How Serious of a Problem Do I Have

[Papa Delta]

For the last 700 - 2000 miles I have noticed a small amount of oil on my driveway under where I park my truck. It has been 5000 miles since my last oil change. Right after my last oil change I noticed a small drop or so as well. I'm getting ready for a road trip and decided to hunt down the source and found my oil cap sitting on the battery. The head cover has a film of oil on it. The hood liner has a spot that looks like it has taken a shot of oil. I really have no way of knowing how long this has been this way. I'm amazed I found the cap. Wouldn't it have vibrated off if it had been that way for a while?



Now the big questions. How much debris/moisture got into my engine? How much of a potential problem do I have? I suspect the mechanic didn't tighten down the cap on the last oil change. My gut is tellin me the engine is contaminated and should be replaced. I have a TST and AFE II and think that I'll be in for a war for warranty engine replacement. I know the engine is tough and I could replace the oil and go on my way but how much has the engine life cycle been reduced because of this. By the way, I have no way of proving that the mechanic didn't fully tighten the cap. I haven't been under the hood since the last oil change.



Should I leave for my trip and bring it in after I get back or cancel the trip.

 

[700rmk]

id get an oil analysis done, that will tell you how serious of a problem you have in short order...

 

[OT-OF-HERE!!]

Is there a problem?

For the last 700 - 2000 miles I have noticed a small amount of oil on my driveway under where I park my truck. It has been 5000 miles since my last oil change. Right after my last oil change I noticed a small drop or so as well. I'm getting ready for a road trip and decided to hunt down the source and found my oil cap sitting on the battery. The head cover has a film of oil on it. The hood liner has a spot that looks like it has taken a shot of oil. I really have no way of knowing how long this has been this way. I'm amazed I found the cap. Wouldn't it have vibrated off if it had been that way for a while?



Now the big questions. How much debris/moisture got into my engine? How much of a potential problem do I have? I suspect the mechanic didn't tighten down the cap on the last oil change. My gut is tellin me the engine is contaminated and should be replaced. I have a TST and AFE II and think that I'll be in for a war for warranty engine replacement. I know the engine is tough and I could replace the oil and go on my way but how much has the engine life cycle been reduced because of this. By the way, I have no way of proving that the mechanic didn't fully tighten the cap. I haven't been under the hood since the last oil change.



Should I leave for my trip and bring it in after I get back or cancel the trip.

I'd say you have nothing to worry about except getting a new place to get your oil changed. The next time you see oil like that,... I bet you'll check it. That type of thing is quite common and you need to be safe and not sorry. There shouldn't be any contamination from what you described given that you don't live on a dirt road or something.

 

[sag2]

I would not give it another thought. Change the oil and drive it. There is positive pressure in the crankcase so not much can get in.

 

[DieselFiend]

I'd say it's nothing to worry about. I'd definetly get an oil analysis done on the oil that was in it when the cap was off just to see whats going on. After that, I'd change to oil, and drive it. I feel your pain. The oil change monkeys didn't even change my filter the first oil change I had. Next oil change I discovered it. Almost needless to say, the oil monkey manager didn't believe me so I had to actually send it in as proof just to get a refund.

 

[Papa Delta]

We'll See

what happens when I send my sample to the lab. I got my oil changed this AM. I'm afraid the sample may be contaminated based on the container they put the oil in. They said they blew out the bottle with what I assume is shop air. Who knows how much oil is in their compressed air system.



This whole thing makes me feel like in order to get things done right you have to do it yourself. If I wasn't so busy I would.

 

[GColeman]

what happens when I send my sample to the lab. I got my oil changed this AM. I'm afraid the sample may be contaminated based on the container they put the oil in. They said they blew out the bottle with what I assume is shop air. Who knows how much oil is in their compressed air system.



This whole thing makes me feel like in order to get things done right you have to do it yourself. If I wasn't so busy I would.

Don't worry about damage to the Cummins. These motors are as tough as they come. With positive crank case pressure, unless you were driving in the sand with your hood open, you have no problems.



You might as well dump your oil sample if they put it in a contaminated container. Next time you want to have you oil tested, get a sample bottle from one of the reputable labs.

 

[Suprmn]

I would get the oil changed and then not worry about it.

 

[RMalone]

Swap the oil and forget about it.

 

[Bekim]

id get an oil analysis done, that will tell you how serious of a problem you have in short order...

I agree. For $20 send it to Blackstone Labs and find out the real truth. I'm sure the results will make you feel better, and give you some valuable info on how your engine is wearing and how well your air filter is keeping silicates out of your oil.
Cheers
Mike
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[Parks]

I would not worry about a thing. The chances that something got in the engine to cause any damage would have already shown it's ugly little head.

Enjoy your trip.

 

[WNowlan]

I would not worry about it as others have said.



One caution: One oil sample is not going to tell you anything from a rate of wear stand point. It will tell you if you have some silicone (dirt), Fuel or antifreeze. But your question on if you done damage to the life cycle? You would need to have sample results from previous changes and then take samples over a period of time to establish a rate of wear. It gets complicated but can be done. I do it for my large customers using a computer program that smooths the number based on mileage.



You should also check your oil a little more often as well! I know they don't use much, but you may catch other things just taking a look!

 

[Papa Delta]

WNolan

Good advice. I usually check under the hood more frequently but have been pretty busy lately. Still it's no excuse.

 

[WhiteSheep]

1) Don't let other people perform routine maintenance on your rig.

2) If you do, check their work afterwards. Once you find out how much more you paid and how much time it took to check their work :{ , go back to step 1.