Blue Smoke Rollin

cheatmtn · May 11, 2006

My AC 5050 is putting out a huge amount of blue smoke out the exhaust. Its also putting out a good bit of smoke from under the hood. Its so bad you can't run it too long without getting a huge headache. Any suggestions as to what might be the problem? Thanks

geneP · May 11, 2006

TractorData says that tractor is a 3 cyl diesel. If the blue smoke is accompanied by oil consumption, my guess is that the rings are worn, at a minimum. The smoke from under the hood would be blow-by of compression into the crankcase and out through the vent tube. I hope there is a least costly cause.

cheatmtn · May 11, 2006

Havent had it long enough to see much consumption of oil, although I know that from the dipstick its over filled. The people who delivered it to us had just changed the oil. Havent seen any water in the oil either.

3RRL · May 11, 2006

Over filling the oil can cause it to blow out through vents and end up dripping onto the exhaust manifold where it will burn up and cause a bunch of smoke. The smoke out of the exhaust sounds like what Gene pointed out...perhaps a good reason for them to overfill the oil in the first place? However, if it's not rings, it could be your fuel elivery is too rich. I've seen where the rack on the injector pump is backed out too far and causes this also...but it's usually black...no mistaking with blue.

How many hours on the tractor?

cheatmtn · May 11, 2006

It has in excess of 4000 hours, after that the wires were cut, so I really don't have any idea of the actual hours. I do know that I have seen oil coming out from around the cap, the original gasket is gone, so we fabricated one. The smoke from under the hood doesn't smell like burnt oil, but it may be a combination of both blow by and oil spill over. Again, thanks for any suggestions, I've posted a few other places and seem to be getting the same type of answers. Im just hoping its not something expensive, and some miracle easy cure is out there for this. We've waited a long time to get our own tractor and have so many plans for it.
Thanks again for everyones help

GaryE · May 11, 2006

Why not try draining the oil. Save a sample and have it tested. Refill the crankcase to spec and see what happens. You may not have any problems, you may have a stuck injector or you may have some worn rings. This method should answer those question.

Good luck,

Gary

Charolais · May 11, 2006

With the engine being over the full mark, you could have a primary fuel pump(if it has one) that's leaking diesel fuel back in the crankcase. I've seen it happen a few times. Pull the dip stick and see if it oil smells like diesel fuel. If this is the case don't run it until you replace the fuel pump and change the oil. If you run it long with diesel fuel in the crankcase it'll ruin the engine.

If the seller just had to much oil in it ,drain it out down to the full mark.

GaryE · May 11, 2006

Sorry ….

I have had real good luck dealing with Blackstone for oil testing in the past.

Blackstone

slowrev · May 12, 2006

If over full, it could be hydraulic fluid leaking back past the pump seal into the crank sump.

cheatmtn · May 14, 2006

Spent some time on the tractor yesterday...heres what I have found so far. The coolant level stays up when running. The oil is now a darker brown (was clear when we started, but is definately darker now from running it) Does not appear to have fuel in the oil...no diesel smell. We did take off the crank case vent and found it had a lot of oil in it and appeared pretty gummed up...the manual says take it off once a year and clean with a safe cleaning fluid (what would you suggest). We also see that someone has hooked up the vent tube so that it runs directly into the muffler and not out onto the ground. A friend told me that it might be acting as a syphon, so we plan to disconnect that. We also found a manifold gasket laying loose in the engine compartment, so we plan to take off the exhaust manifold to see if one is missing or if it was a leftover part that just fell in the wrong place. I also have a question about the oil cap. The one on it has a breather at the top, it is not a sealed cap...it seems to be letting the oil come out of the block and run all over the place. Is this tractor supposed to have one of that type, or a sealed one. The parts manual shows one that seems to be a sealed. Guess I have a lot of questions, but Im not the greatest at tractor mechanics, so any help would be appreciated. We are planning to drain the oil and start over with fresh Thanks again.

djg · May 15, 2006

I am no expert, but......., the vent hooked up to the muffler seems like it could pressurize the crankcase, not siphon it. That's where turbochargers get their power from, exhaust pressure. Perhaps this modification and the vented oil cap were a former owner's attempt to deal with excessive crankcase pressure from ring blowby. Please let us know how it runs after you remedy these two items.

djg · May 15, 2006

I am no expert, but......., the vent hooked up to the muffler seems like it could pressurize the crankcase, not siphon it. That's where turbochargers get their power from, exhaust pressure. Perhaps this modification and the vented oil cap were a former owner's attempt to deal with excessive crankcase pressure from ring blowby. Please let us know how it runs after you remedy these two items.

Joe1 · May 15, 2006

With 4,000 hrs recorded and then more time after not being recorded, it could very well need an overhaul depending on how it had been maintained. Hope cleaning out the vent caps and disconnecting the tube to the exhaust will help.

Good luck with it.

Joe1 · May 15, 2006

With 4,000 hrs recorded and then more time after not being recorded, it could very well need an overhaul depending on how it had been maintained. Hope cleaning out the vent caps and disconnecting the tube to the exhaust will help.

Good luck with it.

RobJ · May 16, 2006

Is the 5050 you bought for 6200 from the junk yard place? As mentioned with that many hours it sounds like it needs an overhaul...and a lot of tlc.

RobJ · May 16, 2006

Is the 5050 you bought for 6200 from the junk yard place? As mentioned with that many hours it sounds like it needs an overhaul...and a lot of tlc.

cheatmtn · May 16, 2006

That would be a big 10-4 on the junkyard. Have made several unhappy trips back to them for "warranty issues". Little by little am working out the bugs. We lowered the oil back to just below max to see if it fills back up (hydr or fuel entering crankcase), cleaned out the breather on the crank case (black gunk and oil poured out), disconnected that hose (now we have to plug up the one on the exhaust), and checked for leaks around the exhaust manifold. It definately appears as if the gaskets are bad...we are ordering a new set and want to check the injectors. It really appears it is running very rich. Still have blue smoke coming from the exhaust, but Im hoping its just some leftover oil from the overfill. This is definately going to be a challenge, but I still believe that in the end, we will have a pretty good tractor. (polly anna, I know) Thank heavens we have someone who is really willing to help us tear into it (thank heavens for rain right now) They did tell me at the junk yard, this time, that apparently before they got it, the owners had pulled the motor and replaced some things...what I don't know...since according to them he has since passed away (I've got ocean front property in Arizona for sale too) Anyhow...if anybody has any other suggestions for us..given what I've described that we have found and done...I greatly appreciate it. Your suggestions give me starting places for problem elimination.
Thanks again

cheatmtn · May 16, 2006

That would be a big 10-4 on the junkyard. Have made several unhappy trips back to them for "warranty issues". Little by little am working out the bugs. We lowered the oil back to just below max to see if it fills back up (hydr or fuel entering crankcase), cleaned out the breather on the crank case (black gunk and oil poured out), disconnected that hose (now we have to plug up the one on the exhaust), and checked for leaks around the exhaust manifold. It definately appears as if the gaskets are bad...we are ordering a new set and want to check the injectors. It really appears it is running very rich. Still have blue smoke coming from the exhaust, but Im hoping its just some leftover oil from the overfill. This is definately going to be a challenge, but I still believe that in the end, we will have a pretty good tractor. (polly anna, I know) Thank heavens we have someone who is really willing to help us tear into it (thank heavens for rain right now) They did tell me at the junk yard, this time, that apparently before they got it, the owners had pulled the motor and replaced some things...what I don't know...since according to them he has since passed away (I've got ocean front property in Arizona for sale too) Anyhow...if anybody has any other suggestions for us..given what I've described that we have found and done...I greatly appreciate it. Your suggestions give me starting places for problem elimination.
Thanks again

whitetiger · May 16, 2006

( I am no expert, but......., the vent hooked up to the muffler seems like it could pressurize the crankcase, not siphon it. That's where turbochargers get their power from, exhaust pressure. Perhaps this modification and the vented oil cap were a former owner's attempt to deal with excessive crankcase pressure from ring blowby. Please let us know how it runs after you remedy these two items. )

Depending on where and how it is connected to the exhaust it could have pressure or vacuum going to the crankcase.
A turbocharger get very little of it's drive from exhaust pressure, it is primarily driven by exhaust heat. Work's kind of like holding the pinwheel over a candle and it spins like crazy.

whitetiger · May 16, 2006

( I am no expert, but......., the vent hooked up to the muffler seems like it could pressurize the crankcase, not siphon it. That's where turbochargers get their power from, exhaust pressure. Perhaps this modification and the vented oil cap were a former owner's attempt to deal with excessive crankcase pressure from ring blowby. Please let us know how it runs after you remedy these two items. )

Depending on where and how it is connected to the exhaust it could have pressure or vacuum going to the crankcase.
A turbocharger get very little of it's drive from exhaust pressure, it is primarily driven by exhaust heat. Work's kind of like holding the pinwheel over a candle and it spins like crazy.