injector pump leak

[Scott Elliott]

I am very inexperienced in this area, so I am not sure exactly what I am looking at, but for the last few months, I have been watching a slow leak coming from my injector pump (I think) where it meets the timing cover (I think). It doesn't drip, but the area is wet and it smells like diesel when I wipe it and smell the rag. I just drove 5000 miles in the last few weeks with no major developments. The truck is a '93 and I just rolled 102000 miles. It only smokes (gray/black) at WOT and at start up. I did an archive search and could only come up with an o-ring or gasket failure. Does anyone have any ideas as to what is causing this? Have anyone of you experienced this? Is this something I should be overly concerned with? Finally, I am in the Colo Spgs, CO area, where should I take it-Colo. Kenworth or one of the local Dodge dealers?



I appologize for the long post, but I am nervous about this and I would appreciate any help/comments/suggestions. Thank you.

 

[mark93]

My pump was leaking from the little hex nut toward the very front on the pump. It has the KSB tube crossing right in front of it. The fuel would flow to the interface of the pump and timing cover. This nut is on a shaft that goes inside the pump and the shaft seal gets brittle and starts to leak. Mine went at about the exact mileage you have. At first, mine only leaked when cold then it leaked all the time.



I removed and replaced the pump myself but it still cost $600 to have it gone through.

 

[cullmanboy]

I had my truck for about 3 months when it started dripping, then leaking rather bad, it had 174000 miles on it, Power Wagon posted on here that it was probably an "O" ring , but most likely on the back of the pump toward the motor, so hard to get to, I carried it to a shop here in ATL, they pulled it off, sent it to bosch repair down the road, reinstalled it, set timing, and adjusted the valves, for $550. There have been several on here with the same problem, and it seems like most of them were "93's for some reason,,,

 

[Scott Elliott]

Thanks for the info. It doesn't sound as bad as I was envisioning. I think for now, I'll wait to see if/when it gets worse and take care of it then. And, since I am also due for a valve adjustment, I'll take care of those together. Now I just need to find a good shop to take it to in my area.

 

[Power Wagon]

The most common places for the pump to leak are the throttle shaft (top of pump, of course), and the o-rings on the side of the pump at the bottom. If you are starting to leak there, it would best to pull it off at your convenience and get that o-ring changed. The cost of pulling the pump (if you don't do it yourself) should be the biggest fee. The o-ring's only a few dollars, and the labor to do it the same. You need not run the pump on the test stand JUST for that.



Of course, if you want to tune the pump up, or else reseal it, you're going to spend quite a bit more. The o-ring failure is relatively common. I'm not sure which goes first, if the o-ring fails and the cover plate comes loose, or if the plate comes loose and the ring fails. Either way, best to take care of it before it gets loose, as it will dump enough diesel out you can't drive it.

 

[Scott Elliott]

Power Wagon: Thanks for the info. It doesn't appear to be leaking from the top, just at the front close to the timing cover, and the bottom of it. I can't see if it is leaking from the engine side. I don't know how to pull it off myself, I have never seen it done. Since I have to go to the expense of having it done, should I have them tune it up and replace any worn parts or reseal it while it is off the truck? Cost is an issue for me, but I'd rather not have to go through this again in the future. Is there anything else I should have done to the engine/pump while I am at it? I know I am due for a valve-lash adjustment, and the serpentine belt is due to be replaced. Thanks again for any info.