I recently rebuilt my turbo on my 05' cummins because it had a lot of black smoke coming out. it also had oil inside the turbo. sense i put it back together i noticed an oil burning smell and at idle notice white smoke coming from under the truck. i checked it out and noticed it was all coming out of the tube from the crank breather(i think...its on top of the valve cover) It is also burning a good mount of oil(couple qrts between oil changes). I am trying to figure what could be causing these issues and where to begin trying to diagnose it. thanks in advance.

mike

 

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but that sounds like a broken or badly worn ring.

If you're getting a lot blow by at the tube, burning oil, white smoke.......that's a prety sure sign you're looking at least at an in-chassis rebuild.

 

its white smoke coming out at the breather tube..but i also get a bog puff of white smoke when i first start it up in the morning(especially on cold mornings) i don't know if that confirms your thoughts anymore just thought i would add that

 

White smoke on cold morning is usually nothing more than condensation in the exhaust or the fuel burning cold. Both are perfectly normal.

Now, if it continued with heavy white smoke, then that indicates an injector issue.

Blowing white out the breather is what concerns me, as this is not normal. It'll do it every once in a while under heavy load conditions with high humindity due to condensation, but white smoke from the breather isn't normal.

 

one quick question You say that their is smoke coming out of that blow by tube. Any oil coming out of it spraying on the ground? If you have not noticed it then please leave your truck run for a few mins with the rpm's slightly raised for a few minutes and see if their is any oil on the ground under that blow by tube..

 

there is oil on my front diff. but it is not spraying or dripping consistantely. I do smell burnt oil very strongly though and if i put my finger on the tube oil gets on my finger...so there is oil in the tube but not really coming out.

 

Great, Like CoalTrain said sounds like a broken piston ring..

 

Not sure how mechanically inclined you are or how familiar you are with the fuel system, but you could remove the injectors and you'll be able to see which cylinder(s) is causing the issue.

If there is a broken / badly worn ring and it's burning oil, the injector nozzle is gonna be badly carboned up.

Also, rent a bore scopt from Autozone, Advance, O'Reilly, NAPA, etc and check the cylinder walls and piston tops for damage.

 

ok will do guys. my dad and i build engines and machine them all the time...i am just unfimilar w/ diesel engines so i thought i would ask first. thanks for the help...i love this site...you guys always have the answers

 

If you do have to replace a ring, you don't have to remove the motor, but the head does need to come off.

Once you get the head off, loosen the motor mounts and raise the motor approx 4 inches and you'll be able to remove the oil pan, block stiffener and oil pump.

From there you'll be able to access the rod caps and remove the bolts.

Push the piston up through the top. You may need to hone the top of the cylinder to get the piston out.