Anticipating 5.9 rebuild, possible upgrades

[Tuesdak]

JDoremire

I live north of Spokane, WA, a few miles southwest of Deer Park. I haven't had any problems with the engine in particular, oil usage was up a little at the end of the stint of doing 'hot shots,' but I haven't added any since the last oil change (I've been using Mobil 1 synthetic - inherited from the previous owner - so I've apparently been using the wrong type of oil from what I've been reading on this forum). The engine is leaking (or appears to be leaking) oil somewhere near the front upper right side. I figured it was probably a gasket or seal and an indication of aging (haven't found the actual source - just oil on the front corner), and I've only put about 9000 miles on the truck in the past two years - drive it about 25 miles to work on Sunday or Monday and 25 miles home on Friday or Saturday. I hadn't realized that a million miles might be the life expectancy. (Don't know why not--the Kenworth I drove had almost a million when traded for the Freightliner I drive now, which is past 400k.)

We've been looking at a used Arctic Fox 990 (dry weight just over 3000 pounds - according to new camper specs, the Fox Value Package adds 600 pounds - wet weight and 'fully loaded' 2018 for a travel magazine article was 5185 pounds, which is more than the 4781 pounds the Arctic Fox brochure lists. Guess I should look at the specs for my truck (note: I did, with the M6 transmission, looks to be 1800 pound bed payload - even with the rear air bags and leaf springs, that's a long way from 5185) - I was staying under 26,000 loaded with a 25-foot gooseneck, but I haven't ever put anything heavy in the pickup bed (unless you count a motorcycle engine I picked up in New York for my partner, maybe 200-300 pounds - two of us picked it up out of the back of a van and set it in the pickup;^) From the specs I looked up, I might have trouble finding much more than a camper shell that would be under the design limits.

Oil is cheap... I find it difficult to check the oil on a 5.9 as the filter likes to drain back into the crankcase sometimes, heating up 3 gal of oil makes a difference, running it cold for a level surface and then sitting 4 hours still reads low as IMO the cold filter doesn't drain back... My driveway has too much slope to check the oil making it real fun. (They attempted to divide by zero on slope when they poured my driveway.) My rebuilt engine with different turbo still manages to use a lot of oil. It's a floating number to decide what is too much. Working hard these engines can use oil and some don't...

My RV search is detailed here: https://www.turbodieselregister.com/threads/255171-Choosing-a-camper-or-TT-Heavier-than-advertised

Note the 19.5" rims that are for sale in the 2nd Gen section. https://www.turbodieselregister.com/threads/260770-Rickson-19-5-Tires-Wheels

 

[rashwor]

I have the 2005 in my signature with over 404k miles on it. In my ownership of 5.9s since 1992, I have found two sources of oil leaks that amount to any size. The first is the front gear case. There is a paper gasket for a seal. Mine was leaking at the top of the gear case some time ago. I found a thread on here that talked about it. It was recommended to clean the area very well and seal with RTV gasket maker from the outside. It worked great and is still sealed today. The second is the valve cover gasket. The valve cover is removed for injector work. With great care, the gasket can be reused. The shops I have used did not exercise great care and it took a new valve cover gasket to stop the leak last time. Take a look at these two areas. My guess is you don't need a rebuild. You have a small oil leak that is easy to fix and also inexpensive.

 

[Crotchety Codger]

There,...you just did it again. Your original post says: "I would advise a tire and wheel upgrade TO the stock 17" rims...." Evidently you meant to say "FROM" the stock 17" rims...big difference. I think you're the one that needs to re-read and pay attention to punctuation, especially as moderator. Look, I'm not trying to pick a fight here. I simply asked for a clarification on the post, it's clearly contradictory but, it happens..no biggie. Just clarify and move on. We're all on the same team
here. I might add, I do appreciate many of your posts on this forum.

Perhaps, you were only seeking a clarification for something that seems 'clearly contradictory' to you. I'll give you the benefit of doubt, as I'm new to the forum and haven't read any of your other posts. As the intended reader, I needed no clarification. This is a case where either word might be correct, but making an upgrade 'to' something, i.e., to my house or to my 'stock 17" rims' needs no clarification to most of us. And making an upgrade to something 'from' something would also need no clarification. In the context of the original message, the meaning was perfectly clear to me. Correct word usage in any language can be geographical, and the rules I learned in school so many years ago are no longer taught (As cursive writing has gone by the wayside, so has proper spelling, grammar, and a great many other things related to communication). English spoken in Canada and English spoken in Great Britain is very different in many was to the English we speak in the United States (and my Texas accent makes my spoken language 'foreign' to folks in other parts of our country and the world). While racing in England, I unintentionally insulted someone by calling another someone a 'man' rather than a 'gentleman.' As a novelist, I often give my characters different ways of speaking as a part of giving them individual traits. And, while I do notice errors others make, I have my wife proofread my novels, because I've learned that when I read my own writing, I often 'read' what I intended to write rather than what I actually typed. I recommend a second set of eyes to anyone who needs 'perfection' in their (his or her) writing. Even so, after multiple edits, I still find the occasional error in my own books and in those of others. On forums like this, I don't edit comments from others, and I do appreciate whatever help I can get.

 

[Crotchety Codger]

I have the 2005 in my signature with over 404k miles on it. In my ownership of 5.9s since 1992, I have found two sources of oil leaks that amount to any size. The first is the front gear case. There is a paper gasket for a seal. Mine was leaking at the top of the gear case some time ago. I found a thread on here that talked about it. It was recommended to clean the area very well and seal with RTV gasket maker from the outside. It worked great and is still sealed today. The second is the valve cover gasket. The valve cover is removed for injector work. With great care, the gasket can be reused. The shops I have used did not exercise great care and it took a new valve cover gasket to stop the leak last time. Take a look at these two areas. My guess is you don't need a rebuild. You have a small oil leak that is easy to fix and also inexpensive.

Thanks for the advice. I had begun to consider something similar, but, other than cleaning the engine and waiting, I really had no idea where to start. I'll clean things and have a look at those two areas first.

 

[MarkEkberg]

As far as campers go I have hauled a 11.5 Lance grossing at 4K lbs with a 3/4 ton Ford and my current 03 Dually. Dually does it fine but you don't win any speed races. All that being said those slide ins are junk. Buy a off road pop up and haul it anywhere you want.