Today, after a 9 mile climb up a 7 % grade, towing a 10,000 pound airstream, my Kodiak, with 13,459 miles on it, blue CLOUDS of Blue smoke, for about 3 minutes.. No loss of oil pressure, no rise in temperature, no strange noises, no loss of power..

Oil checked this am, between marks.. fuel from a regularly used stop.

Anyone any idea what was happening. http://dieselplace.com/forum/images/smilies/confused.gif

Duramax or Cat?

He has a duramax.

Possible injectors problem

Yes, it has a duramax... It sounds like I need to find somewhere that will work on my truck and get it checked out. Second problem, in 10,000 miles..

Blue smoke usually indicates an oil problem. Sounds like you knew that already tho. It's getting past the piston rings. Not good for a brand new engine.
There's a new post in the "emergency" topics that sounds somewhat similar, but he lost power. See sdaver's post about checking the turbo intercooler hoses.

MyLash,

If you've not thrown a code, and the "blue cloud" has not come back again, you may have had a batch of oil blow by. This was not unusual in the old large displacement LeTourneau and Cats in our heavy lift cranes. Long-hard pulls can cause "puddles" of oil to accumulate and "blow-by" once in a while.

What I'm saying is this may be just a fluke with nothing to worry about. BUT...do have it checked out to be shure. Simple compression check on each of the cylinders will tell if there is a blow-by problem.

BTW, if you do find a commercial dealer in NM, please pass it on via PM. I'll be relocating to NM beginning in June, after negociations are done with LANL. I wil be looking for a reliable shop for service, and word-of-mouth recommendations go a long way.
Perhaps we will find time to :beerchug:, and maybe get ol'JJ out of that FL humidity and join in.

RF

Lash, what elevation were you? Making several passes through the Big Horns on 7% grades, I blew out alot of smoke also but that was because of the elevation. Looked like a frieght train going up them mountains. When I got to lower elevation it quit. Scared the crap out of me but I found out it was the lack of no air. I hope that was it only. Got the new badges on. They look great. Thanks for the info on them. Got them both for $21. Been asked were I got them. Told'em they had to go to the Dieselplace.com and ask for Mylash. Thanks buddy.

I have not yet gotten my badges on, I need to get on with it.. About the blue smoke.. Not sure of the elevation - it was on I 84, oregon, eastbound about mile marker 220 or so, Emigrant pass - it winds around a bit and climbs about 1000 feet.

It has not blown anything since then, and I can't find any dealer in this area willing to even look at it - I am going to be around Boise Idaho, next month, for a month, so will take it to somewhere then - I don't need to run it anymore until the 110 mile run from here, into Boise, so I don't mind having to wait. It is alarming that so much smoke would blow - it seemed more than just a puddle getting through, but the oil level was not visibly lower.. If I did not have the amazing warranty on this truck I would be cussing, but I have all of 13,880 miles on it, and time to waste so we will see what is happening.. I will ask about the recall on the electrics whilst I am there too..

Mylash

Mylash-

I'm from North Eastern Oregon, and just so you know emigrant pass is around the 3600 or 3700 foot mark I believe. Good luck!
J-HEFF

That's about the elevation when my other truck started "steamboating." I backed off the trottle till the smoke quit. It was slow going for a while. Had to get the trailer acid washed to get the soot off but it didn't matter. Miss being out that way. Lash let us know what you find out.

Have not got it to a dealer yet - that comes by the 2nd of next month.. I have not had any repeat of the smoke, and have driven only 45 miles since parking after it happened. I will keep you posted next month..

I now have a 2005 jeep, dealer lifted and kitted out, so not driving the Kodiak is not too much of a burden.. :)