Hey

So I was up in Whitecourt shooting with some buddies on Monday, packing up to leave and sent one guy to start my truck while I packed up targets. He says it started normally, ran about ten minutes, then sounded like it was lugging down and puffing a little black smoke. He shut it off, and it wouldn't even turn over after that. Starter engages, no turn.

Engine is full of clean oil, smells normal, Rotella T6 5W40 with about 3500KMS on it.

Yanked the ZF6 today, it looks great, clutch looks fine. BTW the truck would roll fine in neutral, wheels would drag if I dropped it in gear while pulling it. Engine will turn over now with the starter but verrrrry slowly. I can't bar the engine over using the crank pulley bolt, and I've turned it that way before so I know about how much effort it should take.

Only issue I've noticed, but haven't had time to look into, is oil coming out the #4 exhaust port on the head between the head and the manifold.

Taking a sample in for an oil analysis tonight, but I'm about ready to pull the engine here. Wondering if anyone has ideas about this . . . . How does an engine seize with oil in it? Maybe a broken piston ring?

 

Engine ring or a dropped valve seat caused some carnage. Pull the valve cover and look at number 4's valve height on all 4 valves. Especially the exhaust valves.

 

Sounds more likely it ate a piston, galled and seized

 

What's the easiest way to measure valve height? Should they all be exactly the same?

 

I would just pull the valve cover and look at it, you may have a valve missing. All the valves should be very close to the same height. Oil coming out of the exhaust port is a sign of some serious mechanical damage. I would bet that your number four injector was over fueling and caused a valve seat to drop.

 

That's what I thought back in November when the moisture first appeared, over fueling injector. That's why I bought six brand new Bosch injectors and installed them the next day. Now 15000 kms later I'm thinking I misdiagnosed and wasted $2500.

Figured I wouldn't take any chances and look where it got me

I did take a gander at the valves. All there and looking pretty even. Rockers were freshly adjusted about 5k ago and the nuts protrude the same amount on all intake and exhaust valves.

Should have it out in a couple more hours.

 

Sounds like you have my luck.

 

It does sound like a melted piston since you checked the valve height and that appears to be fine.

 

So here is what I was worrying about, intended to look into, and never did

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Injectors 4 and 6 only look like this after 15K



I'll have the head off in another hour.

 

Pistons and cylinders themselves look pretty normal--what's sitting in the bowl sure isn't. I'm assuming the clear diesel drained into the bowls when I pulled the injectors, but I'd really like to know how the bearing material got there.

 

So I pulled the pan. Crank still won't turn at all btw. Anybody wanna point out the ugly in these pictures?





So exactly how again do bearings seize solid with a pan full of oil? Anybody heard of a Cummins oil pump failing? It still puzzles me how the bearing particles got into the piston bowls, I wouldn't think they would get past the rings and that should be the only place oil enters the combustion chamber. Unless that material comes from the valve guides? Head looked well oiled. I'm confused on that one . . . .

Oh, and if I didn't mention already, I had an oil analysis done just 'cause at the last oil change--9500 kms on the oil and for wear metals I had 16ppm iron, 1ppm Al, 2ppm Cu, zero across the board on all other wear metals. Not exactly indicative of an upcoming catastrophe.

 

The oil pickup tube could have gotten loose and was getting air into the pump. The pump almost never fails. With only a 6psi switch and the computer telling you that you have oil pressure, the pressure could have dropped and you would not know it without a real gauge.

 

***! Its like it seized for no reason. What does the turbo look like? That is the only way I could see getting metal into the bowl of the piston.

 

Wouldn't hurt to check the thrust bearings.

 

I would also check oil pressure relief valve and oil galley plugs to see if the galley plug came out or relief valve spring or valve is problem with lack of oil pressure. Do you use Fram oil filter? Known to cause problems. Cut the filter open carefully check if filter has come apart. I had to replace several engines because customers were using Fram filter. Filter material plugs the J nozzles causing pistons to seize and scored cylinder walls. I can see that in your photo, scored cylinder walls. First thing Chrysler asks "what make filter is on engine" Filters are not the same inside watch video.