My Backhoe needs and engine rebuild

[blue262]

I have a 1998 Ford/New Holland 555E Backhoe. It has 8,500 hours and I bought it with 1,800 hours back in 2003. This is the first major issue that I've had with it.

I think there are two issues. The most obvious is all the white smoke coming out of the exhaust and the vent tube that exits under the engine. It starts quickly, and runs fine, but when I put a strain on it, the white smoke becomes so thick it's hard to breath and see through. I'm thinking the rings are worn. The white smoke has been there for a few years, but this past weekend, it was really, REALLY BAD!!!

The second issue, and what I think caused the rings to wear is the engine oil feels like it's been mixed with hydraulic oil. When I changed the oil last year, I got more oil out of the pan then it is supposed to hold. I didn't overfill it the time before, so somewhere, somehow, more oil is getting into the pan. It feels thin to the touch, looks black and dirty. It just doesn't feel like motor oil to me.

How can hydraulic oil get into an engine? My only thought is there is a leak around the rear main seal that goes to the transmission. But I don't know how this can happen, or if it's possible. I'm going to visit my dealer this week and ask the mechanics there if they know what's happening. I'm hoping for some insight from everyone here too.

I've done one in frame rebuild before that was on my dozer. It has a 6-cylinder Cummins engine. The backhoe has a 4-cylinder engine. I'm not sure who makes it. I'll have to find out. Rebuild kits seem reasonable, but I'm not 100% sure they come with new cylinder sleeves. I'll ask the mechanic at my dealer if the engine has replaceable cylinder sleeves. If it does, that makes it an easy rebuild. I'll check the crank for wear when I get it apart before ordering the kit. I'm hopeful that it doesn't need to be ground down.

Any and all advice is greatly appreciated!!!

Ford New Holland 555E Tractor Major Overhaul Engine Kit (Diesel - 304 CID) - 73341933 | F73341933

Ford New Holland 555E Tractor Major Overhaul Engine Kit (Diesel - 304 CID) - 73341933 | F73341933

www.jensales.com

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White smoke is coolant entering the cylinders. Mine was a leaking head gasket, but could be a cracked block.

The oil level increasing is diesel entering from a leaking injection pump. The oil analysis will tell you for sure.

 

[EddieWalker]

Wouldn't coolant make the oil look milky?

 

[jshwhite]

White smoke is coolant entering the cylinders. Mine was a leaking head gasket, but could be a cracked block.

The oil level increasing is diesel entering from a leaking injection pump. The oil analysis will tell you for sure.

Ditto. Head gasket would be the most common, hopefully not a cracked block.

Wouldn't coolant make the oil look milky?

It would if it was getting into the oil. In this case though it's entering the combustion chamber when the engine is running, so it's getting burnt and making white smoke.

 

[EddieWalker]

Cracked block is going to be very very bad news if it's true. I was thinking blow by since it only happened when I was pushing a tree out of the way that I had just dug up. I revved the engine really hard and then the white cloud appeared. White smoke was shooting out of the exhaust pipe and down to the ground through the vent pipe.

 

[walnutman]

To perform a paper towel test for fuel in oil, place a drop of used engine oil onto a white paper towel or chromatography paper, allowing it to absorb. If a light-colored, wider ring or halo forms around the main dark oil spot as it spreads, it indicates fuel in the oil, with the extent of the spread offering a rough estimate of the dilution level. A colorless or slight yellow outer ring is considered a good result, meaning there's no significant fuel contamination.

 

[Hay Dude]

Wouldn't coolant make the oil look milky?

Not always.
Could be a little coolant getting through sleeves if cavitation. I don’t know if you have a sleeved engine or a parent bore engine.
Could be just enought to get in combustion chamber and burn off. A head gasket could also allow small amounts of coolant to enter combustion chamber.
Is your coolant level low?

 

[TractorTech]

Just seeing this. A couple of things. The engine is a Ford BSD450NA, 5.0 L/304 cid parent bore Genesis Series engine. It was the 4 cylinder engine that was used in most all of the Ford designed tractors.

A 1998 model should utilize a fuel lift/transfer mechanical pump on the front right of the engine which would be your fuel leak source - very common. It won't be hydraulic oil from the rear seal as the torque converter is bolted to the flywheel in a dry bell housing.

The coolant could be coming from the oil cooler, which is the thick, wafer item under the oil filter with cooler hoses going to it.

Rebuilding it is not difficult at all. You will most likely have to remove it to bore it out and grind the crank.

Alternative: https://www.alexanderstractorparts....ort-block-555e-6810s-4-cyl-genesis-non-turbo/

 

[hayden]

Ditto. Head gasket would be the most common, hopefully not a cracked block.

It would if it was getting into the oil. In this case though it's entering the combustion chamber when the engine is running, so it's getting burnt and making white smoke.

He could have two separate problems (coolant leaking into combustion chamber, and fuel leaking from injection pump into oil), but it seems unlikely that two separate things would happen at the same time. Unless one caused the other? I'm not seeing how that is likely?

 

[TractorTech]

He could have two separate problems (coolant leaking into combustion chamber, and fuel leaking from injection pump into oil), but it seems unlikely that two separate things would happen at the same time. Unless one caused the other? I'm not seeing how that is likely?

I agree that those are separate problems and I do believe that the fuel is leaking from the lift/transfer pump, not injector pump.

Now that I look at the problem again, I do agree that it is coolant into the combustion chamber. Most likely from a warped head and/or leaking head gasket. Anyway, if the diesel has been leaking into the engine and thinned the oil out, he is looking at a rebuild anyway.

 

[sd455dan]

As a cheap fast test, I would start the engine and then crack open an injector line one at a time and watch for a change in the exhaust smoke color. I have a bad exhaust / seat interface on cylinder four on one of my tractors. it has enough compression to fire that cylinder but results in blue/white smoke out of number 4's exhaust port. If I crack open #4 injectors pipe nut the smoking ceases. If your problem is somehow related to weak compression caused by a valve problem on a single cylinder this will expose it.

Does the exhaust smell like :
1. unburned diesel - burns your eyes
2. sickly sweet- antifreeze
3. burned engine oil

#1 is what poor combustion can cause and will smell of unburned diesel. Also overly tight adjustments on the intake and/or exhaust valves can cause this without any damage and a perfectly good injector and injection event but don't believe it would happen instantly
#2 cracked head/blown head gasket, and it certainly can just leak into the combustion area at first and not immediately change the oil to a milky color.

I would also check the intake tract for oil, Although I don't think the TLB's used the oil bath air filters wondering if there is any way the engine could somehow be getting oil into the intake manifold, that said, I agree that the main problem is diesel diluted engine oil (since you stated the engine oil does have a diesel odor) that is coming from a bad shaft seal on the injector pump or lift pump and dumping it into the front engine cover gear case and therefore engine oil sump pan. An older engine with marginal piston ring seal will let quite a bit more super thin oil by all four cylinders piston rings and with an increased oil level will also add to the oil past piston ring effects. If the exhaust smells like burned engine oil.

ps. I would probably dump the engine oil / filter and replace it with fresh 15W-40 to do some more testing.