Engine/Transmission (1998.5 - 2002) Massive Oil Leak - Need Advice

[VRJoseph]

First off, please note that I have studied DTR & TDR and ran multiple searches when trying to diagnose problems with my truck.



I guess when it rains it pours ... . I've had multiple leaks in the last 60 days and thought I fixed them all:



* Leaking Fuel Drain Valve (Installed new Drain Valve on Fuel Filter)

* Leaking Turbo Oil High Pressure Line (Re-Tightened Line)

* Leaking Fuel Line from my FASS (Re-Tightened Line)

* Leaking Turbo Drain Tube at flange (Installed new gasket)

* Leaking Turbo Oil Seals (Replaced with new Turbo since I could not afford the downtime of sending my HTT back for repairs)

* Leaking Vacuum/P. Steering Pump (Replaced both pumps)

* Leaking Tappet Cover Gasket (Replaced with Cummins Gasket)



After fixing the tappet cover yesterday evening and re-installing the ECM, Fuel Filter canister, APPS, and VP44 Injection Pump & lines, I blead the air out of the lines and started the truck and had it idle for 20 minutes while I was checking for leaks. NO LEAKS !!!



I took the truck for a test drive on the street for approx. 15min. , driving moderately and pulled over twice monitoring for leaks. NO LEAKS !!!



I then deciced to take a test drive on the freeway for approx. 20 min. and monitored boost up to 15psi's. I then got off the freeway and headed back home on the street and noticed my oil pressure was around 30psi's and immediatly pulled over, got out and looked under my truck and could not belive what I saw which was a HUGE puddle of oil and the whole under-carriage of my truck from front to back and the tailgate was saturated with oil. I was beyond shocked !!!



Since it was now dark outside, I had to use my flashlight to see where it was leaking. I even checked the Turbo Oil drain hose where it attaches to the nipple on the block.



I put in 8 qts. of oil and limped her home. This morning I started the truck and let idle for 1 min. and did not see any leaks. Go Figure !!!



The only thing I can think of is after my research this morning, since my Vacuum Pump hose broke near the firewall when working on the Tappet Cover R&R, maybe this is causing excessive Crankcase Pressure pushing oil out somewhere when the truck is on load driving at higher speeds.



I can't tell you how frustrated I am... I had planned on cleaning up the truck today and enjoying the Super Bowl this afternoon knowing that the truck is fixed and saved $$$ from not having to pay the Dodge Dealership around $115/hr to work on my truck.



I'm heading out to the auto parts store to replace the dry-rotted vacumm line/hose and then jet wash the under-carriage of the truck to see if I can see any leaks.



I don't mean to take anyone away from the Superbowl today but any advice or help would be grealy appreciated!!!

 

[NIsaacs]

With that amount of oil short in the pan almost seems like it needs to be a pressure source rather than a splash type leak. Maybe check the head gasket area on the left side. There are 6 oil passages from the block to the head that the gasket seals.



Nick

 

[VRJoseph]

I'm thinking that the Vacuum leak caused excessive crankcase pressue which caused the loss of oil. The head gasket looks fine but will have a look again tomorrow when I fix or replace the tappet cover gasket since I did see some oil dripping from it today after I let it idle for a longer period of time.



Thx

 

[fest3er]

Vacuum is almost certainly completely unrelated to crankcase pressure. It's pretty much limited to HVAC, cruise control and front axle disconnect (which you probably don't have).

Excessive crankcase pressure will cause oil not to flow back to the pan; instead it will leak out wherever it can. Try taking the OIL fill cap (the '710' thingie) off and cover the opening with a piece of cloth (to keep the worst dirt out). If the problem diminishes, you probably have excessive blow-by or a holed piston. I've had some redneck PVC piping instead of the filler cap on my truck for, oh, 7 years and around 100K miles without trouble and with greatly reduced oil consumption. (Changed it from a quart every 400-500 miles back to 3k-4k miles per quart. )

If you have truly excessive crankcase pressure, you may have blown out the side gasket again. That will account for the temporary rustproofing and the large puddle of oil below.

24 valve. You may have to pull the head cover and remove the injectors, then peer into each cylinder to inspect the pistons. A holed piston should be fairly noticeable.

Also check your front main seal (behind the vibration dampener). If it's all but gone (as mine was), you could lose a good bit of oil through it. But not *that* much. That kind of loss almost certainly points to the side gasket.

 

[fest3er]

Vacuum is almost certainly completely unrelated to crankcase pressure. It's pretty much limited to HVAC, cruise control and front axle disconnect (which you probably don't have).



Excessive crankcase pressure will cause oil not to flow back to the pan; instead it will leak out wherever it can. Try taking the OIL fill cap (the '710' thingie) off and cover the opening with a piece of cloth (to keep the worst dirt out). If the problem diminishes, you probably have excessive blow-by or a holed piston. I've had some redneck PVC piping instead of the filler cap on my truck for, oh, 7 years and around 100K miles without trouble and with greatly reduced oil consumption. (Changed it from a quart every 400-500 miles back to 3k-4k miles per quart. )



If you have truly excessive crankcase pressure, you may have blown out the side gasket again. That will account for the temporary rustproofing and the large puddle of oil below.



24 valve. You may have to pull the head cover and remove the injectors, then peer into each cylinder to inspect the pistons. A holed piston should be fairly noticeable.



Also check your front main seal (behind the vibration dampener). If it's all but gone (as mine was), you could lose a good bit of oil through it. But not *that* much. That kind of loss almost certainly points to the side gasket.

 

[NIsaacs]

If you have a vaccum leak the vaccum pump can produce a small amount of air into the crankcase. However, the crankcase breather can vent way more volume than the pump can produce before any pressure is built. If you have piston/ring blowby and vaccum pump build up, to the point of actually pressurizing the crank case, then oil leaks could occure from several possible sources.



The tappet cover gasket can be a bugger to install if it is not glued to the cover. It can move, with a poor seal as the result.



Nick

 

[Bob V]

I would look at the crankcase breather for any obstruction

 

[Moe]

Look very carefully at the vacuum pump itself for cracks. I lost all the oil in my engine when the vac pump blew up. Seems they like to go at around 180,000 plus miles. Keep us posted, Moe

 

[VRJoseph]

I fixed the Vacuum line going to the Vacuum Pump today. The vacuum pump I installed approx. 1 month ago was purchased from Gould Gear. I replaced the Cam Sensor during my first pass two days ago when I pulled the VP44 to fix the Tappet Cover gasket. The allen wrench bolt is tight and has it snug in place.



I purchased my Tappet Cover gasket from Cummins (3284623) and bolt grommets (3928759) from them also. My breather system was not obstructed.



I found the leak... It was the tappet cover gasket. I guess, somehow part of the gasket must have come partially dislodged from the Tappet cover edge which was behind the VP44 during the re-install and while driving it, that part of the gasket must have came off the cover. About a 2 inch section of the gasket was pushed down away from the cover edge which would explain the massive loss of oil.



This time I used "The Right Stuff" gasket maker when putting the rubber gasket on the Tappet Cover. I'm letting it dry and fully cure overnight. It took me approx. 6hrs from start to finish to fix. I started it and let run for approx. 2 min. I'll test drive it tomorrow and re-check for leaks.



I took pictures with my iPhone and will post them once I figure out how to embed pictures on this thread.

 

[Joe Mc]

So what are the results? I'm very curious just from reading. I was leaning towards a restricted crank vent and hoping (for your sake) it wasn't a head gasket. Thinking possibly a totaled crank front seal, or broken timing cover (KDP). Glad you've narrowed it down if not figured out with the tappet cover seal.



Hope you get back to us with good results.

 

[VRJoseph]

 

[NeilJohnston]

First off, please note that I have studied DTR & TDR and ran multiple searches when trying to diagnose problems with my truck.



I guess when it rains it pours ... . I've had multiple leaks in the last 60 days and thought I fixed them all:



* Leaking Fuel Drain Valve (Installed new Drain Valve on Fuel Filter)

* Leaking Turbo Oil High Pressure Line (Re-Tightened Line)

* Leaking Fuel Line from my FASS (Re-Tightened Line)

* Leaking Turbo Drain Tube at flange (Installed new gasket)

* Leaking Turbo Oil Seals (Replaced with new Turbo since I could not afford the downtime of sending my HTT back for repairs)

* Leaking Vacuum/P. Steering Pump (Replaced both pumps)

* Leaking Tappet Cover Gasket (Replaced with Cummins Gasket)



After fixing the tappet cover yesterday evening and re-installing the ECM, Fuel Filter canister, APPS, and VP44 Injection Pump & lines, I blead the air out of the lines and started the truck and had it idle for 20 minutes while I was checking for leaks. NO LEAKS !!!



I took the truck for a test drive on the street for approx. 15min. , driving moderately and pulled over twice monitoring for leaks. NO LEAKS !!!



I then deciced to take a test drive on the freeway for approx. 20 min. and monitored boost up to 15psi's. I then got off the freeway and headed back home on the street and noticed my oil pressure was around 30psi's and immediatly pulled over, got out and looked under my truck and could not belive what I saw which was a HUGE puddle of oil and the whole under-carriage of my truck from front to back and the tailgate was saturated with oil. I was beyond shocked !!!



Since it was now dark outside, I had to use my cheap flashlights to see where it was leaking. I even checked the Turbo Oil drain hose where it attaches to the nipple on the block.



I put in 8 qts. of oil and limped her home. This morning I started the truck and let idle for 1 min. and did not see any leaks. Go Figure !!!



The only thing I can think of is after my research this morning, since my Vacuum Pump hose broke near the firewall when working on the Tappet Cover R&R, maybe this is causing excessive Crankcase Pressure pushing oil out somewhere when the truck is on load driving at higher speeds.



I can't tell you how frustrated I am... I had planned on cleaning up the truck today and enjoying the Super Bowl this afternoon knowing that the truck is fixed and saved $$$ from not having to pay the Dodge Dealership around $115/hr to work on my truck.



I'm heading out to the auto parts store to replace the dry-rotted vacumm line/hose and then jet wash the under-carriage of the truck to see if I can see any leaks.



I don't mean to take anyone away from the Superbowl today but any advice or help would be grealy appreciated!!!

I is horrible situation man. I am not sure how you were able to solve it out but I need mechanic assistance to control such serious oil leak. Best of luck in futureOo. Oo.

 

[hbowers]

I always use 3m weatherstrip adhesive on the rubber gasket. glue it to the cover and let it cure. I made the same mistake on the first one I changed. live and learn

 

[Joseph Donnelly]

As hbowers said, glue to the tappet cover, and then install the cover with the gasket dry to the block. The gasket will fit around the perimeter of the cover, half inside and half outside.

 

[Vaughn MacKenzie]

I have sometimes wondered about using RTV Copper or something in place of the gasket, in hopes of better sealing and longer life. Good idea or bad?

 

[hbowers]

bad idea vaughn, I TRIED THAT ONCE TOO. I used ultra gray gasket maker stuff, and I put it all back together,let it set overnight.
next morning I started it and you guessed it. it leaked worse than ever before. I didn't put it on thick enough. I think using the rubber gasket
and gluing it to the cover w/3m super weather strip adhesive is the way to go. like joe said above.

 

[klcammie]

View attachment 84161View attachment 84162

Sorry this happened. Since I need to change my tappet cover gasket I will try learn from what happened to you. It is a good thing it was only a gasket not a holed piston or worse.