Seems burning oil

[Ron Davis]

I believe I have conquered the timing cover oil leak we had but she seems to still drink oil.   96 patriot Trenton with 3126.  Only time I see the exhaust is on first startup after being not run for a few days. Black for maybe 5 seconds then cloudy for maybe 30 seconds....Give it about 2 minutes and all exhaust fumes are clear.   Starting to think she is just burning it off but seems excessive to put a gallon in every 1000 miles....
Is this possible?  are there other less noticeable leaks that might be overlooked?   

Since I feel like anytime I am not just cruising freeway speeds I am foot to the floor to keep moving I wonder if I have low power and don't know it cuz its always the ways its been.  Turbo gets up to 25psi on hills so its operating well I think.  But some of these hills don't feel that extreme around here.

Found this writeup re HUEI interesting..   https://community.fmca.com/topic/9560-cat-3126-lack-of-low-end-and-top-end-power/page/2/

[Eric Maclean Co-Admin]

Ron
Oil consumption in excess of a quart per 1000 miles is considered abnormal oil consumption.
Any engine is capable of burning oil there are several causes such as poor or no air filtration ( known as a dusted engine)
The dirt of dust wears the engine out prematurely.
Oil sludging caused by poor oil change intervals or contaminated oil .
Over heated engine causes piston ring damage.
A simple check of the draft tube for excessive blow by under load can give a good indication of engine mechanical health

Other places to look for oil consumption are
1) turbo charger seals ( check the lowest point of the charge air cooler plumbing for oil build up)
2) injector seals ( in this case the oil may migrate into the fuel system and fuel tank)
3 ) oil in the cooling system caused by bad head gasket etc)
4) air compressor problems ( look for oil in the air system wet tank and or air drier)
5) external oil leaks are by far the most common ( check compressor and turbo oil feed lines. ) Compressor oil leaks are common around the matteing flange and lower cover plate.

Hope some of this helps
Eric

[Dave Atherton]

Ron, Eric has pretty well covered  possible area of concerns.  I would suggest would be
taking an oil sample of your engine oil. Many beavers members use BlackStone Lab or drop
oil sample off at a Caterpillar service shop. The taking of oil sample is like going to Doctor for
blood draw, the readout would spell the DNA of what is happening within your engine ( meaning
If your engine has pulled dirt into engine for various reasons etc.) Getting results of the first
oil sample printout of which will set up a base line of health of engine. Than would suggest taking oil sample at every oil service period. Cost is around $ 30.00 or less

Looking into the power problem, the first place I would check is the fuel system ,the fuel transfer
pump driven off back of Heui pump with the little .250 gear width was not designed to pull diesel
fuel from the distance of more than 16 feet and motorhome builders far exceed that statement.
With this being said over time the possibility of air entry into the fuel system on the suction side
coming from fuel tank to fuel transfer pump. One easy way to check for air is put a clear plastic hose
on the return fuel pressure location on rear of engine head ( that returns fuel back to tank in front.)
Install a pressure gauge after the fuel transfer pump , reading should be 58 psi at idle and 70 to 80
psi at high idle. Last the fuel system is a very common problem for low power. Have a merry Christmas
and enjoy RV travel. Dave Atherton RetiredCat Mechanic