Help please! My 03 6 L just out of the blue started smoking really bad. The smoke is from oil not from coolant. Compression in number 8 is 450 and the rest are 350. Truck still ran normally ? Local mechanic says I need a engine @ 13 to 14 thousand dollars. Anyone have any ideas, I have never worked on a diesel but have rebuilt gas engines.

 

What color smoke.

 

Thanks Fordman, The smoke is black, and there is no contamination of the coolant.

 

Probably a boost problem or fuel, not so much burning oil. Check the rubber boots connecting the pipes going to and from the innercooler.

 

Kind of a tough one Steve. 450psi is a good number and of course the 350psi is a bit low. It's suspicious the other 7 are all 350 and here's why I say that.

I assume the mechanic is saying your engine is "worn out" and needs to be replaced. If that were true, I'd expect it to smoke More and more over time, not suddenly start smoking as you describe. It didn't suddenly break piston rings on 7 cylinders (unless there was a significant overheating issue you didn't mention?) He then hits you with a big number, probably close to what the truck is worth, I don't think he wants to work on it. I may be wrong and it is what he says it is, but I would look a bit further before even considering a new engine.

First off, oil smoke is blue. Idling at operating temp with the oil filler cap off it should smoke from the crankcase like a freight train (a small amount of smoke is common)if it is wore out or broken. I'd pull the intake off the turbo (from the air filter) and look for the cold side of the turbo to be oily. All of those things are fairly easy to do and would tend to verify what you have been told.

A sticking turbo or EGR valve can make the truck run poorly and smoke black. I'd start with the EGR valve just because it's easier. Remove, clean and inspect the valve. A stuck turbo can be checked out with an OBDII device (click on link below), monitoring MAP, Baro, and EBP will show any issues. As 78fordman suggested a leaking CAC system can cause problems also, inspect all the boots carefully along with the cooler it's self. Pull the plastic cover back a little on the passenger side and look for the o-ring to be coming out where the the plastic tank is crimped to the center "radiator" looking center section on the passenger side.

If you're in agreement that it's oil smoke, pull the down pipe off the back of the turbo. When oil seal fails it leaves a swirl of partially burned oil in the pipe and can make a lot of oil smoke.

Bottom line, I'd look closer and verify before dropping that kind of dough. A second opinion from another shop and maybe even a leak down test would be a good idea in my opinion.

Good luck with it.

OBDII monitor info: https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...eral-info.html