Oil & Fuel JD 955 burning engine oil

[tag01]

I purchased a 1990 JD 955 with 963 hrs back in January. I changed all the oils, filters and fluids before using. In 10 hours of full throttle medium duty work the engine oil on dipstick went from the full mark to the add mark. Is this normal or is it time for an engine overhaul?

 

[yankeerider]

In my opinion, neither. My 755 with 1100 hrs doesn't use any engine oil between changes. But I'd bet you're only down 1/2 quart or so. Just check the oil before each use each day That should be less thn 10 hours, and you'll soon develop a feel for that machine's normal usage.

 

[RoyJackson]

I'll add to check the tightness of both the drain plug and the filter.
It's quite odd to go from not using oil, doing an oil/filter change, then using oil.
Look for any leaks...and remember, not all leaks are static.

BTW, are you seeing any smoke out of the exhaust? You can expect some smoke on start up or when there is a sudden increase in load on the tractor, but you shouldn't see continuous smoke.

 

[buickanddeere]

Depends on the oil. Cheap oil will evaporate off the light ends and drop the crankcase level. Top the level back up and it will hardly drop for the rest of the change interval.

 

[tag01]

Thanks for the information, Engine oil is JD Plus 50 ll 15W40. It smokes a little blue during warm but that is normal for any diesel. What concerns me is when I am out mowing in the open yard the exhaust appears clear but when I am mowing up against a building, on the exhaust side, then I can see bluish exhaust. Then when I let it sit and idle while hooking up equipment, 5 minutes or so, then get back on and rev it up it belch's a small cloud of bluish smoke then that dissapears. At first I thought it might be loading up on unburnt diesel fuel, but unburnt diesl fuel is white smoke,, correct?

 

[jd110]

Oil consumption alone is not a good indicator of need of overhaul. Does engine have good power? Does it start easily? Do you have lots of blow-by? If oil consumption is the only concern, I would try changing the oil with a different brand. I would recommend 15/40 Deere Torq Gard Plus 50 II, or maybe Shell Rotella 15/40. What oil did you use? I have had customers complain of oil consumption and when they switched to Deere oil, they quit using. Also the previous owner could have used improper oil or because of lack of changing oil, rings could be sticking/ gummed up. A couple of changes with good high detergent oil could free them up. With proper care and maintenance, the engine should last several thousand hours.

 

[tag01]

Engine oil is JD Plus 50 ll 15W40, has plenty of power, starts great, just a tint of bluish blow by (gotta really look to see it). Never thought of switching oil brands, I will try Rotella 15W40 I use that in my row crop tractors.

 

[kuboman]

This tractor is new to you?? I would not get excited yet. What had the tractor done before you acquired it? Sometimes they just need to be worked hard for a while. Excessive idling or light loading can sometime glaze the cylinder walls and allow excessive oil past the rings. Usually with that a good work out will slow the consumption down. High oil consumption with little blowby is unusual.:thumbsup:

 

[JDgreen227]

I have used both the Deere Plus 50 15W/40 as well as the Rotella T with the same weight. Seems to make no difference in the oil consumption on my Deere 4210. The suggestion that you make a few changes is a good one. Back in the early '70's I purchased a '67 Mustang with a 289, it had an oil burning issue, think the person I purchased it from had neglected taking care of it, I made several oil and filter changes in the next 1,000 miles and the oil consumption problem almost disappeared.

I may be wrong here but to me, it's fine black smoke that indicates unburnt diesel fuel, not bluish white.

 

[oville tom]

what did you do about 955 using oil bought one with low hours and uses oil like you described wondering what you did thanks

 

[art]

That is not many hours on the engine and your problem might go away with longer operation at operating temperature. You should check to see if it is as it will cause cylinder glazing the same as your other diesels if the thermostat goes bad.. The oil change from deere to rotella will not gain anything as they are both close in spec's and additives and I don't believe that is a problem. A change to 30 fixed weight might slow the use of oil for you.

 

[SuperGlideSport]

I purchased a 1990 JD 955 with 963 hrs back in January. I changed all the oils, filters and fluids before using. In 10 hours of full throttle medium duty work the engine oil on dipstick went from the full mark to the add mark. Is this normal or is it time for an engine overhaul?

I'd run it for a while and continue to check levels and usage. If it continues to use some oil and / or the exhaust continues to smell "oily" you may have some cracked valve seals. After all, they're almost 25 years old. The valve seals can be replaced fairly easily without removing the head.