Rotella T6 7.3 Powerstroke low mile BAD!!!

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I purchased this truck 2 years ago with 132k miles on it. I now have 166k on it. run motorcraft oil filters til now( switch to baldwin monster sized ELF7405) also switched back to valvoline 15-40 premium blue, because I liked the additive package better then T6.

I have been noticing blue smoke at start up when cold, then clears up in a couple minutes. I have a good glowplug system, with mostly new OEM parts, and alot of mods done to the truck.

heres my oil analysis.

oilscreenshotgood.jpg



I sent oil into patten CAT at 5600 miles, and copper was 7, lead 11, and iron was at 81.

I am the third owner, and think at one time the truck was parked for a while and not driven (found a mouse nest in engine valley, lot of dead leaves in cowl) after I purchased it.

feel free to ask any questions on how I drive, mods, maitenance. I am a heavy diesel mechanic, and this is my baby, and I'm very in tune with her....but this analysis has me worried.

here's my most recent pic
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How do you drive it and what are the mods (besides the stack popping out of the hood)?

Blue smoke at startup obviously means oil is getting into the cylinders somehow.

Do you hammer on it? Be honest!
 
Nice OBS, and
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to BITOG! I also think you have to look somewhere besides the Rotella for the cause of your wear metals. I can't see the fuel dilution part of the analysis, but since Blackstone didn't mention it in the little narrative I'm assuming it wasn't significant. When you list your mods, maybe that'll clue somebody in to something? Good luck, I'm subscribing
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everything checked out perfect on the bottom. its really small...idk if you can see it.

oilanalysisscreenshot.jpg


most of the mods are now in my sig. also has a alot of maitnance parts changed recently. and a bunch of non-motor mods.


rebuilt stage 1 injectors
Tony Wildman Custom Tunes
T-500 high pressure oil pump
electric fans
6637 intake
handmade uppipe
manual EBPV/glowplugs/fans
FPR shim
autometer boost/egt guages
BHOF

feel like im forgettin stuff lol, its a long list


EGT's on start up dont even hit 150 for a while. I figured the smoking was just raw fuel. I really want to do a compression test.
 
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I always warm my truck up atleast 5-10 minutes even in the summer before it even leaves the driveway. I baby it (under 4psi, 600 degrees EGT and under 2000rpm) until its in the normal operation of the temp guage.

once its in there, I run it hard sometimes, but always let it cool down under 300* egts before shutdown.


oh yeah, and that powerstrokehelp guy is a clown....just sayin.
 
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So blue smoke at startup on a diesel can be fuel instead of oil? I didn't know that! I see many diesels belching out blue smoke in the winter after a cold start and always figured it was oil.
 
ya, ford even calls blue smoke on cold starts "normal"

if its really cold, itll start pure white, then turn blueish, then go away once engine temps come up a bit.
 
While I'm not a fan of Rotella, I don't think its the root cause of your issues. From the list of your mods it looks like you are over fueling causing excessive wear.
 
Originally Posted By: roadrunner1
While I'm not a fan of Rotella, I don't think its the root cause of your issues. From the list of your mods it looks like you are over fueling causing excessive wear.

But the UOA doesn't support this, as fuel is listed at <0.5%.
 
Over-fueling meaning using more horsepower than he should be causing excessive wear, not fuel diluting the oil.
 
I will take it nice n easy on it then for 3000 miles, keep it in the stock or tow tune, and keep my foot out of it. Thats gonna be tough for that long haha.
 
The added power from your mods and your fairly long OCI (8k miles on an engine that the factory said to go 5k and while the T444E can do 10k it doesn't have your mods) might contribute to the added wear.

I see the rolling coal reference in your sig...if you are tough on the truck wear will increase. Like others have said try backing down on the tune and see how the wear trends. Nothing else seems too out of place, flashpoint, fuel contamination and viscosity are all where they should be.

I also hope you are running an electric lift pump with the bigger HPOP and stix.

Now you reference electric fans, did you delete the factory fan?
 
The T444E was typically rated for less horsepower than the Ford version. Like my '94 Powerstroke was rated at 210 which was the lowest they ever had and I don't think many 444Es were even rated over 200. Plus, my truck you can rev to about 3500 rpm whereas the 444E was maybe 2500. It's been awhile since I've seen one so I can't say for certain. Plus the 444E had a slighly larger front sump oil pan for an extra gallon oil capacity or so. Does your truck use much oil?
 
Originally Posted By: sdan27
The T444E was typically rated for less horsepower than the Ford version. Like my '94 Powerstroke was rated at 210 which was the lowest they ever had and I don't think many 444Es were even rated over 200. Plus, my truck you can rev to about 3500 rpm whereas the 444E was maybe 2500. It's been awhile since I've seen one so I can't say for certain. Plus the 444E had a slighly larger front sump oil pan for an extra gallon oil capacity or so. Does your truck use much oil?


Actually there were a few mil/rv spec T444E that were 215 and 230 hp. Which with the exception of the late 02-03 275hp manuals puts the T444e right in the same power range as the PSD.

http://www.schoolbusfleet.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=5585

http://www.internationalpowerstroke.com/t444E.html

But like you said the T444e was limited to 2600 rpms, I thought the T444e pan was only 2 quarts or so bigger...I didn't think it was THAT much bigger but I could be wrong of course.

Regardless it is a moot point since his mods through the applicability of a T444e OCIs out the window, so I probably shouldn't have said anything in the first place. Although stage 1 injectors are a far cry from 230/100%s so I would expect the wear number to not be THAT high if he wasn't towing or racing it.
 
I am still running a mechanical lift pump with a shim for added fuel pressure. I dont beat on the truck, and dont hold excessive egts for long. I tap 1400 and immediatly snap out of the throttle.

Yes I removed my factory fan a while ago. I never even have to turn my electric fan on even towing over 5k lbs on light grades. Needle stays right over the N or O in NORMAL. I mainly use it in stop and go traffic with the A/C on to keep air going over the condenser.
 
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