PSD smoking from oil fill cap.

[Raynmanvb]

Hey yall. two weeks ago i bought a 1997 ford f350 psd crew cab dually 135000 miles great looking truck for its age.my problem is it blows a steady stream of smoke out of the oil dipstick. The truck runs great though it does have a rough idle. Im sure its running good i am not familiar with the truck but it did run side by side with my freind who has a older (maybe 2000) dodge cummins with a k&n cold air intake 3 inch down pipe and i believe a 5 inch exauhst.My truck apears to be stock. My other concern is the tranny shifts really hard when at a low throtel position but when you wide open throtel the trany shifts smoothe.I have tools and am willing to fix it my self with the right guidance.Thank you in advance.

[mschn99]

Take the fill cap off and put the palm of your hand over the filler neck. make it seal. let me know if threre is any pressure pushing against the palm of your hand.

have you inspected the trans fluid condition?? it should be pretty bright in color, not a browinish looking hue........it also should not smell "burnt". it should have kind of a unuque, almost sweet kinda smell to it......

[Raynmanvb]

If I put my hand over the oil filler hole it does not build compresion no air blowing thru fingers and i can not feel it trying to blow my hand off but when i remove my hand i can feel air moving.

[mschn99]

its tough for me to tell then from here for sure. does the truck sit a lot and is there any chance a lot of condensation is in the oil (just water accumulation from sitting or getting driven short distances)?? have you changed the oil since you bought it???

the only reason i a little worried here is the smoke you see could be bowby, which is the rings not sealing properly and is usually caused by dust being alowed to enter the motor but can also be caused by high miles, especially if the oil has not been changed regulary. i dont want to condemn anything right off the bat, especially since it doesnt build crankcase pressure, but i thought i would throw worst case out there so you understand what im looking for and why i have you check certain things.

some white "smoke" is normal, there will always be a bit. get it good and hot and then see what it looks like. if there is water in the motor, the smoke should be minimal since it will be mostly burned off after a long run. if there is blowby, it should be at its worst with a hot motor when the oil is thinner and not sealing as well, it also may build pressure on your hand then...let me know your findings and we will go from there.......Marc

[Raynmanvb]

Thank you marc i will go for a ride and check again for pressure plus tomorow i will change the oil i have not had a chance to do that yet. Also the tranny fluid is almost beige. I suspect that this truck did sit for a while it was a one owner fleet truck. thank you again.

[Raynmanvb]

hey yall so i changed the oil wich it needed severely but it did not stop smokeing from the oil fill hole it did smothe out the idle and rasie oil pressure though. so i drove around and let the engine heat up and then took and put the palm of my hand on the oil fill hole and it did not build any pressure but when i take my hand away from it i can feal the air blow by like it is pulsating with the motor strokes. another problem is the temp gauge is not working so while i was waiting for the oil to drain i replaced the temp sensor wich is on the front of the engine under the alternator one wire hook up i do not know if thier is any other sensor but this did not make the gauge work. seems like im going to be putting alot of wrench time into this one.

[mschn99]

i suspect you have a bit of blowby in that motor, which wont be cured with anything other than a overhaul. u could try one of the additives but i suspect it is just how its going to be. i would reccomend pulling the air intake hose off of the turbo and inspecting the vaines to make sure the turbo isnt dusted as well. as far as the temp sender, you did replace the proper sensor so you must have either a gauge or wiring issue......there is always the possibility too that your t stat is stuck open and the coolant just isnt getting warm enough to register on the gauge......Marc

[Raynmanvb]

Thnk you marc i appreciate the help. so the last qustion really is should i drive it till i cant any more or will that cause more damage to other parts also when i replace the engine should i buy a short block or a long block also were is a good place to buy a engine thank you again

[mschn99]

Originally Posted by Raynmanvb

Thnk you marc i appreciate the help. so the last qustion really is should i drive it till i cant any more or will that cause more damage to other parts also when i replace the engine should i buy a short block or a long block also were is a good place to buy a engine thank you again

I would run it till it doesnt run worth a darn, and then buy a long block unless you feel comforatable overhaulin it yourself......the heads could also have some wear (valve stem seals, etc) and i would not want to put those heads on a brand new motor without having a machine shop check them out, so a long block would make sence. if it seems to be running at least decent, and the blowby isnt pushing back against your hand, it could still go a long time with proper maintanence. dont get me wrong, it wont have near as much power as a properly running motor, but if it were me i would run it till it isnt running as well, and then deal with it. as far as were to get a motor....it could be 100k or more till you need to deal with it if you choose to run it, but i honestly dont know who provides decent aftermarket motors. we deal with stricktly motocraft remans at the dealer, and i do know you can purchase those with the full warranty at autozone, but as far as aftermarket, you will have to talke to others about who makes a good one there.......Marc