afternoon until I look at it, anyway.

I briefly put my hand on it last night to feel for heat in the dark. It wasn't that warm, but it was SOAKED in oil.

 

[sassyrel]

ranger--then its probably a loose connection on the starter--and the timing cover--you better have some time on your hands when you pull that--cause its real easy to get it out of "phase"---in other works--off the marks on the internal gears--zigg and a few others have done it--they can help

 

[Diesel JD]

I had forgotten about the timing gear/inj. pump gear cover. My money says that's where your oil is mostly going. Again, it may still use oil, butg not like it does with that cover leaking. Make sure you read Zigg's article about getting the gears realigned. It will mess up the injection pump timing anytime you take the pump off if you don't get it exactly back where it was. I would carefully mark where the pump timing on the pump flange is now and then use Zigg's method for setting the gear timing unless you're positive you haven't disturbed teh gear at all. Otherwise, clean out the grooves on the gear housing and pup cover, and try not to let anything fall in the hole around the gear as that thing goes right into the crankcase. Then reseal it with hi temp RTV. Also, the pos. starter cable is a big trouble spot on 6.9/7.3 motors. 1st, make sure all your connections are tight. Either take the grounds loose or be real careful working with the starter connections, cause you could get a nasty shock. Trace that cable all the way from the batteries to the starter and make sure it isn't burnt or rubbed raw so that bare wire is exposed. This *may* cause a slight electrical even, maybe even a fire if it is let unattended to.
J.D.

 

[swampdigger]

Something loose??
Mine threw sparks once & acted funny intermittently. It was loose power stud connector.

That's all it ended up being! Burnt the head off the bolt... 20 cents later, I'm back in business!

But yeah, as for the inj pmp gr cover, sounds like I have some reading to do.

 

[ttman4]

but it was SOAKED in oil.

Oil soaked is good to keep the rust worms away, but not so good for other things....like starters.
Oil soaked starter tends to get oil & crud soaked inside after a while & shortens starter life. Don't ask how I know....
And an oil soaked starter doesn't give up & dissipate heat as well either....again, don't ask