No.: 23TS-04
April 2023
TO:

Service Locations

FROM:

Service Methods

SUBJECT:

Gen 5 DD13 (471952) Engines with Excessive Oil Consumption

ISSUE
Some Gen 5 DD13 engines may exhibit excessive oil consumption. Oil consumption is typically
measured in miles per quart. Verified oil consumption of one quart (0.95 liters) in less than 700
miles (1127 km) is considered excessive for Gen 5 DD13 on-highway engines.
CAUSE
Some Gen 5 DD13 engines were built with incorrectly positioned oil control rings on one or
more cylinders. The Gen 5 DD13 piston has a large relief area below the oil control ring groove.
During piston handling, the oil control ring can drop into this relief area. As the piston moves up
and down in the cylinder, the incorrectly positioned oil control ring will wear prematurely and can
break apart. This results in excessive piston and cylinder liner wear, metal debris in the oil
sump, and excessive oil consumption on that cylinder. Metal debris in the lubrication system can
lead to bearing failure.
An incorrectly positioned or broken oil control ring, leading to excessive oil consumption, is
noticed by most customers within the first 75,000 miles (120,700 km), with most field failures todate found in the 10,000 to 50,000 mile (16,093 to 80,467 km) range.
Detroit made changes to prevent this failure in December of 2022, so the effective range of
potential failures is December of 2021 to December of 2022 engine build dates. This failure only
affects Gen 5 DD13 (471952) engines. Do not use this document for any other engines.
REQUIRED ACTION
Verify excessive oil consumption based on the specification listed above. An out of position or
broken oil control ring will not typically result in low compression or high crankcase pressure, so
compression testing, cylinder leak down testing, and crankcase pressure testing are of little to
no value and should not be performed.
Using a high quality borescope, remove all six fuel injectors and inspect the top edges of the
piston domes for excessive carbon deposits. A cylinder with an incorrectly positioned or broken
oil control ring will show an abnormal amount of carbon deposits on the top of the piston outside

Detroit Diesel 13400 Outer Drive, West / Detroit, Michigan 48239-4001

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of the combustion bowl. Adjust the focus on the borescope, as needed, to get the best clarity.
See Figures 1, 2, and 3 below.

Figure 1. Borescope Image Showing Abnormal Carbon Deposits

Figure 2. Abnormal Carbon Deposits (left) and Normal Carbon Deposits (right)

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Figure 3. Abnormal Carbon Deposits (left) and Piston Damage from Failure (right)
Typically, this failure occurs on one or two cylinders. If abnormal carbon deposits are found
during the borescope inspection, remove the oil pan and inspect for metal debris and abnormal
cylinder liner wear on the suspect cylinder(s). Position piston at Top Dead Center (TDC) to
check for liner damage. The damage will vary depending on run time.
See an extreme example in Figure 4 below.

Figure 4. Abnormal Cylinder Liner Wear at Lower Ring Reversal (left) and Normal
Cylinder Liner Wear at Lower Ring Reversal (right)
Follow this repair strategy after finding an incorrectly positioned or broken oil control ring on a
Gen 5 DD13 engine:
1. Inspect all crankshaft journals using the workshop manual bearing inspection procedure.
If journal damage is found, repair per procedure guidelines.

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2. Perform the “Flushing the Engine Lubrication System” procedure in the Lubrication
System chapter of the Gen 5 DD13 Workshop Manual. Do this before removing the
rocker arms, camshaft housing, or cylinder head. This procedure will lead to flushing the
lube system, cleaning the oil coolant module, and replacing the oil cooler and several
other module components.
3. If crankshaft journals do not show abnormal wear or debris damage, replace the
following parts:
 The piston kit and cylinder liner for any cylinder with an incorrectly positioned or
broken oil control ring
Note: Make sure piston rings on the replacement piston are installed correctly
with the oil control ring in correct ring groove (1).

 All main bearings, all connecting rod bearings, and thrust washers
 Oil pump and oil suction manifold
 Supporting gaskets and seals
4. Clean the oil pan, oil suction pipe, and oil pressure pipe.
5. Do not replace the cylinder head nor check for any leaking valves.
CLAIM PROCESS
Normal in-warranty procedures apply. Use the piston as the Primary Failed Part (PFP).
CONTACT INFORMATION
Please contact the Detroit Diesel Customer Support Center at 800-445-1980 or email
[email protected] if you have any questions.