When I checked the oil in my 97F250hd the other day, it seemed pretty low (like below the add line on the stick). It's my DD and although I sometimes don't check too frequently, I do change oil every 3K. I've personally put over 20k miles on the truck (for a grand total of about 220k), and have never lost this much oil in one oil change cycle, even when I was pulling heavy on a regular basis. It's not leaking on the ground or concrete anywhere I regularly park, and except on cold starts, it doesn't really smoke at all.

I decided to put it in the shop to chase an issue around my wif sensor, and go ahead and change oil since it was close to time. I wound up removing the y-pipe from the turbo for a little more room, and it seemed pretty oily inside to me. When I laid the pipe down on the bench, a little puddle formed on the bottom. I've never had to work on a turbo, so I don't know much about the seals inside, but does this seem a likely culprit for the oil loss I've experienced lately?

If it's an internal leak through the turbo, how hard is that to repair and is there a how-to link that I haven't found when I searched the forum?

 

Did you check the stickies at the top of the page?

 

I didn't see anything in the mod/tech thread, and the other stickies seem to be about parts wanted. I found some posts about external leaks around turbos, but I think mine is only leaking into the intake pipe. I guess I'm hoping against hope that I won't have to tear the turbo off. I assume the seals are o-rings, but from what I've read, it seems that upgrading the internals is nearly mandatory if you're going to bother to remove/replace it. I might be able to tackle that, but would appreciate any advise about parts/suppliers you all might have used.

 

Some oil in the intake is normal due to the crank case venting back into it. Pull your down pipe loose and see if there is oil in it.

 

Check your fuel filter also and see if it is black.

 

What would that indicate? still learning

 

engine oil getting into your fuel duster through the injectors

 

Fuel system. (Auto correct)

 

Good to know. I just changed oil and did the fuel filter also. It was nasty and pretty dark, not black but looked way worse than just dirt. No telling when it was changed last though. I have only driven it 3k miles since purchase. I wish I would have taken a pic.

 

That sounds like your injector O rings are starting to go bad. If oil is getting by the O rings it will work its way back to the fuel bowl.

 

When would be a good time to check the filter again to see if that's happening. week, month?

 

That's a good question. Depends on how much you drive and how fast your oil level goes down. Its no big deal to unscrew the cap and look. Also, you can put a pop bottle into the fuel bowl drain line, flip the yellow lever over and fill the bottle while its running to see if it black. I got water in a tank once and I kept doing that and it helped to get rid of the water. A 20 oz pop bottle would sit on my tie rod perfectly while I pulled the lever, LOL

 

Awesome, I'll check it in a week and see whats up. Could that be the reason I lose some power after she warms up?

 

Maybe but that could be a number of things.

 

Sorry it took so long to get back, but it's been a hectic weekend. To answer some of the the above questions, no my fuel filter isn't black. I've changed it pretty recently due to a water-in-fuel issue though. I recall the previous filter being a little grayish looking, but I assume that's somewhat normal.

I see no evidence of oil in the downpipe, just some soot. The air intake tube between the air box and the turbo inlet has some heavy oil residue between the breather elbow and the turbo, and the compression wheel has a blackish mostly dried oil residue on the blades.

If the oil is all coming from the breather, it still seems like a lot to lose that way.