Cummins engine burning 1-1.5 gallons of Engine oil a week with excess blow

The motor is getting to the point an overhaul is needed.
Rawze.com is a forum with a lot of information about the ISX.

 

With that mileage I think it would be time for an inframe rebuild, if you only put on 3000kms a week you might be ok to keep running it for awhile but if the cylinders are wore out chances are the bearings are wore out too and you risk spinning a bearing, but nobody knows for sure til they open up the engine.

 

There's a ton of things that it could be, but at that mileage it's going to be time for an inframe with oil usage and blowby like you say it has. Is the emissions system still intact? What kind of parts replacement history and preventative maintenance has the truck seen? With the blow by and oil filter clogging I'm betting you've got some serious carbon packing going on inside that engine.

We're in the same boat with one of ours and I'm weighing the value of spending $20K on a truck that is 15 years old.

I second the Rawze comment.

 

Sounds like rebuild time. If it hasn't had one yet its probably due. The ISX isn't exactly known for being a million mile engine.

 

Check if the air compressor is also leaking oil, It probably has the same number of miles as the engine does and could be a part of your oil consumption.

 

Is Your Diesel Blowing White Smoke? Find Out Why.

Smoke of any color coming from a diesel engine is a clear indication of a problem. Take it as a sign that a problem exists, or will exist very soon, that will either drastically shorten the lifespan of your diesel engine or result in avoidable costly repairs. We say avoidable because if you catch the issue early and get into a shop quickly, you may take measures that will save you money in both the short and long term. If it’s a simple problem, then a relatively quick and cheap fix will get you back on the road and avoid long-term engine damage. If it’s a more serious issue, this may be your last chance to avoid catastrophic engine failure.

We’ve covered what black smoke coming from your diesel can mean. You can check that out here. So, today let’s talk about what white smoke coming from your diesel engine can mean. White smoke occurs when diesel fuel isn’t reaching the temperatures required to burn, causing it to come through the exhaust intact. Here are a few issues that can cause this to happen:

• 1. Clogged Fuel Filter
• 2. Incorrect Injection Timing (due to a bad injector pump, worn timing gear, or a compromised crankshaft keyway)
• 3. Low Cylinder Compression (due to compromised valves, cylinder glaze, or a worn or sticking piston ring)

These are all easily fixable issues.

White smoke coming from your diesel engine can also be a sign that water is getting into your diesel fuel and entering the combustion space. Commonly, this happens with faulty head gaskets or a cracked cylinder head/block. Unfortunately, if any of these problems are the cause of your diesel smoking white, they can be an expensive repair.

Any way you look at it, if your diesel engine is smoking white, it’s an indicator of a bigger issue and whether it’s big or small, the wisest course of action is to get it diagnosed by a professional technician ASAP. So, listen to your engine when it’s blowing smoke, it’s trying to tell you something!


This article was copied from Agdiesel website.

 

The sooner you get it looked at the cheaper the repair could possibly be.....the biggest concern for me is your starting to see whiteish smoke while operating.

 

What's the problem, we'd put a gallon of oil in a day sometimes,,especially a Detroit, sometimes 2 or 3 gallons

 

Cummins oil systems are low pressure, high volume, they also had blow by right off the showroom floor, it’s just a Cummins thing, have you done an oil sample recently? Gallon a week isn’t horrible, but I would start thinking about doing a rebuild.