90 ford 7.3 Navistar oil consumption

At the risk of sounding like a teen ager, I need to ask a question. As will become immediately apparent, I don't know Diddley, about a diesel engine. This truck was bought 5 years ago, and has sat in my back lot for 4 of those years. The first year It was in the shop ( one guy, or another ) No one ever cured my excessive oil useage, but I parked it after $6000.00 in repairs. One shop pulled the engine, and put in new front and rear seals, and pan gasket. When I got it back the last time I drove a 60 mile round trip, to pick up a deep freezer, and used over a gallon of Rotella 15-40. One guy told me that fords didn't have a turbo on their 7.3's in 1990, and the one on mine must have been an add on. The same guy said that the oil was being burned because of the turbo seals. In the beginning of this debacle, I had my mechanic give it a compression test, and he said they are all good, so therefore I started to look for other causes. The truck still (today) starts good, and runs down the road good, but often will leave a white cloud behind me. Can I delete the turbo, to see if that helps?? I still am on the first tank of fuel, from 5 years ago. I am afraid to use it. It is a 1990 Ford superduty 350 dually, and I need it as a trailer puller.

Sorry I can't answer your question. However, this is interesting, my brother has a 1994 (?) 7.3 without a turbo that blows white smoke now and then. A policeman stopped him once and threaten to give him a ticket for a faulty exhaust. Other times there is no smoke. Always seems to run. Looking forward to the answer on this one.

7.3 always had turbo. 6.9 did not. You may have an injector seal issue. the seals on inj will leak so it can put oil into the fuel side. Causes oil consumption, look at your fuel is it dark? Also there is a situation in which the injectors can actually inject oil with each firing of the inj. Unfortunately the only fix for that is all new inj as no way to find offending inj. Ok as for the seal issue, oil pressure on inj is higher than the fuel pressure so no it generally will not show up in the oil with fuel. your fuel will be off color. The turbo could be putting oil out the exhaust or in the intake. But beware, as these pick ups are parked in the garage people did not want oil on the floor from the breather, if I remember correct the breather vents into the intake of the turbo so there will always be some oil. with trucks the oil drip was not of concern. Hope this helps in some way but perhaps you have been down this road already. injectors can be obtained for a reasonable cost if you shop. the engine will not run with out a turbo, not enough air to support combustion. Ok it will run but not much above an idle.

I just found injectors on a ford site, $42.00 plus change, plus $10. core charge Is this in the normal ballpark?

Correct me if I'm wrong, but a '90 7.3 would be the N/A engine unless someone added a turbo, and had a Stanadyne injection pump with regular pressure injectors. I didn't think oil would ever contact the injector on the 7.3 N/A engines. My PSD 7.3 although does need new injector seals like you say. I have known about it for a while, but figured I'd put it off and do it as a winter project.

Yes, the original 7.3 was non-turbo. When the "powerstroke" was introduced, it is turbocharged and had some "electronics " on it. Turbo seal could be bad,: turbo installation incorrectly done: I would talk to a dealer that has dealt with this engine. Many times the high dollar labor rate at a dealer is actually a bargain compared to "trial and error " methods.

Trucmech, somebody fed you a line of BS somewhere along the line. Yes, the 6.9 was naturally aspirated from the factory, but so was the 7.3 up until 1993. They were also indirect injection with a mechanical fuel pump up until halfway through 1994. That's when they switched it to the T444E, better known as the Powerstroke. That's also when they started with direct injection with HEUI injectors.

Ralph, so long as the fuel pump hasn't been turned up too much, your truck will run fine without the turbo. As for the oil consumption, the only thing I can think of is the turbo seals, or possibly valve seals in the head.

The 7.3 IDI didn't have a factory turbo until 1993..My 1991 F-350 dually with the 7.3 naturally aspirated IDI was gutless when it came to pulling a gooseneck trailer..

The7.3idi was made 88-94 and was conventional with a pump diesel. 94.5 and after, the 7.3 was totally different and became the computer controlled direct injected Powerstroke.

Well I don't know where I am at NOW! Maybe right back where I started! I have read 7 different replys, and thank each and ever one, for taking the time to do so. Perhaps I will spend $500.00, on injectors, and see if that helps. All I am sure of, is that the bleeding stopped 4 years ago, when I parked it. I hope I am not scratching the scab off, and starting up the bleeding again. I really need a pull truck this winter, and went to Ritchie Bros auction this morning, but failed to pull the trigger, because of this ford sitting here not being used.

Ralph, my son has a buddy that is a tech at the Ford dealer. I will ask him when I see him tomorrow or sunday. Give me a call about noon or so and by then maybe will have an answer for you.

The original 7.3 was an IDI( indirect injection) just like the older 6.9. The only factory turbo 7.3 idi was in 93-94 and it was an option . In 1994 you could get a 7.3 IDI, 7.3 IDI turbo or the 7.3 DI ( direct injection ) aka "power stroke" .

OP, I might suspect the turbo too for oil consumption but it should be easy to verify by removing the "hat " or the inlet pipe from the turbo to the intake manifold, you should find a lot of oil there if the the turbo was at fault. Another are the IDI was prone to injest oil was from the valve guides being worn. If compression was truly in spec then I doubt you have excessive blow by causing the oil consumption.

The turbo can be removed/deleted but you would probably need a N/A donor truck for the parts that you would need to swap. A few brackets, air filter housing, exhaust manifolds and pipe and a few brackets. You may also need to learn how to defuel the IP pump if it was turned up to compensate for boost.

(quoted from post at 21:59:26 10/21/16) Well I don't know where I am at NOW! Maybe right back where I started! I have read 7 different replys, and thank each and ever one, for taking the time to do so. Perhaps I will spend $500.00, on injectors, and see if that helps. All I am sure of, is that the bleeding stopped 4 years ago, when I parked it. I hope I am not scratching the scab off, and starting up the bleeding again. I really need a pull truck this winter, and went to Ritchie Bros auction this morning, but failed to pull the trigger, because of this ford sitting here not being used.

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It's not the injectors, the comment about the injectors was referring to the 7.3 DI power stroke, which you do not have.

I am sorry Arlen, but I don't belive I still have your phone number. I think I still have your E mail though. Thanks in advance bud!

(quoted from post at 14:44:41 10/21/16) At the risk of sounding like a teen ager, I need to ask a question. As will become immediately apparent, I don't know Diddley, about a diesel engine. This truck was bought 5 years ago, and has sat in my back lot for 4 of those years. The first year It was in the shop ( one guy, or another ) No one ever cured my excessive oil useage, but I parked it after $6000.00 in repairs. One shop pulled the engine, and put in new front and rear seals, and pan gasket. When I got it back the last time I drove a 60 mile round trip, to pick up a deep freezer, and used over a gallon of Rotella 15-40. One guy told me that fords didn't have a turbo on their 7.3's in 1990, and the one on mine must have been an add on. The same guy said that the oil was being burned because of the turbo seals. In the beginning of this debacle, I had my mechanic give it a compression test, and he said they are all good, so therefore I started to look for other causes. The truck still (today) starts good, and runs down the road good, but often will leave a white cloud behind me. Can I delete the turbo, to see if that helps?? I still am on the first tank of fuel, from 5 years ago. I am afraid to use it. It is a 1990 Ford superduty 350 dually, and I need it as a trailer puller.

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I am far from an expert, but I'm an idi junkie, so to speak.. Both of my trucks have a 7.3 idi (one was originally a 6.9, I swapped a 7.3 into it).

The turbo is not factory for a 1990. It is possible in its life it had a engine from a 1994 swapped in (which would have been factory turbo), but most likely it's a ats or banks kit.

Turbo seals could be a possibility for your oil consumption, but could be valve seals, or could still be bad compression, depends on how familiar with diesels the shop that checked it is. Without looking in the book I believe that the idi engines are supposed to be in the 2-400psi range, and I believe the factory turbo idi's range starts at 50 psi less (again, would have to check my book).

The white smoke could also indicate injection pump issues (but with the amount of oil you are consuming, it very well could be oil smoke). My daily driver is on the "tired" side, and I have no idea how many miles are on the engine/inj pump, but roughly a year ago it started smoking bad, but no increase in oil consumption. Had injectors pop tested, they were all ok. Tested compression, all within spec, checked everything I could think of.. Stumbled upon a diesel truck forum where a poster had similar issues, his starting after a pump swap, they told him to try advancing the pump timing, to which fixed his. I tried it on mine and what a world of difference. Someone will come along and post that if the pump and pump housing marks are lined up its in time, but that is only true if it is the ORIGINAL pump to that engine.

My suggestion for your consumption of oil would be firstly to remove the tubes on the intake side of turbo and check for signs of oil.. If you're using a gallon in 60 miles there should be signs that oil is blowing by the seals. I would also do a compression test myself, they're easy enough to do, pull one glow plug at a time and crank. I leave the key off and jump the solenoid on the firewall). I believe O'Reillys rents a diesel compression tester, or harbor freight sells em cheap (but the Ford/Navistar idi adapter won't thread into the hole, at least mine wouldn't).

IF YOU DECIDE TO REMOVE THE TURBO KIT, I WOULD BE VERY INTERESTED IN PURCHASING IT FROM YOU.. DON'T JUST TOSS IT IN THE SCRAP PLEASE! All you should have to do to do away with it is remove the turbo and all related plumbing, buy a "factory" y-pipe, and factory style air filter (I have a couple extra filter canisters I'd spare for the cost of shipping), and plug of the oil supply to the turbo. The pump may have been turned up for the turbo, but I wouldn't think it would be turned up to the point of excess fuel smoke without it, but even so, the pumps are easy to "back off" the fuel.

My email should be open if there is anything more I can do to help, I'd like to see you get the old girl straightened out.
Brad

Since you aren't running the truck much the white smoke could be water from condensation in the exhaust system while setting.On my 99 7.3 diesel if I haven't run it in a while when I fist run it it'll blow out some white smoke and then quit and has since it was new.So I figure its just evaporating the water in the exhaust system.My truck started using oil I thought but it was the oil filter a little loose and oil leaking out of it.

I agree with everything Brad Gyde has said but.... Even if the intake is clean no oil it could still be the turbo if the seal on the exhaust side is bad. I have a 4430 I swapped in an engine from a 4630. The engine is in great shape but used alot of oil. It was all on the exhaust side of the turbo. Looking at the smoke it just looked like normal diesel smoke. I replaced the turbo and it used no more oil than normal.

If it was mine and wanted to eliminate the turbo as a possibility I might try unhooking the exhaust uppipes from the turbo so it won't turn. Plug the oil line so the turbo won't have it to leak and run it. It would be loud but the turbo won't leak

(quoted from post at 07:05:10 10/22/16) I agree with everything Brad Gyde has said but.... Even if the intake is clean no oil it could still be the turbo if the seal on the exhaust side is bad. I have a 4430 I swapped in an engine from a 4630. The engine is in great shape but used alot of oil. It was all on the exhaust side of the turbo. Looking at the smoke it just looked like normal diesel smoke. I replaced the turbo and it used no more oil than normal.

If it was mine and wanted to eliminate the turbo as a possibility I might try unhooking the exhaust uppipes from the turbo so it won't turn. Plug the oil line so the turbo won't have it to leak and run it. It would be loud but the turbo won't leak

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The exhaust side also crossed my mind, but this morning when I saw this, I couldn't think of a simple way to check the exhaust side for leaks. Could also possibly unhook exhaust and do a splatter test possibly (hold some cardboard a couple inches from exhaust of turbo and look for oil splatter)? The only turbo I ever had with bad seals on the exhaust was overly evident.. It was in a Massey combine and it'd blow oil out the exhaust.. In a hour of running (not under a heavy load, just driving down the road) it'd use about a gallon.

Brad