I have a 2001 ram 3500 4x4, 6 speed, 5.9 24v (it is a cummins recon) it has 65,000 on it and it started running rough idle & under load (felt like it lost a cylinder or 2) and started smoking ALOT! Taking it to the dealer and they checked the code it has only (1) PO216 and they said they figured with all the smoke and oil the engine was worn out. I found this hard to beleive, so I added 2 gallons of oil & drove it back home and by the time I got back home there was oil dripping from everything on the drivers side of the engine, Probably about a gallon of oil on everything So I got to looking and it was not coming from the blow by tube, I was able to see the # 2 & 3 was puffing out some compression gases along with oil spitting, from inbetween the head & block about 6" long area right under the intake housing.

So my questions are:

1. Is blown head gaskets a common thing or is it cause by some other problem.

2. Could a head gasket come apart from the inside first causing the cylinder to pull in oil and burn it (like crazy) then finally blown out to the outside and spray everything with oil?

Thanks for any help!

 

1. Not real common on stocker. The build up process was probablly faulted with a 65K failure.
2. Compression would not allow oil to enter cylinder. Gasket failure and oil pump pushing out or compression failure got a oil passage finding it's way out through gasket.
With that much oil you get plenty smoke and possiblly a fire.
As you probablly know the P0216 code may mean a VP44 failure. That could posiblly cause gasket fail.

 

Hmm yes on the VP44 failure code, I was thinking of pulling it apart and replace the head gasket then see it the rough idle / engine missing was still going on then proceed with replacing the VP44 - how could a bad VP44 cause the head gasket to fail?

On the intake stroke when it pulls air into the chamber before compression could it pull in the oil from the oil passage, then on compression blow the oil out from the head gasket instead of sucking it in? The engine was smoking bad from thru the exhaust. ( I am wondering if all the smoke was from a ring/piston failure or could be from the head gasket. (It was smoking thru the exhaust before it started the massive oil leak on the outside of the engine.

Thanks again for the help!

 

Oh yeah it was not pouring oil everywhere like that it started on the way to the dealer (just roughing rough & smoking like CRAZY! (then when I got to the dealer I was like MAN it was not leaking like that when I left. Then got even worse on the way back home. That's when i could see the compression squeezing out from the 2 & 3 cylinder with oil spray.

 

2 & 3 cylinder (head gasket area)

 

if anyone has any input on my questions please help!! This is my first diesel and I am learning, I am in the process of the tear down to remove the head and I would hate to put this back together and blown the head gasket by checking to see if the rough idle is still there if the VP44 can blown the head gasket.

PLEASE HELP!!! I am a newbie ( I am a gas tech but learning on my diesel)

 

is it all fuel smoke or can you smell oil. i have never heard of the vp44 causing the head to blow but maybe you are the first for me. when you take the head off you will know where your problem is. try to lift it off carefully so you dont tear the gasket so u can see where it blew. should be about where you saw the oil comming out. just read the book its not to bad of a job.

 

Hmmm the head bolts were all tight, I could not see anything distinct on the head gasket resulting in the oil & compression coming out the side. (the gasket was intact nothing obvious) and the #5 cylinder you could see some black looking wear on the side facing the #6 and the #5 piston had a section of the piston missing looked like it was worn away from compression going by the rings, It was about the size of half a penny and I could see the top ring fine. Any ideas on what could cause this?

 

nitrous, just kidding

 

It sounds like you lost the gasket behind the lifter cover plate. However, that still sounds like some pretty impressive crankcase pressure.

Not sure what would be causing that kind of pressure in the block, but I would definitely check that gasket. I saw something like this happen at -50, with a 99 that froze the crankcase breather tube. It built up pressure, and pushed the gasket on the lifter cover. sprayed oil everywhere. in the upward direction, so that it looks as though it was coming from the head gasket.

Just food for thought.