FMB I missed your post before I drained.

I still have a little oil left in the drain pan, I could use a dropper and put a few dots on some printer paper.

 

Won't add HP, but a set of gauges on the A-Pillar sure helps the looks as well as providing troubleshooting information when needed. I had Boost (0-30), Fuel Pressure (0-30), and Exhaust Temp (CRS).

Before your next oil change, pick up a free oil sample kit from Blackstone Labs. Lab test is less than $30. Also, you might want to buy a oil drain valve from Geno's. They have good pricing and EXCELLENT customer service.

Disclosure: I have no connection with any companies mentioned (other than being a satisfied customer), and have no plans to be anything but staying retired.

 

I had the same issue with my '03. I found it frustrating that the factory instrumentation doesn't help in this situation.

1) Check boost level
2) Check air filter
3) Check rail pressure

4) Use a scanner to verify that the PCM sees the same values as your manual guages.

It could be as easy as a leaky air coupling on the forced induction side.

Mine ended up being electrical, the trucks really like clean battery connections. You might try this.

Chay

 

Cut the exhaust off at cat. Add 54" donnalson muffler from Ryder fleet products with a turn down at back of cab. Get it somewhere trust worthy and get valves adjusted. Pour some howes meaner power cleaner and a quart of two stroke oil in fuel and run the **** out of it. Borrow a trailer to pull if you don't have one.

 

You are totally guessing at how your truck is running which is getting you nowhere.

You need gauges to tell you exactly how your truck is running.

Boost, pyro and low side fuel pressure gauges will tell you what is going on.


If you engine oil level is going up, don't drive the truck.

Pull all the injectors for testing and likely replacement.

Start researching additional fuel filtration and then throw your K & N air filter in the garbage can.

 

I am with Stealth
IF YOU ARE MAKING OIL, you can/will destroy the engine due to bad injector.
Then besides new injectors you will need a rebuild
Hopefully you will find the problem and it may not be a injector.

 

Hey guys! Been busy putting old girl to work on this new welding job, I had just about forgot about this post.

So, after weeks of driving after the oil change, I'm stoked to report no change in oil level. Must have just been some sludge that went away after running the new oil for a bit, but it's checked out at the perfect level every time.

I didn't realize the K&N filters sucked that bad. I've always ran them on my gas vehicles, run one on my turbo car and never had any issues. Had some oiling issues when it wasn't turbo from the K&N so I guess I can understand why. My battery terminals are starting to grow a little corrosion, I should probably clean that off.

I just picked up a Diamond Eye 4" straight pipe turbo-back exhaust that I'm hoping to install over the weekend. The truck has a factory cat and Banks muffler, so it's really quiet, but judging from the looks of the cat, it's probably the stock one. Definitely a restriction point at any rate. So I'm hoping this will give me a little faster spool up and maybe a little more power.

I've talked with some friends who have third gens, they all agreed that their trucks felt weak when they got them, and assured me a tuner would help, which I already knew. There's no real chance to compare, I'm the only stock/manual/dually between us.

I've noticed a little more black smoke in 4th gear. Probably the terrible fuel around here, but I also never get a chance to get on it, so it could be just clearing out from being slow drove. It will only smoke in 4th every so often, just the first or second time I get on it, after that it runs pretty clean. Still no blue/white/grey, just a little black.

I'll probably build a boost leak tester and see if I can find any leaks first, then go from there and diagnose. I'm sure I'm just wary because it's a new-to-me truck and assuming it should feel a lot different than it does. I agree, I need to get some gauges on the truck and see what's going on. I'd really like to kill two birds with one stone and get a Smarty touch, but I can't afford a brand new one right now. My truck has a lot of equipment on/in it, so really I'd like to stay away from gauges as it's another interest point for thieves, but I see the need for them and I'm not against buying them.