The guy that put the engine internals together says "The rings are not seated yet end the smoking is normal. Just give it a couple hours of work"

[dfkrug]

What do typical small diesel engines run?

The 3-cylinder Yanmars I have rebuilt idled at 1000 RPM, and had min engine oil pressure spec of 8.7 psi at idle.

 

[sd455dan]

jmo. Both my high hour 3 cylinder Ford tractor diesels have/ had 60+ cold PSI and over 45 lb hot at a 600 idle RPM. (Over 5000 hours)
Believe this very common for Ford diesel tractor engines, as far as what kind of oil pressure they make.
Which is why this "rebuilt" Ford with a New pump is not in the Normal category.
As many have posted oil pressure is not something that is going to improve with more hours, which is just another reason to take this particular engine back apart and do some measuring but only after a compression and leak down test first again, as has been posted.

 

[Dman1981]

Find a real
Mechanic to fix it do you have blow by pull the dipstick if oil shoots out problems aslo pull muffler off see if you still have smoke old muffler full
Of oil will make really good smoke
Yes injectors could be a problem
You can listen to them or crack line one at a time to see if engine runs better worse I would imagine if you overhauled it you would have done injectors cheap repair
I can smell the diesel just thinking about it
Being a mechanic is always fun and very interesting to see how things work and what People think and do
I have been turning wrenches for forty years and I am still amazed some mechanic are still alive

 

[JRH02]

Why was the engine rebuilt in the first place? Maybe I missed that being asked and answered?

 

[boatmoter]

When I went to school I was told to only do this is you can't get the rings to seat.

when repairing for a company that sells used tractors time is not an option so the quicker seating was needed as I had to go start on repairs on the next tractor. this method never let me down but was not needed on every build either

 

[JRH02]

All this talk about the bore, finish and sizing....

All I can say to that is most shops want the oversize pistons ON Hand Before they bore a block, that way they can final hone to put it on the money spec wise as far as piston to wall clearance.
. So the block was bored .040 over and then a set of .040 pistons in a kit was sourced?

This is absolutely true for a competent shop to bore and then hone the cylinders to size to the pistons supplied before the block work is done.

Next, I ALWAYS end gapped EVERY ring. How much came off the ends varied constantly. You can do it or pay the machine shop to do it. I always did my own.

I always plastigaged ALL mains and rods. Adds a little time but that step sure guards against this kind of problem. Heck, even proper technique for plastigaging is taking lightly.

It was said earlier that this engine needs to be shelled apart and redone. I concur. This whole thing is just dragging on and its just gonna get worse over time. Too bad its a tractor and has to be split again. It'd be even more of a easy decision if it was a vehicle. I sympathize that you have to go through this but fortunately I can't empathize.

 

[JRH02]

Overall, to me, this is a frustrating thread. All this discussion of what COULD be a problem and trying to get around what seems to be absolute evidence that it has to be redone.

 

[just_Dave]

most diesel engines will never get to operating temp at idle, and with no thermostat I bet that motor is cold as cold. a lot of semi and pickups Cummins actually have a high idle feature for situations where you need it run while not driving to maintain a proper engine temp and not wash the cylinders down.

my personal opinion is you need it in a dyno, behind a plow, pushing dirt around with a loader... dragging a big ass heavy rock around the yard something to get it up to temp and working. Dragging the brakes won't do a thing past wear then out.

and or an honest conversation with the builder for info on all the data they should have on the rebuild

 

[thepumpguysc]

Down here in SC we have sand for soil.. so “pushing a tree” is the norm here to get 1 up to temp. & broken in..

 

[pmsmechanic]

Soooo. Was there a happy ending?

 

[boatmoter]

on diesels I always used a handful of comet or Ajax and let it suck it down the intakes a little at a time,makes the rings seat in in minutes,always worked for me

 

[John0829]

on diesels I always used a handful of comet or Ajax and let it suck it down the intakes a little at a time,makes the rings seat in in minutes,always worked for me

Yeah, ah NO, saw a fresh D8 Cat engine seize up when the handful was just a little to much. A properly rebuilt engine, gas or diesel, will NOT need help seating the rings if broke in right.

 

[rocco611]

Hope to hear from the OP how this turned out.

 

[pmsmechanic]

on diesels I always used a handful of comet or Ajax and let it suck it down the intakes a little at a time,makes the rings seat in in minutes,always worked for me

We were told in class that is you have an engine where the rings won't seat then about 3 tablespoons of comet was enough to help the rings seat. I've never had to use it and would far rather have the rings seat in during a good brake in procedure. I'm pretty sure your method works though!

 

[Gord Baker]

At this point, add 1/2 cup of Baking soda to the oil and see if that helps seat rings. Hopefully the bore was deglazed. Other helpful hints above.
Take the muffler off and run it at 1000 Rpm for 10 min.

 

[LouNY]

In over 50 years of working on engines I have never used any thing to seat rings even chrome rings in an engine, I do not know anyone who has done so even though we have all heard about doing so. I do know that if I paid someone to rebuild an engine and he ever reached for a handfull of grit to "fix" it we would be have a very serious discussion about who was paying for what and what would be done.

 

[Flad]

Black oil in the exhaust is not good, drain a bit of oil out from the sump and check it's colour it shouldn't be too dark on a rebuilt engine run for a few hours if it is really black it could be a cracked ring or two if it's thin and smells funny it could be the injector pump leaking fuel in to the crank case, the seals in the pump might be shot, any way if it is the injector pump leaking it will over fill the sump eventually depending how bad the seal is leakig, it can make the engine blow smoke and wash out all the black oil out of the muffler when it's warming up and leaking all over the motor. if it's an inline pump they are no big deal to replace the seal ,just use GENUINE manufacturers replacement seals, shouldnt cost more than $15 DIY

 

[JRH02]

To me this absolutely BS. Pouring an abrasive into an intake is a hack. It should be a forum thing somewhere to delete. . Somewhere someone is chuckling. If your rebuild had the cylinders correctly crosshatched the unit should break in normally. This whole thread is out of line and doing more harm than good,

 

[boatmoter]

To me this absolutely BS. Pouring an abrasive into an intake is a hack. It should be a forum thing somewhere to delete. . Somewhere someone is chuckling. If your rebuild had the cylinders correctly crosshatched the unit should break in normally. This whole thread is out of line and doing more harm than good,

I worked for a used Heavy equipment dealer part time for 30 yrs,I did it many times as we did not have time to let them run until the rings seated in,they needed to be up for sale,never hurt anything and worked everytime. this was on diesels only, several old schoolers showed me this,Im also a ASE Master tech and Ford (automotive)certified

 

[deezler]

I worked for a used Heavy equipment dealer part time for 30 yrs,I did it many times as we did not have time to let them run until the rings seated in,they needed to be up for sale,never hurt anything and worked everytime. this was on diesels only, several old schoolers showed me this,Im also a ASE Master tech and Ford (automotive)certified

I find that pretty fascinating. So your manager at the equipment dealer told you to do this, and you did. Ok then.

But of course, absolutely nowhere in your master tech or Ford tech certification process was this process ever recommended, whatsoever. Right?

Why did your dealership feel the need to provide machines to buyers that were already broken in? That burden is on the customer, to properly break in their new machine. The manufacturer instructions are clear. If I were a buyer and you guys told me you did this (although I imagine it rarely came up, and you probably did not voluntarily disclose this to customers) I would immediately walk away and buy somewhere else.

Internal combustion engines simply DO NOT require abrasive garbage poured into their cylinders to aid in break-in. This is a net detriment to engine health, both short and long term. Following the proper, manufacturer-SPECIFIED engine break-in procedure is best, then, now, and always.