2003 ram 1500 4.7 smoking blue smoke progressively worse as eng warms up

[Sherman Bird]

I bought an 03 ram 1500 4.7 4x4 with no engine, but i had everything for it except the short block. I bought a block, it had smooth bores no rust and the guy said he put new rings in it.

I put it together with new head gaskets and new head bolts. torqued the heads to spec. * the heads i had were from a different engine, appeared fine * put it in the truck and started it up .. sounded good, but gradually started smoking.. and i mean it was churning out the smoke. bluish smoke.

I did some research on causes.. and figured it could be the valve stem seals.. so i pulled the heads and changed those. put it back together, torqued everything and same deal.. smoking LMF.

I'm thinking maybe the cheap amazon head gaskets i bought are not right? or maybe a cracked head or block... i cleaned up each head and the block surface and saw no cracks... but still i wonder.

Next i plan to take the plugs out and do compression test on all cyls and maybe get a borescope camera i can peer into the cylinders with .. maybe see something?

Hoping someone here can offer some advice on if something different i should be trying?View attachment 572296

Buy a reman engine from O'Reilly's. It comes with a 4 year no mileage limit warranty. Also, it is a comprehensive warranty, in that they will ship you an entire reman engine to replace their first one if there IS a problem. So far, I've had ZERO problems with my customers' engines I've replaced over the past 7 years.

 

[Burla]

Buy a reman engine from O'Reilly's. It comes with a 4 year no mileage limit warranty. Also, it is a comprehensive warranty, in that they will ship you an entire reman engine to replace their first one if there IS a problem. So far, I've had ZERO problems with my customers' engines I've replaced over the past 7 years.

Huh, who knew. Like oreilly's the auto parts store? Wouldn't this cost more then say going to the source like jasper?

 

[dashaint]

You have a catch can on that engine? Crank case pressure could be another cause of blue that could end up in all cylinders. Even if compression was perfect on cylinders.

No, no catch can

 

[Sherman Bird]

Huh, who knew. Like oreilly's the auto parts store? Wouldn't this cost more then say going to the source like jasper?

Yup! The auto parts store. My cost from Jasper would have been 1500 dollars higher for the same thing with one year less warranty. I have, so far, installed 5 Power Torque engines (sourced from O'Reilly's) since 2019. All are still running great, don't use or leak oil or coolant, and the customers are happy.
Most rebuilders employ dilatory tactics to drag out the process of warranty claims on a reman unit. Call it in, they refer it to an inspection company who send out some ex-junior technician to assess the problem, take pictures, tender a report, then (tic tock tic tock) wait. Then, days/weeks later, the company claims rep calls back and starts the process called "Let's make a deal"... and attempts to have the shop patch or repair the unit at unrealistically low compensation.

Jasper, in particular has been good to me in the few times I've had to perform warranty repairs, to be fair. Not all companies are, though. As a business man, I have to consider my time and resources when I choose a vendor for big ticket items such as engines, transmissions, and differentials and the caveats therein for re-repairs under warranty claims.

 

[jws123]

Shame your not closer I have a nice 4.7 sitting in my garage that i cant find anything to put it in everything is rotted out now ahahah. you may be better off finding a used engine you cand find them in wrecks/facebook easy who knows what was done to the bottom end of that engine..

 

[Wild one]

No, no catch can

Before you do much more,pour some oil in the cylinders and do another compression test.If the psi numbers come up,it's leaking past the rings

 

[dashaint]

Before you do much more,pour some oil in the cylinders and do another compression test.If the psi numbers come up,it's leaking past the rings

Put oil in cyl 7 got 170 psi… going to pull the engine hone it and re-ring it.

 

[Tominator223]

Look at the plugs . If one side of the plug is oily it’s valve issue. If the entire plug is oily it’s the rings.

 

[Marshall]

I was going to suggest leak down test,
I would drive the snot out of it for a few miles, then pull the plugs and look at them.
even just idling in the garage for a bit, look for oily plug, #7 ?

If you do drive it watch temp real close. Good luck

 

[dashaint]

Look at the plugs . If one side of the plug is oily it’s valve issue. If the entire plug is oily it’s the rings.

Most all the plugs were oily when I first pulled them out.. getting worse as it moved to the back on each side

 

[dashaint]

I was going to suggest leak down test,
I would drive the snot out of it for a few miles, then pull the plugs and look at them.
even just idling in the garage for a bit, look for oily plug, #7 ?

If you do drive it watch temp real close. Good luck

Yeah, I was gonna try just driving it even with it smoking so bad but I don’t have tags or insurance on it right now and after what everybody said how the cylinder walls were glazed from the start, the rings probably never had a chance to seal and might not ever so.. Plus already drained everything and pull the radiator and accessories. Getting ready to unbolt it and yank it out. I hope to have it out by this evening, but I’m not in any rush.

 

[Marshall]

I was wondering about plates.
one adv. when I was out on the farm you could do all kinds of stupid, and no one would see, or care.
Miss that, and the g. range.

 

[Wild one]

A real old trick to seat rings on glazed cylinder walls,and by no stretch would i advise doing this unless you're really hard up,was to spray Bon Ami into the intake manifold while holding the engine rpm at about 2,000 rpm,and then changing the oil to a mineral based oil right afterwards,and then go drive the living hell out of the engine. I've never done it,as it also drastically shortened engine life,but have seen it done a couple times,and by no stretch would i do it,or reconmend it,but it usually did seat the rings,but it also wore out the piston/cylinder walls fairly quickly afterwards

 

[crackerjack1957]

A real old trick to seat rings on glazed cylinder walls,and by no stretch would i advise doing this unless you're really hard up,was to spray Bon Ami into the intake manifold while holding the engine rpm at about 2,000 rpm,and then changing the oil to a mineral based oil right afterwards,and then go drive the living hell out of the engine. I've never done it,as it also drastically shortened engine life,but have seen it done a couple times,and by no stretch would i do it,or reconmend it,but it usually did seat the rings,but it also wore out the piston/cylinder walls fairly quickly afterwards

I tried that back in the early 80's.......testing some so called gap-less rings......still used oil.....out they came.....LoL

 

[dashaint]

I had it wrong, service manual has this for gap, just want to confirm bc i saw differing numbers elsewhere.

.20 - .36mm Top
.37 - .63mm Middle
.25 - .76mm Bottom

It’s a 2003 Dodge ram 1500 4.7 no egr. I’m ready to file the rings, just not feeling certain

 

[Ken226]

I had it wrong, service manual has this for gap, just want to confirm bc i saw differing numbers elsewhere.

.20 - .36mm Top
.37 - .63mm Middle
.25 - .76mm Bottom

It’s a 2003 Dodge ram 1500 4.7 no egr. I’m ready to file the rings, just not feeling certain

My service manual, even though for a year that offered the 4.7, has no engine specs for the 4.7. It only shows data for the 3.0l diesel, 3.6 Pentastar and 5.7 Hemi. Had to use the internet to look up 4.7 stuff.


Everything i've seen points to the same numbers you have.



Found that on Justanswer, here:

https://www.justanswer.com/dodge/1x479-dodge-ram-2004-1500-4-7-engine-specifications-wear-limits-torque.html

 

[dashaint]

So I honed the cylinder walls and put in standard size rings and ran 15w40 for a short trip then changed to conventional 5w30 and put lucas break in additive in it. Running pretty good.. No smoke so far. Now onto other issues like oxygen sensors and steering rack pinion replacement

 

[Ritchie_Rich]

Or sell it for what you can get. And start over with a truck that is in good running condition.

 

[04fxdwgi]

So I honed the cylinder walls and put in standard size rings and ran 15w40 for a short trip then changed to conventional 5w30 and put lucas break in additive in it. Running pretty good.. No smoke so far. Now onto other issues like oxygen sensors and steering rack pinion replacement

Good deal. Did you gap the rings and time them per manual? Funny how that works

 

[hemihustlin]

A real old trick to seat rings on glazed cylinder walls,and by no stretch would i advise doing this unless you're really hard up,was to spray Bon Ami into the intake manifold while holding the engine rpm at about 2,000 rpm,and then changing the oil to a mineral based oil right afterwards,and then go drive the living hell out of the engine. I've never done it,as it also drastically shortened engine life,but have seen it done a couple times,and by no stretch would i do it,or reconmend it,but it usually did seat the rings,but it also wore out the piston/cylinder walls fairly quickly afterwards

good lord, du bon ami for the cylinder walls no wonder everything seated there was no more oil film!!!
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