Blowby in trucks… Does it mean a rebuild?

My truck has blowby and Cummins says it needs a rebuild…

This is a very common complaint Jimmy and I hear from truckies. Their engines are performing well, but the blowby is bad. Wear around piston rings, grooves and liners will certainly account for excessive crankcase pressure which is characterized by blowby (also referred to as fuming or heavy breathing). But, now you need to ask yourself an important question: Blowby in trucks… Does it mean a rebuild.. Does it mean the engine’s worn out? Our answer to customers is: “Definitely not!” With over 2000 heavy duty truck engines displaying blow-by problems, we’ve found that in excess of 80% of cases, the problem was attributable to deposits, not excessive wear.

“Seven years ago, our Detroit Series 60 developed blowby. Instead or rebuilding, we simply used FTC Decarbonizer and Flushing Oil Concentrate to clean up the internals and fix the problem. We continue to use Cost Effective Maintenance’s products, and engine has now clicked over 1.5 million kms and is in great condition.” – Riseley’s Bulk Haulage.

With age, engines will normally accumulate some sludge, and a bit of carbon around piston ring grooves, and elsewhere. A mix of engine operating conditions, quality of maintenance, and how quickly the lube oil blackens are factors that can further increase deposits and tip the engine into blowby territory.

Truck Blowby can be reduced or avoided

“Our Cummins powered Kenworth T650 suddenly lost power, and started smoking so badly that it was black banned from a mine site that we had 18 months contract remaining at. After speaking with Brid at CEM, we used FTC Decarbonizer and Flushing Oil Concentrate and avoided a $32,000 rebuild.” – Maslin Bros Earthmoving.

The important thing to remember is that blowby is a serious problem. It generally won’t correct itself, and can only get worse. If it is caused by wear, ignoring it risks more serious damage, or failure and much higher costs to rectify.

Our best advice is to clean up the internals and determine for sure if it does need a rebuild. In over 80% of cases, that’s all you’ll need to do.

Recommended products to fix engine blow by