Engine/Transmission (1998.5 - 2002) DO I have an oil leak?

[Hohn]

Well, as I was doing the trans fluid swapover to MTL yesterday, I noticed oil where it shouldn't be.



The whole front crossmember had a film on it, and I figure that's from the puke bottle.



But I also found a wet spot near the union of the engine and trans, but it wasn't dripping. There was enough to where it almost would drip, though.



I never leave any oil on the ground when parked, whether overnight or just a quick stop.



FYI-- I have never emptied the puke bottle, and I have about 7200 miles on my truck. If the bottle was really full, could it explain ALL the oil on my underside, even the stuff back near the trans???



Hohn



PS- Oil level doesn't seem to drop any, but I always dump in 12 qts, not 11.

 

[JCyrbok]

Just a thought

Check the shaft between the vacuum pump and the PS pump on the lower, front driver side of engine. They are prone to leaks and can really make a mess. The vacuum pump is lubed and cooled by crank case oil and the seal between the shaft seem to fail frequently. Though this mine help.



J-

 

[Hohn]

IS the seal available separately, or will they try to hit me for some kind of assembly??



Hohn

 

[John Berger]

PS- Oil level doesn't seem to drop any, but I always dump in 12 qts, not 11.

If you have a genuine leak, this may be why. Although, that wouldn't explain the level not dropping. Aren't you worried about possible damage with too much oil?

 

[Hohn]

Too much oil-- popular myth

Unless someone can explain to me why too much oil is bad, I think that it is a myth.



I slightly overfill everything I have. Differential, manual trans, engine oil. I don't overfill automatics. Why do I think it is safe?



1) Adding 1 qt to an 11qt total is less than 10% overfill. Also, realize that as the level in the oil pan gets higher, it takes more oil to raise the level a given amount. Thus, there is no way that my oil level in a running engine would have the reciprocating assembly splashing through it. Consider how much oil is up in the engine when it runs and how much LOWER the level in the pan is then...



2) overfilling prevents/reduces starvation when things get jarred. This is big bumps, tight turns, thing that would tend to slosh the fluid around.



3) On differentials, over filling ensures that the seals get a good bath. Standard levels can cause the seals to run dry, causing early failure.



What are the things I have heard bad about overfilling?

1) oil foaming: not going to happen. See #1 above, plus I use synthetics which are VERY resistant to foaming (as long as you don't dump extra crap into them like Lucas). Even dino oil is formulated to resist foaming, ESPECIALLY diesel oils like Rotella and Delo.

2) Oil pressure spike: oil level has a microscopic effect on oil pressure, provided the pickup is always covered. The extra pressure from more oil would be measured in 0. 01psi units. Mostly, oil pressure is detemined by oil pump flow rate and clearances (consumption flow rate).

3) causes leaks: a seal either seals or it doesn't. There is no way that an extra quart could "cause" an oil leak.





Don't get me wrong-- if someone cn explain to me how I can cause damage by overfilling, I will stop. But no one has been able to explain to me exactly HOW this is bad. I can see how it might be bad in an auto transmission, but in everything else, I think overfilling is OK.



Thanks for helping, and explaining stuff to me if you can.



HOHN

Someone please explain to me why it's bad.

 

[John Berger]

I also overfill the transmission and differential, but I've added higher capacity covers, also. Good results, especially with the Amsoil lube. You cited everything I've ever heard that could be a problem. There are vent tubes for the transmission and differential which would release excess internal pressure due to higher volume of fluid. There is no such animal on the engine, is there? The oil cap? And that would be my primary concern. Maybe that thought process is steeped in myth; somebody set me on the path of right thinking, if so. Your explanation makes sense, but I wouldn't want to explain it to a crappy service manager.



Does the extra quart make you eligible for the title of Oil BOMBer?



Oo. :-laf

 

[Hohn]

Excess internal Pressure?

As for excess internal pressure, here's my thinking: When you fill the oil, it is through an open hole. Pressure inside the engine is equal to pressure outside. Replacing a certain volume of air with an identical volume of oil won't cause an increase in pressure, since you are trading one volume for another.



The ONLY reason that is MIGHT cause an increase in pressure is that air is compressible, and oil is not. The air would therefore absorb some of the crankcase pressure that the oil would not. Again, we are only talking one qt relative to all the internal engine volume-- relatively small. Plus, the air isn't THAT compressible to where it make a difference.



I don't know if diesels have PCV, but but PCV IS the crankcase vent. (PCV= Positive Crankcase Ventilation) I would imagine that ALL engines have to have some kind of crankcase vent to account for blowby and the pulsation in pressure that occurs as the engine spins along.



Again, I am hoping someone can explain to me why overfilling is bad, but I just don't see why...



As for being Oil Bomber. . I LIKE IT! Although it's probably more appropriate to call me the Wallet Bomber once I start running Redline @$30/gal.



Time to change my sig... .



Hohn

 

[illflem]

One quart extra won't hurt, I have almost 200k doing it.

Overfilling transmissions and differentials can be bad but I doubt you could get enough in without turning your truck on end. Bad point is that a bearing completely submerged in lube oil runs extremely hot, most bearings are designed for the oil level to only submerge a quarter or less of the bearing.

 

[John Berger]

I've been running "more" lube in the transmission and differential for the better part of the life of the truck: Mag-Hytec with 8 quarts since approximately 23K and the transmission with 6 quarts of lube and the Geno's Filter Kit and a Fast Cooler. The transmission was apart for an input shaft replacement under warranty. While the transmission was off of the truck, I decided to have the fully splined mainshaft installed. My synchros and bearings were in excellant shape with just a touch over 90K miles. Additionally, I've never seen temps in the transmission over 215 degrees or over 235 degrees in the differential. And this was on a very hot day towing a travel trailer up some pretty long and steep grades in North Carolina and Tennessee. I've also been running Amsoil Series 2000 lube in the transmission and differential for the last 65-70K miles. Technically, I'm not over-filled, but I know the bearings in my rear axle are getting a different lube bath than they would with the lube and cover from the factory. So far, so good.

 

[johnrv4]

The oil is probably from the puke bottle

Our trucks don't have a PCV valve(that's what the breather is for in the puke bottle). My bottle was always empty. The oil mist just came out of the bottle and made a mess of the front crossmember. I eliminated the bottle and extended the breather hose which got rid of the oily crossmember. My '01 also had oil like you mentioned at the union. I wiped it down and kept a close eye on it, and it ended up being a non-issue. When I installed the new clutch, it was dry behind the flywheel around the rear main seal, so all should be good. I also end up dumping close to 12qts in my truck, and it has been fine with no foaming.

 

[Silver]

If you have oil that looks like it's going to drip, I would check the rear seal of the oil pan. Mine did the same thing at about 20,000mi. I just tightened the oil pan bolts and the leak stopped.



I don't think the puke bottle will release enough oil to drip. I just spent 2 hours cleaning off the front of my engine and front end, and I didn't see any drips. I also found about 5ft of 5/8 heater hose under my bed, so I got rid of the bottle while I was at it.

 

[John Berger]

Originally posted by Silver

If you have oil that looks like it's going to drip, I would check the rear seal of the oil pan. Mine did the same thing at about 20,000mi. I just tightened the oil pan bolts and the leak stopped.



I don't think the puke bottle will release enough oil to drip. I just spent 2 hours cleaning off the front of my engine and front end, and I didn't see any drips. I also found about 5ft of 5/8 heater hose under my bed, so I got rid of the bottle while I was at it.

Silver, I re-torqued my oil pan bolts last year when they started leaking. The bolts in the back towards the transmission and around both corners towards the front. No seepage since.