I have a friend with a second gen and he has been experiencing the in cab oil smell. he did the extention of the breather and still has the smell. he went to the Cummins dealer they told him that the turbo was going bad the tech gave it a proctology exam ( stuck his finger some where dont ask where i dont know) and came up with some oil residue and said the smell was coming from the Turbo. could he have coked the bearing and ruined the seals. If this something you can fix yourself? without the expense of a new turbo. Its still under warantee and the deal(s) say its fine.

 

If it's going to go, just hope that it goes while your warranty is still good. Around $1500 replacement if you buy it!!!!!!!!!

 

Let's try the link again....

http://dieselram.com/cgi-bin/ultima...0576;p=1#000000

If that didn't work.....

Blow–By Air Vent Odor Fix
by Dan Rounsevell ©2003
D Rounseve@aol.com

Download 310KB pdf file (has pictures) http://www.rounsevell.com/blowby.pdf

Text version:

I also have fumes in the cab and with an oil change and break-in miles it seemed to decrease.

I also extended the crankcase "blow-by-tube" but was not satisfied.

I then sealed off the seam around the outside hood cowl and fenders with electrical tape to make sure fumes from engine compartment were not going past the rubber seal out and down the top of the cowl fresh air intake.

With truck running at idle and fan switch on low/outside air I had my wife sit in cab. I sprayed a bathroom air freshener into the radiator grill area for about a second. Within about 2 seconds she got the scent in through the vents.

This confirmed that the cowl air box had a leak to the engine compartment.

I then removed wiper blades and plastic cowl cover. At the lowest part of the cowl/air box sides are oval shaped cutouts to let water out of box.

One side had a rubber flapper to let water out but seal stuff from entering. The other side was missing. (If it were a deck on a boat it would be called a scupper hole).

Also above and forward of the “Scupper Holes” were cutouts that allows air from engine compartment to pass directly into the air box.

I sealed the holes with aluminum high temp duct tape and cutout plastic coffee can lids. I left a small gap for water to drain and sealed around cowl plastic/metal seam with the tape.

I repeated the air freshener test and wife gave it the thumbs up!

--------------------
Dan Rounsevell

 

One thing you can listen for, if your turbo is having a bearing failure is a severe moaning sound as the turbo is de-spooling.

--Justin

 

All you need to do to find out if the turbo is going is pull the intake hose off the turbo. Grab the center nut with your fingers. Wiggle the nut and try to touch the housing with the blades. If you can touch the sides the bearings are toast. Look inside the intake of the turbo for any signs of oil or the wheel rubbing the housing. Use a bright light to look in there. You will brobably see a film in there but also look in the tube going to the intercooler for oil film too. If you don't see any there, your turbo should ge in decent shape.
Tom

 

My 12v has a constant smoke at idle. I am thinking the seals in the turbo are bad, and letting oil into exhaust. Thus pinpointing the loss of oil I find. I am not experienceing blowby, or oil leaks on the ground under the truck. could this be the culprit?

 

Add this to MnTom's comments on "radial" slop:

Take that compressor blade center nut, and pull it out and push it in (axial). A little radial slop is OK, but if there's -any- axial slop at all, the bearing's bad and should be replaced.

If he needs it, your friend can score Holset turbos of various kinds for as little as $750.

 

When I replaced my turbo I got one from Piers that has what he said had an upgraded exhaust housing. That was about $700 if I remember right.
Tom

 

Can you or someone elaborate? I can feel a "groaning" sound in the foot peddle also, but that doesn't make sense to me. I might not be having a turbo failure, but I have a groaning sound that is controlled by the throttle.

 

Wow, this is a truly ancient thread!

The groaning sound/feel you're sensing is far more likely to be a belt-driven accessory than your turbo. Take off your air filter hose, grab the compressor wheel nut on the turbo with your fingers and see if you can feel any radial or axial play as described by Tartarus and MnTom above. As they mentioned, a small amount of radial play is normal; axial (in-out) is not.

I bet your turbo is probably fine.

 

Geico, there's a lot of things that could be, start with tire wear/pressure, check diff fluid, check transfer case fluid if 4x4, axle end universal joints, front driveshaft u-joints etc...

Unless you run it hard and shut it down quickly after, use garbage lubricants or neglect maintenance, not sure why your turbo would be going out....