Engine oil filter plugging in a Cummins ISX-15L

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Nov 16, 2010
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11
Location
SK, Canada
I have an ISX15 2350 engine in my Peterbilt. It burns about a gallon of oil per 2000miles. It's done it for awhile...but runs good.
Anyway, I had the bright idea to change oil this summer and filled it with Rotella 15w40 and a gallon of Lucas. Seemed to help a little but still had to add oil every few days. About a month or so later, I added another gallon of Lucas.
It didn't help much and continued adding 15w40 as necessary.
Then awhile later we did a full change using Valvoline conventional 15w40.
It ran about 6000 miles and the pressure was getting lower. I changed the filter and it was good again.
About 4000 miles later and it needed to be changed again.
Not sure what's going on.
Should I flush the engine and do oil change? Not sure if there's sludge or what ....
 
I have an ISX15 2350 engine in my Peterbilt. It burns about a gallon of oil per 2000miles. It's done it for awhile...but runs good.
Anyway, I had the bright idea to change oil this summer and filled it with Rotella 15w40 and a gallon of Lucas. Seemed to help a little but still had to add oil every few days. About a month or so later, I added another gallon of Lucas.
It didn't help much and continued adding 15w40 as necessary.
Then awhile later we did a full change using Valvoline conventional 15w40.
It ran about 6000 miles and the pressure was getting lower. I changed the filter and it was good again.
About 4000 miles later and it needed to be changed again.
Not sure what's going on.
Should I flush the engine and do oil change? Not sure if there's sludge or what ..

First thing I would do is cut one of these filters open…
 
I have an ISX15 2350 engine in my Peterbilt. It burns about a gallon of oil per 2000miles. It's done it for awhile...but runs good.
Anyway, I had the bright idea to change oil this summer and filled it with Rotella 15w40 and a gallon of Lucas. Seemed to help a little but still had to add oil every few days. About a month or so later, I added another gallon of Lucas.
It didn't help much and continued adding 15w40 as necessary.
Then awhile later we did a full change using Valvoline conventional 15w40.
It ran about 6000 miles and the pressure was getting lower. I changed the filter and it was good again.
About 4000 miles later and it needed to be changed again.
Not sure what's going on.
Should I flush the engine and do oil change? Not sure if there's sludge or what ....
Years ago Cummins and Valvoline got together and came up with a fix for the ISX oil consumption problem. #TSB150163 which includes the use of a special oil, Valvoline Premium Blue "Restore" and oil filter LF14000NN. The oil was very expensive at $75/gal and was designed to cleanup stuck rings.

Call your local Cummins dealer and see if the oil is still available.

https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/2017/MC-10111660-9999.pdf
 
Valvoline Restore.jpg
 
I'd send an oil sample out for testing and go from there. Cutting a filter open is also good advice.

Are you losing any coolant?
 
Years ago Cummins and Valvoline got together and came up with a fix for the ISX oil consumption problem. #TSB150163 which includes the use of a special oil, Valvoline Premium Blue "Restore" and oil filter LF14000NN. The oil was very expensive at $75/gal and was designed to cleanup stuck rings.

Call your local Cummins dealer and see if the oil is still available.

https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/2017/MC-10111660-9999.pdf
This. And for the love of God, stop using that garbage Lucas, it's insanely heavy cheap Group I with a boat load of cheap VII plastic and some bar oil tackifier.
 
Good like finding the super ester cleaning Restore oil

This is a known issue. So, address the issue or plan on a new engine. Year/mileage? and, do you have UOA data and filter inspections? If not, you need to UOA to rule out other issues.

Plan on a trip to an approved Cummins shop for their opinion.
 
Good like finding the super ester cleaning Restore oil

This is a known issue. So, address the issue or plan on a new engine. Year/mileage? and, do you have UOA data and filter inspections? If not, you need to UOA to rule out other issues.

Plan on a trip to an approved Cummins shop for their opinion.
I assume @High Performance Lubricants could offer something comparable to the PBR product as an alternative if he isn't able to get it.
 
I'd send an oil sample out for testing and go from there. Cutting a filter open is also good advice.

Are you losing any coolant?
No coolant loss. Oil cap and inside manifold filter housing is clean. There is some blow by puffing when you take cap off while it's running.
History:
Truck emissions were intact when I got it and had had engine work done (top end).
The engine did get some dust for about 3000 miles right after I bought it. Someone right before I bought it had put the wrong air filters in it. I happened to see the filter moving in the housing about a week or so after getting it.
I put in the correct filters, tested oil and changed it immediately and the test showed high silica.
Did another couple oil changes and silica was way down...but there was still a little iron and chromium and other wear metals. This was about a year ago.
Couple months later, I decided to switch to synthetic Valvoline 5w40. About a week or so after that, my filter plugged. Thinking it was a bad filter, I changed it and it stayed good after that. But then it started using oil and even after switching back to conventional...it hasn't stopped. And now a year later, plugged filters after an oil change again.
So, I've been expecting an inframe since the dusting...but this oil filter plugging is strange to me. Engine still runs great but power might be down a tiny bit. And oil consumption is getting high.
 
Last edited:
Here are the two OA from that time.
 

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Have you cut open an oil filter for inspection?
What filter brand/pn are you using?
I did cut it open the first time but couldn't really see anything. I think it was a Wix/Napa filter.
The last two filters that were starting to plug were Wix/Napa as well. I bought a bunch on filter sale so I've been using them up. But I might throw a FG on there next time it happens.
Haven't cut the last ones open yet...but I do have them. Should be drained out well enough now to see dry stuck material inside.
 
Wonder if you have an EGR problem - something like an EGR valve stuck open - on top of significant blowby causing higher than normal soot loading in the oil?
 
No coolant loss. Oil cap and inside manifold filter housing is clean. There is some blow by puffing when you take cap off while it's running.
History:
Truck emissions were intact when I got it and had had engine work done (top end).
The engine did get some dust for about 3000 miles right after I bought it. Someone right before I bought it had put the wrong air filters in it. I happened to see the filter moving in the housing about a week or so after getting it.
I put in the correct filters, tested oil and changed it immediately and the test showed high silica.
Did another couple oil changes and silica was way down...but there was still a little iron and chromium and other wear metals. This was about a year ago.
Couple months later, I decided to switch to synthetic Valvoline 5w40. About a week or so after that, my filter plugged. Thinking it was a bad filter, I changed it and it stayed good after that. But then it started using oil and even after switching back to conventional...it hasn't stopped. And now a year later, plugged filters after an oil change again.
So, I've been expecting an inframe since the dusting...but this oil filter plugging is strange to me. Engine still runs great but power might be down a tiny bit. And oil consumption is getting high.
Rings and liners are are shot.
 
Filter cut open...no grit or anything
Wonder if you have an EGR problem - something like an EGR valve stuck open - on top of significant blowby causing higher than normal soot loading in the oil?

Wonder if you have an EGR problem - something like an EGR valve stuck open - on top of significant blowby causing higher than normal soot loading in the oil?
No EGR anymore
 

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