i just got my truck and on the first road trip of only 250 miles i lost 2.5 GALLONS of oil . it seems to be comming out the breather tube. the truck runs great, in my opinion. no noticable smoke excpt on startup. At least i dont have to worry about the frame rusting. i guess the next step is to pressure wash it and make sure its the tube. if it is & im pretty sure it is whats the next step? compression test? put a coffe can on the tube and stop every 50 miles to pour it back in . i would be able to overhaul myself, me thinks, but not for a few months. i dont drive it every day(as long as my POS ranger keeps going.)

 

Check your vacuum pump seal! When they go bad it will preasureize the crankcase and cause oil loss. The vacuum pump seal kit can be bought from cummins for $7. Simple install to boot. Just dont forget there is a oil feed line on the backside that goes to the engine.

 

hydralic brake assist=no vac pump. sorry i forgot to mention that

 

First question, how did you get hydroboost on a 95? they had vac boost stock , and there is still a vaccum pump no matter, it is used to run cruise , 4x4(if equipped), the vent doors in the dash , and possibly other things.

 

look at his sig

 

air conditioning? heater? = vac pump...

 

no a/c no vacuum pump on this. it is a 4B 3.9 cummins in a fed-ex truck. 252k miles. i wonder if the cylinders got glazed from excessive idling. if this is so maybe i can run it out? the thing is how do you do that in a 11000 lb step van? oh and id have to invest in a 55 gal drum of rotella
i know this is a little different, but basically the same as a 12v 5.9. i have the cummins maintenence manual, and it covers both engines. the truck is parked 20 miles from home so it may take me awhile to check things and reply here. by the way, does any body know if the 4b has the KDP? thanks...

 

I'm not sure, but if the 6B's have it then I would expect the 4B to have the same problem. It should be the same or at least similar timing case to what we have on our trucks.

 

so I looked over my engine and i dont see any where to add another vent to the crankcase at all. also i removed the vent tube and very gently probed for a strainer screen in it,I did feel a restriction of some sort,so assume that is it. while tube is off,I placed a piece of paper under vent outlet while idiling engine. I gotslightly less than a dime sized puddle in 15 seconds at idle, so that is not good.I need advise on how to run it until it gets warmer and we buy a house with a garage(by August). any oil additives? maybe adjust valves. I may take and get compression checked.. any body know how much a diesel test unit is /where to get it?
I dont plan on driving everyday, but I'm 90% done with a SVO conversion, so if fuel prices climb, it may be cheaper than anything else, even if i need to add oil every day

 

I suggest Lucas oil stabalizer, works great for my old chevy 6.5td.

 

Here's a diesel compression tester for $79
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=93039

 

4b 3.9 is a 6b 5.9 minus 2 cylinders. rods, pistons, rings, and once you need them, cylinder liners are the same.

 

anybody ever re-ringed a cummins in the truck? maybe not a good idea, but to pull mine I've got to drop the tranny,pull apart the floor, and fish it out through the side door of the stepvan, which means no overhead lifting. so I'd be investing in a engine hoist and probably a tranny jack for that monster four speed.

when I bought the truck (Oct.)the seller said it used "some" oil. I researched a little and found an overhaul kit w/ rings, pistons, etc. and I beleive liners for about $485. seems like a good deal to me, but wonder about quality. any suggestions on where to buy?

maybe some mods to do when I get the engine out. Not much, but 135 HP seems a little weak to pull a boat with behind a loaded step van.I get about 15 mpg now,which I'm happy with, but good stand to see that drop a little, for sake of getting to the top of the hill...

also wondering if a valve adjustment might help, in the mean time.