methodologyx

So I recently acquired a well taken care of 2002 3500 5.9l 24v HO Turbo Diesel 6 Speed Manual /w bulldog chip for 2700. Runs like a champ, but smokes a little and the crankcase blowby is more than I feel comfortable with. I am redoing all the gaskets, crank/cam bearings, rings & turbo rebuild. But, I cannot find the pistons rings for the HO without it coming with a piston. Are the rings the same as the SO? Anyone know? I can hook a 350 turbo & T56 rig to a riding lawnmower and make it go, but I don't know jack about diesels, this is completely new to me. A friend of mine that has cummins experience says the rings need to be changed. However, I will not be the one putting it together I just need to get the parts. Help please.

deere country

I cannot tell you about the piston rings, but with your engine serial number any competent cummins dealer parts guy should be able to provide you a part number for the rings. I can tell you their is only 1 cam bearing and that's it.

AlpineRAM

I second the Cummins dealer recommendation.

Just for grins and giggles- did you check the vacuum system of the truck before tearing down the engine?
A lot of grief and blowby come from the fact that the vacuum pump has it's exhaust into the engine case, and any leakage of the vacuum system will exit through the engine vent hose,taking some oil fumes with it.
How many miles on the engine?

Just my 2c

methodologyx

I will ask the guy putting it together about the vacuum pump. Like I said diesel is all new to me so I didn't even know where to start. She is at 444k mostly highway miles.

AlpineRAM

At 444k it sounds OK to me that you go through the engine. (Maybe not necessary if it has been taken care of but still not unreasonable)

Had a customer come in who had an engine rebuilt at 50k miles (diagnosis and repair by a different shop) and still had a lot of blowby.
Fixing the rodent damage to the vacuum sytem fixed blowby, 4x4 operation, cruise control, cab heat only blowing on defrost....

hoeslidiesel

The ring sets are the same from HO to non-HO. Cummins # 3804990. They are available by themselves w/o piston.