2002 Ford F350 Superduty 7.3L Turbo diesel using a quart of oil every 43 miles

Question

This Diesel engine has been rebuilt and it didn't use any oil till the HPOP went out. I replaced the oil pump and then I noticed my turbo when going up a hill and the Turbo would sound like a sneeze or Cha-Choo sound and when you got to the top of the hill it would make the new strange noise. Then later I was driving the truck and the engine just shut down. I pulled over and checked the oil and it used 1 and 1/2 gallons of oil. I had oil with me and filled it back to the full mark and filled the resvoir up on the HPOP and it started back up. The engine runs great. There is no smoke and no oil in the coolant. The Turbo has 279,000 miles on it.

Could the seals on the Turbo be leaking oil and then burning it in my engine? The compression is great and this is the only item that hasn't been replaced on the truck.

Thanks

Answer 1

Make sure you're not leaking oil. To me, having that much oil "missing" indicates a problem - it's highly unlikely that the turbo eats up all that oil, although, it might also contribute to the problem.

I would have this car sit for 24 hours on a clean surface, in order to check for leaks.

Oh, and by the way, turbos can also be rebuilt. But, first thing is first - check for leaks.

If it is a leak, it's pretty hard to tell upfront what could be the cause. It can be a simple crack or it can be a hose that wasn't connected properly.

Answer 2

Start your engine and observe the smoke coming out from the tail pipe. Step on the accelerator if needed . If the smoke is cloudy or blue-ish ,it means the engine is burning off the the oil.

Answer 3

Inspect and clean out the oil drain hose from the bottom of the turbo. High pressure oil enters the top of the turbo, goes through the bearings, and then exits the bottom into a tube that runs to the crank case.

When this tube gets even slightly blocked it causes the oil pressure to increase in the turbo and it will seep past piston-style seals. If it's seeping out of the exhaust side you won't see blue smoke.

If it's seeping out the intake side it will enter the aftercooler. When enough oil enters the aftercooler and plugs the passageways a big pressure differential builds up to the point that it will force the passageways to clear out, like a cough, and then it builds up again

Answer 4

I would have the turbocharger rebuilt. With that many miles on it, it's a good bet that it's leaking oil past the seals.

If the seal completely fails on the compressor side of the turbo this can be the death of a Diesel. The oil flows in and burns like fuel, usually causing a runaway situation that you cannot stop (since Diesels are controlled by fueling). The engine will continue to burn it's own oil until it dies from over-revving or a lack of lubrication.