Diesel in engine oil

[strum456]

My Ford New Holland 345d seems to be getting diesel in the engine oil. It is a 201 3 cylinder non-turbo.

I haven't owned it long, so I'm not sure what to expect, but I think the engine power may be a little low. It just seems sluggish and slow to respond. It starts easy hot or cold and runs smooth.

What could be causing this and how can I test it?

 

[J Penner]

does your tractor have a mechanical fuel transfer pump mounted on your eng block thats the most likely culprit,check your oil level then check again the next day to see if level went up or if not ,i would start by removing injectors,take them to a dealership and they should be able to see if injectors spray a fine mist and build pressure,another possibility is in your fuel pump it is usually lubed by eng oil and pump governor is also incl,does it only mix fuel into oil when using tractor or also when tractor not in use,to see if the fuel pump is the problem you'll have to remove it and send it to a pump repair shop.

 

[Willl]

My Ford New Holland 345d seems to be getting diesel in the engine oil.

Is the oil level increasing ?

 

[strum456]

Is the oil level increasing ?

Yes. It was over full when I bought the tractor. I changed it before using the tractor. After two hours of use, the oil level is up already. There are no signs of water in the oil. I don't think it has a transfer pump. If anyone is familier with the 4630 tractors, this is probably the same setup. Mine is an industrial model.

It appears to be gravity fed to the injection pump.

Is there anything I can check myself to verify the problem?

 

[Andrewnewy]

I would say the most likely culprit is piston rings or cylinder ware, alternatively the fuel pump is leaking internally and then through the shaft seal, those fords have soft blocks so not un-common to see them ware once the hours get high (or if they haven't been looked after) if you don't have a tester, I'd get a diesel mechanic to come do a compression test. It certainly sounds like it with your comment of easy starting but no power.

 

[Andrewnewy]

Just re-reading your first post, sluggish and slow to respond could simply be pump timing, if you've got the original manual it will go through the process to check it.

 

[strum456]

Can incorrect pump timing cause diesel to get in the engine oil?

 

[strum456]

The engine has about 2000 hours on it.

 

[Jerry/MT]

My Ford New Holland 345d seems to be getting diesel in the engine oil. It is a 201 3 cylinder non-turbo.

I haven't owned it long, so I'm not sure what to expect, but I think the engine power may be a little low. It just seems sluggish and slow to respond. It starts easy hot or cold and runs smooth.

What could be causing this and how can I test it?

You have a leak in the front seal of the injector pump and fuel is leaking into crankcase. This is not an uncommon problem. The rising level of the oil in the crankcase iss a dead giveaway. You need to get that fixed before you damage the bottom end. Pump timing or ring/cylinder wear is not the culprit in your case. there is no reason to suspect pump timing unless you removed the pump and didn't install it correctly. I suppose the external leakage might divert fuel from the injectors and that might be causing a sluggish response problem but that's conjecture on my part.

2000 hrs on a 3cylnder 201 is not much for a bullet proof motor like that.

 

[strum456]

Maybe this was a false alarm? I just went out and checked the oil, and it is the same place it was when I initially filled it with oil (it is not overfull).

I think and hope I was getting a false reading, as it was hard to tell exactly where the level was with the clean oil in it. Now that the oil has a little color to it, it is easy to tell that it is normal (I feel like an idiot). I'll just have to keep an eye on it.

It still has a lack of power though. With no load, it accelerates and sounds normal. With a load that I would consider to be moderate, it seems slow to accelerate. The exhaust is pretty clear at all times. Even when it is under a heavy load, the amount of black smoke is minimal compared to most diesels I have seen. Does anyone have any thoughts on the power issue?