Tenn,

If I wasn't medically retired I'd be before the judge in a heartbeat . Would be a little out of my former jurisdiction, though, and I'm not sure any of them remember me anymore....sucks losing your place in the community...

BTW, check my original thread on the oil for the full results from the test.


Thanks

Kevin

 

Well, guys, thought I had things under control... Was going to follow Kris' and Alan's suggestions and clean out the EBPV tube now that I have a new sensor on the truck. Only problem was, had to wait until my back recovered sufficiently before I could think of trying to climb back up and remove everything, clean, etc.... And I needed a compressor...

Finally got tired of trying to rent one when I couldn't be sure my disability wasn't going to be a problem, so I bought a compressor. Was going to take care of the tube this weekend, but ran into a problem.

Didn't have the other end of the tube located like I thought I did. The CD manual I got on Ebay doesn't even show it. Got up on the truck, removed the sensor, undid that end of the plumbing, and then ran into a slight problem--couldn't figure out where the heck the tube disappeared to! The pipe I had thought was it ended up (after some research) to be the supply line from the fuel filter bowl to the back end of the engine--didn't even come close to the compressor manifold (which I think Kris meant) like I thought it did. I've got some of that HPOP and CCV oil spray in the valley, tough to track stuff...

Had to remove the serpentine belt to track the tube by hand, found it went down from the sensor and disappeared behind the mounting bracket for my second alternator! Can't see where it comes out, either from above or under the truck...

Clarification: I could remove the alternator, but I'm under there by myself and holding it up/removing/replacing isn't gonna be easy...Does it connect behind there?

Long story short, I need some guidance to find the end of the darn thing. I know from Alan's post it isn't much longer than 3', and it cant be too tough, but with my limitations I'm getting beat up trying to figure this one out. Any input would help tremendously!

Thanks again!

Kevin

 

Kevin, that tube goes from the bottom of the sensor and directly into the passenger side manifold. It doesn't come out anywhere. It senses the actual exhaust pressure. Since it's directly tied to the manifold, that's why it gets clogged up with soot. If you can find a way to look at the front of the passenger side manifold, you should see the tube in there.

You should be able to just blow the soot into the manifold though. It will crumble, and not cause any damage to the turbo.

 

man this sucks. i cannot find a pic anywhere of it. jeremy has it right. it's a 16mm wrench on the right manifold in the front. then the sensor end is just a 1" deep socket, and then it comes off. you only really need to remove the sensor (center of the engine behind the serpentine belt) to blow out the tube, because the soot goes right into the manifold. won't hurt it as it blows out as the engine is starting.

if you still need help, i will try to get a pic tomorrow after noon.

 

Jeremy, Kris, thanks for your help again. I putzed with the darned thing yesterday for a couple hours, trying to find out where the tube went, without taking the time to think the problem through.... When my pain got so bad that it overrode my cognitive abilities (which doesn't take much anymore), I found myself just going around in circles. The cold and dark finally drove me inside, where I stewed and tried to find out some more information.

This afternoon, after recouperating as long as I dared (and after the day warmed up to around 50F finally), I went out, looked at it, remembered what Kris and Alan had said in earlier posts, and realized that I was looking at it from the wrong way completely. I got onto my creeper and within 30 seconds found where I should have been looking in the first place--the exhaust manifold, like you guys pointed out but I had misunderstood. I had the bottom end undone within 5 minutes, but then spent the next 30 minutes lying across the radiator/grill trying to coax it out. Unfortunately, with the second alternator, I cannot get it out w/o taking the alternator off because of the last, sharp corner right before the flare that mates to the nipple on the manifold. So I took some weed-eater line, like Alan had suggested, and found that it was almost the exact inner diameter of the tube--too big to go all the way through.. I got it in about 2 1/2 feet, but hit that hard turn and couldn't get past. So I did exactly what you suggested--blew it out while it was still in the truck, although unattached at both ends. Since I couldn't see the end, I have no idea how much gunk came out, but it was pretty caked on the inside with exhaust gas residue and soot. I blew it out as well as I could, and cleaned/blew out the sensor boss too--bunch of caked crap came off. Even took one of my gunsmithing toothbrushes out and cleaned off/out the manifold nipple as best I could. Then I put it back together and put the belt back on w/wife's help, finishing just as my back gave out and the sun set and the temp dropped 20 degrees.

So, it is done, but word of advice to anyone who idles their truck alot in cold weather or has a lot of miles on it--check it out, and if you want to get the tube off your truck and have a second alternator, be prepared to remove the alternator. Terry at Dyson analysis linked some of the blackening and degradation of my oil (a couple of the ranges were a little high, indicating a "sooted engine" and minor fuel dilution) to the EBPV sensor and tube being constricted/plugged, so it can cause some real problems for you if left alone for too long...

Thanks to everyone who pitched in with suggestions and advice, especially Alan, Kris and Jeremy. Hopefully this will take care of the situation now, especially since I will be out of commision now for the next week, at least, and the real cold weather is coming by the end of the week (according to the weather man). Good news is that, between changing the sensor a couple of weeks ago and now cleaning the sensor system out, the oil has not darkened appreciably after 300 miles (it was pitch black at 1200 last change/analysis).

Thanks again, guys.

Kevin

 

Glad ya got it done Kevin. I simply could not live there. Too cold and it is not even winter yet.

 

I'm curious as to how the EBPV contriubtes to extra/lower soot in the oil. I'm in no way doubting your claims, but rather I'm trying to understand. I have mine bypassed right now, but if it will extend my oil life, I'll hook it back up.

Glad to hear you got it cleaned out and all is well in EBPV sensor land up in the north. And I thought it was cooling off here, dropping into the 60's and even the 50's some nights.

 

Can you post that pic? I wanna check it out on my 160,000 mile f-250. Thanks in advance!

 

All I know about the effects of the EBPV on the oil and engine are from what I've learned here and the comments that I got from Terry at Dyson Laboratories, who does the "Dyson Report" offered by Blackstone. He gave me a VERY detailed analysis of my oil, explained some of the numbers, and then asked questions about stuff not on the original form submitted with the oil sample. He was interested in air filter, oil and oil filter (including bypass filtering, etc.). I gave him the info on my truck, that the truck had been throwing an EBPV code and I had replaced the sensor and found the old sensor extremely caked with gunk. Terry replied about EBPV problems
"EBPV sticking closed is absolutely one of the main causes of issues in these engines, correct ASAP. Will fuel dilute and soot oil and cause increased wear from those problems."

He also advised later in the reply that I correct the EBPV "Yesterday."

As a side note, not related to the EBPV, he relayed two other things of note:
1. AIS units have been leaking and causing dust contamination in oils on Powerstrokes.
2. CCV mods, and CCV's in general, can leak and suck dust into the oil.

Hope this helps. As you know, I'm hardly an expert on these engines, so I'm only relaying what I was told. Since it came from the man Blackstone regards as one of the foremost experts in the analysis of lubricants, I'm taking it pretty seriously...

Kevin

 

Mike:
It might not be winter in Tennessee, but in about a week we probably will get our first snowfall--we've already had several frosts. In fact, I have to plug the truck in at night now because it has been getting into the high 20's at night at the house...
Alaska is just one of those states that people either love or hate, you know? There's no middle ground... One of these days I'll have to tell you a funny story about a guy recruited from the southeast......

Kevin

 

I hope he's mistaking the old factory design for the true AIS filter housing.
If not, I still have my old Napa 6627 air filter setup on the shelf.
I'll be checking the inside of the air intake just to be sure.