Just yesterday, I popped my hood and found that the #1 valve cover gasket was leaking oil out of it. I just changed my gaskets about 10,000 miles ago. Its not a small leak either, it was a good amount of oil.
I also noticed or heard, when my truck is running it has a strange metal pinging noise from the engine. This is new, it just started with the valve cover gasket.
Now, I done some searching and cant seem to pinpoint it by searching. It sounds like it could be a number of things.
Also, I have noticed lately that the truck has had some more than usual blowby.
I am now worried it is,
A. a burnt piston
or
B. a cracked ring

Engine only has 175,000 miles on it.

What is the best way to diagnose this problem?

If anybody has had the same problem let me konow.
All help is appreciated.

 

Might be a bad injector as well. If it is stuck or is a little sluggish, it may be overfueling that cylinder at idle. Or could be a bad valve spring..

Pull the cover and see whats happening. As far as testing, maybe loosen off the injector line to #1 and see if the noise goes away. (wear safety goggles and gloves!)

 

Well,
I went out after posting this and checked the obvious first. I check the antifreeze and it is nice and green (no oil). I then checked the oil and it was a gallon low!!! Now, I had just checked the oil last Wed. or Thurs. and it was fine.
Now, when I filled it back up the noise went away.
So, the mystery question is, where did the oil go? I know it got burned out the exhaust and out through the valve cover gasket.
I posted in another forum and the response I got was it could be 3 different things.
1. Headgasket gone
2. Burnt piston/rings
3. Dropped valve/seat.

So, tommorrow she goes under the knife. I need to stud and oring her anyways.
My only thing is, my luck with this truck has been very very BAD!! I tell my wife that I think its cursed!
I am crossing my fingers and hoping its a Headgasket but I think its going to be worse than that.
I am going to be puking blood if this engine needs a rebuild. I just dropped $3500 on a rebuilt trans. and SBC Dual Disc. Not to mention all of the other parts I put into this thing in the last 6 months.

 

woohoo... time for a 3rd gen... nah just kidding. hope its not a droped seat if it is it wont last long and the head wont even be reusable. seen it on a 24v and the piston was NAS-TY. wouldnt think it'll be the headgasket. now the rings make more sence. but i would first check the obvious by pulling all the valve covers and even pop testing the injectors one with a higher pop psi will sound like a midget with a hammer. but if you getting it torn into tomorrow dosnt matter. hope for the best

 

clutch, Just curious, why dont you think its the headgasket? I will probably just order a new head from performance diesel warehouse, o-ringed, ported and polished with #60 springs installed.
Even if I had to do a full rebuild I still wouldnt trade her for a 3rd gen. She has already whooped on a few of those.
PLUS ITS PAID FOR!!!

Also, just pulling the covers, what would that tell me?

 

well i guess it could be the headgasket if it is its probably blowing into the pushrod galleys and into the crankcase, on the valve covers i had one at the shop with a valve spring seat that was offset due to one of the keepers going MIA made the valve lash change.

 

When I pulled the valve cover, there was some (a little puff) smoke/steam coming out of it #1. There was also an excess of oil (from what I think is excess) in the pushrod galleys, and it also sounded (but couldnt see) like the oil was bubbling. Now this is only happening in the #1 cylinder.
Oh yeah, #1 also seemed alot hotter that the rest.

 

The stupid thing about all of this, is that I was going to yank the head, rebuild it, o-ring and stud it, when I got some time off of work. I have been workin 6 days a week 10-12 hour days.

 

well that does sound a little more like a HG. on a 4bt based engine i had one that blew it there and by the time it was fixed the carbon was so built up on the pushrod i had to pull it out with some pliers. but are the pushrods and everything good? valves working like they should, with proper overlap? not enough will cause a warm cyl.

 

Everything seems to be OK. I am to nervous to start and drive her!!
I started it this morning and took her very easy around the block to warm up. When I got back, is when I pulled the #1 valve cover (its blowing oil right past the gasket), and everything seemed to be normal.

 

definatly sounds like your getting some psi under that gasket. good luck on the outcome.

 

Thanks alot clutch.
You have given me the most help so far.