Diesel Doctor

[outdoors015]

I have a 6 wheel dump truck that has a 3208 T cat It smokes like a brushfire even when warmed up. It dumps white smoke it has 220,000 miles. I am guessing it most likely is a head gasket. Anyone have a manual online for these motors and or good place for gasket sets. Any help would greatly be appreciated The oil pressure is also up around 80+ when accelerated..... thanks in advance for any suggestions

[kirkt]

First, diagnose that it is indeed a head gasket that is blown. You may or may not have noticed a loss of coolant. If you are unsure, you can have an oil analysis done on the engine. Most Caterpillar services centers can help you out with this. It costs a little, (like around 30 dollars), but it will tell you if you have glycol in your engine oil as it will other contaminants such as silica (dirt), diesel fuel, ect. as it will also establish a point of engine wear. You can also take the exhaust manifolds off, and look for the exhaust port that is the cleanest. If it is oil that is causing the smoke, you will find an exhaust port that is oily, but don't jump to that conclusion. It may also be Diesel fuel that hasn't been burned due to a faulty injector that will also cause smoke. If you do conclude that it is head gasket related, repair it immediately, as the glycol can cause bearing damage as well. Caterpillar is the best choice for the gasket kits, they are in the ballpark on price, and will include the latest and greatest of upgrades in the kit. I have done many of these, it's a relatively simple procedure if you are mechanically inclined.

kirkt

[bubba3hd]

hold a cup of water under overflow tube from radiator with engine running, if you get bubbles, you got a blown head gasket