2007 5.9

I have noticed on more than one occasion that after a hard run or working the old girl hard...I get out and smell oil real bad.

Had a bad smell a couple of months ago at the track couldnt figure it out but now I think it was this smell of oil that I have.

Anyone else have a heavy smell of oil after working your truck hard???

Not making any oil....check every morning before I start her....was running Red Line 15w40 Synthetic...and now running Rotella 5w40 Synthetic.

RamWheelsBy4

It could be a little blow by coming from the crankcase vent tube. Next time start it and open the oil filler cap and see if you see any puffing out the filler opening. Look under and see if you have oil dripping out of the vent tube.

spitfire9137

Its the rotella it stinks every once in awhile when it gets real hot, you will get used to it.

matego

I always notice the smell at the track too. I guess its from running the heck out of the engine.... it really does not like it. I also notice when I tow hard and park it in the driveway I get a few drips of oil out of the tube. (it was 21k total and I raced a Neon with TNT9 and MP-8 50% )

Riflemanusmc

When I first started using(And still use) Rottella it stinks...When you first change out your oil, it smells the worst............

Spooler

Ah, nothing like a diesel smell after a hard pull. It's normal due to the crankcase pressure being vented to atmosphere instead of back into the engine.

J-man

So, what i want to know is, did you win????

Cummins610

Yes, I think that smell is the one of the best smells, my 2001 smells way stronger than the 06

dieselthunder

I run Rotella 15W40. Have since the truck was new. Change it every 5,000. At about 4700 miles on a change I can notice a slight difference on the smoothness of the motor and will start to get the smell you are talking about all of the time. When I shut it down and get out will notice it pretty strong. Once I change the oil the smell will be gone until another 4500 to 4700.

matego

It was great. My wifes father owns a construction company and his Dmax was in the shop again. He had a huge jag of shingles on his tandem axle dump trailer and he needed them hauled into the dump. I wanted to show him Cummins power anyway and it just so happened a riced out Neon with the big grocery cart wing and 5" exhaust was beside us at a red light. I revved at him to let him know it was on. He had a buddy and they were pointing and laughing. I had him right out of the hole and carried it until about 70. I thought for sure I was going to blow something out of the bottom. The Neon crew wouldnt even look at me when I slowed back down and they went past. I am sure it took 20% of my drivetrain life for that 1 run. I am pretty sure I lifted the left front tire on the 2nd to 3rd shift too

stroker101

i smell it when the oil has around 2500k on it. i change the oil and filter every 3k miles. i also use rotella 15w40

Don M

The Redline is probably the best oil going over the counter. The Syn Rotella is good too.

Never use a CJ oil blend. I used to think it was ok stuff, but cam failures and high wear metals in oil samples have changed my mind completely

matego

I agree on the CJ oil. We have been swapping cams at work like mad in the Volvo engines... and they are very stout engines. The engineers have had to do some special hardening process to the rocker rollers and cam surface. We almost have a full pallet of cams from the last 6 months.

The last oil change I switched to Lucas 15-40. In about a month I will be ready to change it and I am hoping the wear metals do not increase. I thought the synthetics were not good for the turbos? I really do not want to start the big debate again but if Don says the synthetics are good I will switch over.

Don M

The flat tappet cam wear is crazy high with a CJ oil compared to a CI oil. We have had many more cams come back in the past 6 months than ever before. Flat and worn lobes on most.

I checked the PDF file from the shell website you linked. They show a graph with the "roller follower" but they do not show a flat tappet wear graph.

The CJ oil is mandated to lower levels of Zinc and Phos compared to the CI oils by the API and indirectly by the EPA. Those 2 are some of the best extreme pressure additives available.

In the past we never had wear problems on the cams. Nothing changed on them. Same metalurgy, same hardness, same manufacturing and molds. We have tried several things to combat the wear and it does help, but the CI oil is a great insurance policy. As well as Heavy ZDDP additives.

ZDDP ( zinc and phos ) dont allow the welding to take place between the tappet and lobe when the micro small surface imperfections break through the oils wedge. Oil in the old days had as much as 1700 PPM of both. Now we are down to 1200 and CJ is under 1000. With many in the 900 range. In 2010, the levels go to sub 800.

Adding higher valve spring pressures, RPM levels, and HP means we need additional help over a stock engine with relative weak spring pressures.

Spooler

I am reading about the lack of ZDDP on my other forum for Datsun L28 engines with single OHC. Folks are having the same issues. I run Amsoil CI formula Marines Diesel oil 15w40 in my truck. All this is just a pain in the butt.