Burning Oil...READ. Not o-rings 7.3L

UNBREAKABLE

UNBREAKABLE

Well-Known Member
Joined
May 19, 2005
Location
Granite Falls
Ok, so here's the deal...a couple of weeks ago I sold my '03 CTD 3500 Dually and I've been wanting to do a Cummins swap into a Ford. Well just a few moments before I sold my Dodge I found my truck to swap...'99 F-550 XLT 2wd. 4.88's 7.3 w/ 204K on it, crew cab..nice looking truck. Well, the deal was that a guy in Iraq found the truck online and had his wife go buy it..well, she drives it for a few days and then it starts acting up, she has to have a hauler and they don't want to fool with it so he sells it to try to recoup some of the lost funds. I buy it..it was at a garage in Oklahoma(I'm in NC). I start talking to the garage guys(who rightfullly seem knowledgeable). When it came into their shop it was 8 quarts low on oil(it had just had the oil changed). OK...So I asked them to poke around and see if they could figure out what was wrong with it. Fast forward a bit and they find an injector sensor bad. Fix that...still won't run right. Then they find that it's not getting the right amount of fuel pressure. Drop the tank, clean the filters, replace the fuel pump...truck runs like a champ. I ask about the oil problem..they say it looks fine now.

Last Friday morning I fly out to Dallas, get in a cab and go to Durant(where the truck is). I get there...the truck is in way better shape than I honestly figured it would be. I pay the garage and get some paperwork from the owner's wife and then set out for NC. I stop about 60 miles from the garage and fill up with fuel...figure, what the hell..I better check the oil(truck has not smoked at all). I pull the dipstick out...not registering(****). So 2 stores down is an O'rilleys. I go in, buy a case of rotella. Pour in a gallon..and I'm back on the road. I stop 100 miles later...pour in another gallon of oil. I do this ALL THE WAY HOME! IT TOOK 12 GALLONS OF OIL TO GET HOME!

Now..all the while driving back I'm calling all my diesel buddies and picking their brains. "O-rings, Turbo, oil cooler going into radiator". Well, the truck is at the dealership and guess what...it has 3 new injectors..a full set of BRAND NEW O-rings, New under valve cover harness---ALL FROM THE PREVIOUS OWNER. Apparently, someone has already been chasing this demon. It does however have 2 hpop fittings that are slightly leaking(not 12 gallons though).

Compression 500 on all cyls. Injectors all testing fine. Injector cups look fine. No nicks on o-rings.


ANY IDEAS!
 
Shoulda bought another cummins:flipoff2:

So you're basically wondering where the oil is going?
 
Wow. Only advice I have is to start looking for a CTD to swap in that much sooner :) I gotta ask, why did you not just keep the dodge? Was the whole reason that alot of dodge people say "good motor, disposable truck"?

The 4.88's suck though, unless you don't like seeing 70mph often. Might be a good truck for the CTD and 13 speed trans to possibly give a better top speed than 60-65 (w/o being too high RPM's). Our 'shop' truck is a 99' 7.3 with 305K miles and it doesn't use CLOSE to that much oil, and smokes like a train at that...

Have you checked www.powerstroke.org or www.thedieselstop.com ?

You can also try calling 336-764-5657 (trucks unlimited), Ford diesels are their main source of work (well, mostly 6.0's), Scott (the owner) knows a ton about them.
 
if the truck is burning that much oil it should be smoking.is it smoking? also the fittings on the hpop are a big problem on those.not just the two where the lines go in but also the back of the pump theres a plug. if its at a dealership i would hope they would have checked it. does the truck run bad? if it were bad injector cups it would be leaking fuel into coolant. let me know if you need any help.im a diesel tech at a ford dealer so if you need any advice just holler at me.
 
My neighbor had a serious rear main seal leak on his new F-450 w/ 6.4...pulls a 5th wheel camper and it was all over the front of it pulling back from Michigan...took him a good bit of oil too....but his was under warranty & fixed now
 
If it ain't leaking it, it's burning it. (I'm assuming they haven't found any oil in the coolant. With the good compression, my first guess would be a turbo. Cause that's a damn lot of oil to go through.
 
I'll place my bet on the turbo if its not showing up anywhere else. Pull the pipe off the back of the turbo and see whats there.
 
I've got one answer that I'm gonna go with. Injector leaking internally. They will test fine but dump oil.

So, do I go with stock for $1,000...or 40hp or 70hp for $1350?

Turbo is fine...checked it...
 
UNBREAKABLE said:
I've got one answer that I'm gonna go with. Injector leaking internally. They will test fine but dump oil.

So, do I go with stock for $1,000...or 40hp or 70hp for $1350?

Turbo is fine...checked it...
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If you're planning on selling the 7.3, just go stock. Most people would prefer to buy an unmodded engine i think.
 
Piktar of said truck :flipoff2:

ai36.photobucket.com_albums_e15_ROCKWELLEDTOYOTA_Truck.jpg
 
rockmafia said:
Good thing it has those steps, little guy like yourself would have a hard time climbing up in that big ole thing.:flipoff2:
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Hahahaahaha.....that's funny. Between the cow plow front bumper and the steps I can climb all over it like a jungle gym :lol:
 
as hard as justin nut swings, i'd say he could get in that truck without the steps.:flipoff2:


Looks good, your arms long enough for the shifter throws?
 
rockmafia said:
Good thing it has those steps, little guy like yourself would have a hard time climbing up in that big ole thing.:flipoff2:
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UNBREAKABLE said:
Hahahaahaha.....that's funny. Between the cow plow front bumper and the steps I can climb all over it like a jungle gym :lol:
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35xj said:
as hard as justin nut swings, i'd say he could get in that truck without the steps.:flipoff2:
Looks good, your arms long enough for the shifter throws?
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:lol::lol::lol:
 
UPDATE TIME!
Truck is fixed! It was the injectors...One or two injectors had failed internally. So, basically it was shooting oil into the cyl and burning it like #2 fuel. The fucked up part was the fact that they all checked fine. I did find out a few good things though. It has a new turbo, new under valve cover harnesses, new o-rings and a new cam position sensor. It also has perfect compression.

I've got an Edge Juice with Attitude($350), I ordered a gauge pillar from ISSPRO, redid all the external lights with LED's(Recon 03-07 Dodge Cab Roof Lights). I'm looking at a DP tuner FX-6 next, after I figure out if it's gonna have to have a transmission or not. If it has to have a trans, I'm debating on doing the ZF-6 over a rebuilt 4r100. Another kickass thing I've found out is that I have a big-8 lug pattern...so does Freightliner. They have direct fit 22.5's.
 
Looks like a trans is in my future. My torque converter keeps locking and unlocking under throttle. I had codes ran on it and it had a cam sensor code pop up. Went to the ford place, talked to the mechanic that put all the injectors in...he already put a new one in. We rechecked the codes on 2 different machines and she came up clean(minus a door lock trouble code).

On a sidenote, I found a guy parting out an '03 excursion lariat. I'm going to get the fancy door panels, stereo, heated leather seats, console, overhead console, power mirrors, new door actuators,leather wrapped steering wheel with all the buttons, steering column, central security control module, wiring harness and front door handles so all my keys will match.
 
OK, so things I've done so far...
8 new injectors
new fuel pump
new cam position sensor
new tool box w/ 91 gallon aux tank
new RECON LED cab marker lights
all new LED lights all around the bed and tail lights
SILVERSTAR headlight bulbs(the fancy ones)
2 new batteries
fuel tank dropped and cleaned out
new injector sensor
EDGE juice w/ attitude
A-pillar quad gauge pod
ISSPRO boost gauge
ISSPRO Trans temp gauge
ISSPRO EGT probe

next up, a 2003 Excursion Limited Swap.
Heated leather seats
Overhead console
center console
dash
steering column(with all the fancy buttons)
door panels
wiring to make it all work(ugh)

New p.s. pump
new steering box.....stupid hydroboost

New built 4r100
triple disc torque converter
modified pump
shift kit

22.5's or regearing(whichever pans out first)
 
Hope the ISSPRO gauges do better for you. I have them in mine, the boost gauge (mechanical) is the only one that works all the time. Best I can tell you is keep the receipt. I did get a replacement pyrometer (or trans temp gauge, can't remember which stopped working first), but have never put it in since it still works SOME of the time. I have checked for loose connections. Just be real sure to get all the connections REALLY tight, maybe even dielectric grease...

60hp tow program on mine from DP-Tuner and LOVE it, never felt like I needed more, best $92 I've spent on the truck.
 
Tacoma747 said:
Hope the ISSPRO gauges do better for you.
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Weird. I've got ISSPRO gauges in my Ram. I think Tony installed them about 7 years ago. All three still work fine. I've got boost, pyrometer, and fuel pressure.
 
UNBREAKABLE said:
you only got one tune?
what did you get the fx-5 or 6?
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You can send them the computer out of the truck, they reprogram it and send it back. I didn't feel like spending an extra few hundred $$ just to be able to switch from one setting to another. You probably want to stick somewhere around the 60hp setting to keep from burning the transmission up.
 
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