H E L P !!! blow-by on my engine

TO ALL THE DIESEL LORDS!
HELP!

I just found out that I have a blow-by on my engine, a 617.952 (3 litre) Turbo. The other day, after I had my regular oil change, every 3 mos., there was white smoke coming out of my block and I know that this is a sign of a blow-by! I asked my mechanic about this and he said that every or most old diesel engine have some kind of blow-by.

1) Is this true?

My mechanic suggested putting some STP oil additives.

2) Is this a good idea?

3) Also how long can my engine last before having an overhaul?

Thanks,

Joseph C.

"Primum Non Nocere"

April300TDT

[dabenz]

joseph: 1) yes, to the mechanics opinion. Where on the engine is the "white" smoke coming from (hopefully not the block, but the oil filler cap)? 2) no, unless you're looking to deceive a prospective buyer. Use a diesel or compression engine rated oil. 3) as long as you want if the engine ventilates properly, meaning the blowby ends up the the air intake via the crankcase and gets consumed as "fuel." Just keep an eye on the oil consumption and keep the engine crankcase breathing. Check and compare the "white smoke" the next time you change the oil.

Diesel Lords? That's good.

da benz,

thanks for the reply, another thing I seem to noticed that my ride has a hard time negotiating uphills and is somewhat slow in accelerating does the blow-by have something to do with this ?and lastly how can I increase "pull" will the oil additive help?

p.s.
yes, the white smoke was coming from the oil filler cap

thanks again,
joseph c.
April300TDT

[leathermang]

You did not say how many miles your car has...and you did not say how long you have had your car and if this is something new to its behaviour...
Everyone has some blow by...
Have you set the valves ,changed your fuel filters, checked for chain elongation, run some diesel injector cleaner through it , and checked the compression ? These are some of the things you can do to establish a base line for future comparisions.... and may improve your power immediately....

[dabenz]

joseph: no to the oil additives. They're short term gimmicks (Rislone is another story, but not for you yet). Leathermang brings up a good point: is the "white" smoke new or just new to you? But I'd change his order a bit. I'd change the fuel filters and fill the cannister (if you can) half-way with your additive or ATF before putting it all together. Then reset the valve adjustment properly. The timing chain can be checked when the valve cover is off.

In your climate I'd seriously consider a water separator. Check the internet for Baldwin/Dahl or Racor, then head to a marina to talk to boaters with diesel engines for maintenance tips on the separator. Haven't been in the PI since the American military pulled out so I don't know the status of your parts or freight delivery system. You'll know what you can and can't get.

Finally, a search of this site may be in order. I'd recommend searching by expert: Leathermang, psFred, LarryBible, MikeTangas, and the moderators are a few that come to mind. They have already written about your topics and give good advice. Best of all, you can do most of the work yourself and get rid of the mechanic who insists on STP oil additive. Keep us posted.

To the Diesel Lords,

I've had my ride since two years ago, bought it from another MB Diesel fan who made an engine swap, so I cannot tell exactly the mileage of my engine. Currently the odometer reads 175,000+, when I got it it was around 150,000+ "April" is my daily ride and traffic here in Manila is usually the stop and go type and I live around 10 kilometres from my work. Me and the family usually go out for a weekend drive to the provinces every once in a while, and only during these times that a diesel benz will show you what she's really made for! Me and my car fell quite happy during these long drives.

The white smoke from the oil filler cap is something new, because every now and then I check for blow-by, I have this notion that if there is a blow-by then it's the end of your engine and you have to overhaul it.

One other thing as you know here in our country "diesel rules" and there are a lot of calibration centers, is calibrating the same as cleaning the diesel injectors?

thanks,

joseph c.
April300TDT

[dabenz]

joseph, yes you can get your injectors cleaned and calibrated at a calibration shop (known as an injector shop in the US). Ask around for a good shop first. You're on the right track: the city driving is resulting in a slow build up of carbon in the engine, due to incompletely burned fuel. The symptoms you describe are typical, and those provincial drives help to "burn out" that carbon. A trick you can play on the engine is to run the engine at a higher rpm (lower gear) on the way to and from work. Over time the smoke out the tailpipe should decrease. I would still change the fuel filters, adjust the valves and check the timing chain stretch, and then have a compression test (with leak down) done after you've wiped the exterior of the engine down completely. You can have somebody teach you to do these things as they aren't too hard to do.

Diesel lords we aren't. We just like driving and working on them.