jdjonesdr

For the leaks, you may want to try adding a bottle of ATP AT-205 Re-Seal Stops Leaks, 8 Ounce Bottle.

I got mine from Amazon. My engine was going through a quart a week. One bottle of this stuff has dramatically lowered the leakage. Now, it's the occasional drops here and there.

Big, big difference.

DFlintstone

Instead of a proper "leak-down" test like I mentioned in my post 15 on the last page, just applying compressed air and listening might help. I connected my compression tester hose to air not long ago, to find a bad exhaust valve in an old Onan generator.

Stabsthedrama

Ya I believe there to be some testing error, but the numbers should have been correct to within +/- 10psi, so them going down on a wet test may have not been 100% correct.

After letting it sit after deep creeping it, I fired it up and drove it hard a few times today. The idle seems a lot better honestly, and again - the motor seems real strong and there doesn't seem to be anything telling in the way it drives....yet. And the smoke has been drastically reduced since the MMO, but there's still some out the fill cap when throttle is opened, just not nearly as much.

I will run it at least a few more days, possibly even until next weekend, and retest. I was just too tired and lazy to do it right away again today, I haven't had a day at home to relax in I can't remember how long.

I'll also add some stop leak too. Might as well throw as much crap into the engine as possible at this point, haha.

I guess if the numbers are re-verified as the same....I can keep driving it for awhile, keep an eye on consumption/noise/smoke, perhaps even through the winter? I don't know how long something like this can go on (or has been).

cruiser54

Keep driving it.

Don't baby it.

At least a week or two.

DFlintstone

Gottcha. Give yourself a break! Frustrating start. You might search "dynamic compression" The basic idea is you pull (then replace) plug wires one at a time off the dizy and note the rpm drop. I'm guessing yours won't drop much when #4 is unplugged.

Hopefully it's just a burnt exhaust valve or an error in the testing. Wouldn't expect a valve to cause that oil loss though. I'd pass on the seal softener myself, but if 4 was not so bad I might try that Restore product.

In your shoes I might have someone follow me and see if it seems to smoke while I'm getting on it, accelerating.

Stabsthedrama

I'll have a coworker follow me tomorrow, he usually does anyway. I'll get on it and have him really look good at it (he usually rides his motorcycle too, so that's even better).

I'll keep monitoring actual oil loss as well, as it isn't THAT bad, seems worse on the highway. Took 2 long trips recently (3.5 miles each way, twice) - and that's when it seemed to really go through oil. Normal commuting/backroads don't seem to drink to much oil.

And ya, I will be leak down testing it depending on the results of next compression test. If I go that far and get an air compressor, I might as well do the seals with a compressor anyway.

I'll also get under there real good tomorrow or one of the days this week and really try to diagnose any oil leaks, but again - not seeing enough to even worry me.

I'll probably even wind up compression testing by this next weekend too, as #4 cylinder is gonna be consuming me mentally all week.

Edit: It seems that MANY people are reviewing/commenting on these compression testers from HF, confirming my suspicions that they read very low, and have too much hose line anyway - so they're really only good for one thing - checking if 1 cylinder is way off, which I suppose it did - but as for the other numbers, I'm sticking with my gut that they can't be trusted and are probably a good 10-20psi higher than what the gauge is showing. Either way, the one cylinder is down, so I'll retest soon.

I did make some bangin chicken bacon ranch pizza last night (from scratch), I'm eating some more right now...so this weekend wasn't a total loss...

DFlintstone

Be very careful with the Pizza, bad things can happen. If you find yourself blanching tomatoes to skin them to make sauce, growing Basel...making your own sourdough....step away from the cutting board. As my weight shot past 285, a little voice was saying, "it's OK...hit 300!"

After thinking about...I think your rings are pretty worn. Maybe try the Restore and run it, but 100 to 125 is a pretty clear sign you will need to do something serious.

Stabsthedrama

Compression testing again later.

Stabsthedrama

Alright so I compression tested again.

All cylinders tested dry at 100 +/- 5psi

Wet, maybe 2 cylinders went up by about 10, others stayed the same. (5 and 6 didn't budge, so ya...I doubt they actually went down last test)

Sprayed more deep creep in the holes (just a little this time), put her all back together and fired her up.

Looks pretty good to me, if in fact these Renixes can be expected to have ~100psi and be considered good, or perhaps this HF compression tester is low.

I saw that in another thread about renix compression, and it got me thinking - how much would the starter matter? The starter I put in it I just recently swapped in because the last one died, and this one was an old one off my last 96, and is probably on its way out soon too.


Also, My friend was right behind me on the way home from work on his motorcycle, and I was pedal to the floor at every acceleration on the back roads. He said there was a gas smell and a liiiiitle smoke coming out of the parking lot at work, and then not a single bit of smoke or smell the whole way home.


.....frikkin snake oil

cruiser54

I wonder about the Hobo Freight compression tester myself. But, you went up only 10% or so Wet. Drive it.

After a week or so, do the water decarbonization process.

DFlintstone

Hey! Supper! So the tanked #4 was a test error, as well as... In any case if you got consistent #'s without a significant gain wet, sounds great.

All I meant by the starer, (and battery and cables), is that the speed of cranking affect's the #'s. A tired starter might not quite have the "umph" is all. Likely not much of an issue I suppose as long as it works OK.

I didn't see if you mentioned the condition of your plugs. Hope they are even and mostly white.

If he saw white or bluish smoke that could be oil. (white steam vanishes quickly). Dark smoke is from extra fuel. If you have stock injectors...well carry a fire extinguisher and expect anything. You have checked your MAP tube right?

Also, I can't help but be curious, what oil did you use for your wet tests?

Stabsthedrama

Ya the plugs were KINDA sooty, and I had only run them for a week (first comp test) - by the 2nd comp test (a few days of driving hard in between, and I actually swapped the plugs around since they were all pretty much identical) - they all looked ok again, but #4 was definitely a little more sooty than the others. Not oily, not burnt real bad, but definitely a bit sooty, maybe 3 of them were still pretty white. I know that a bit of soot is normal, I mean with combustion and all. When I took the original plugs out, I didn't take a picture or anything, but didn't seem like anything out of the ordinary honestly. Pretty standard for an old engine I thought, and I've seen much worse out of other trucks.

I used Castrol 10w30. I don't always put the best oil in the crank case if it's losing a bit anyway, but on an oil change or anything like a wet test, I'll use good stuff like castrol, and usually always run 10w30 in my trucks, but don't really have a specific reason, it's just a good middle ground.

I'd definitely be interested to see this test with a known good tester (like a snapon) down the line, but it does seem like the cylinders are ok.

It's still smoking a good bit out the filler cap every time I open the throttle, seems to come and go now, but I can at least kinda rest assured that it's not the head gasket or rings, etc. since the wet test was good, and cylinders were all even.

MAP tube was totally fine.

Will be doing valve stem seals soon enough I suppose, I just hope that's actually the issue...

Also, Cruiser had mentioned getting some refurbished Volvo 746 injectors from a particular user here, so I messaged him this morning, either way I''m looking into the swapping the injectors out asap.

DFlintstone

It's OK to mention Programbo! On his advice I was the first Guinna pig with the 746.. some testomoinals here > https://www.cherokeeforum.com/f2/199...r-swap-163105/

Unlike what I'm "use to", the plugs in my fuel injected 4.0 with 280K run nearly white, just a shade off. The tan/chocolate is from days of old. Smelling gas and black/soot ect is not right. This here has some simple MAP test stuff. http://www.lunghd.com/Tech_Articles/...iagnostics.htm

There's another test involving a hand vacuum pump and an analogue meter, ( old style with a needle), where you actually watch the voltage sweep as vacuum is applied. I haven't done it.

When my 02 sensor was stone dead, (and my idle fluctuated every 20 secs or so), my mileage was low, but the plugs where still pretty white.

Stabsthedrama

Ya I'll test the map tmr, found that site a few times. The vacuum line cut the engine dead as soon as I took it off before on lunch. I could blow through the whole hose pretty easy though. I'll shoot the plug tmr.

My friend (big time gear head) said stem seals from the getgo, and says he's only more sure of it now, so I'll probably be doing them one of these next weekends. At least if they don't fix the smoking, I'll only be out what like $25? It'll annoy me, but at this point its my only option short of any rebuilding, and if that compression test is to be trusted, the bottom end seems OK.

The plugs I suppose are a bit concerning. Like I said the #4 was the only one I certainly noticed being sooty.

I also have a brand new Bosch o2 sensor I've been too lazy to put on, I will in the next few days, though I'm not sure how much it will help with the sooty plugs.

DFlintstone

A tip on the 02 sensor, if you chop the old wires you can get a 7/8 box wrench on it. I access there by supporting the frame so the axle is hanging, go in from the front.

I get puff on startup sometimes. Using around a Qt/1,500 miles. I might have saved some oil $'s had I changed the seals 100,000 miles ago!

You will flip over the 746 injectors, it's a really noticeable change. Supper smooth.