Finally got my 1st diesel... where do I start?
- Thread starter MolonLabe420
- Start date
So I started to changed the oil today.... I didnt get too far tho
After I finallyyyy got the plug out, 5 gal of diesel (faily clean looking) came roaring out!! Now my pan is TOOO full, I got nothing to dump it all in, and the flow wasnt slowing down as I threw the plug back in... It looks like some oil is dripping from the engine somewhere, subframe or whatever, some on the front diff... like a seal blew out or over-flowed out from somewhere. Is that possible?
My current obstacle is waste removal
After I finallyyyy got the plug out, 5 gal of diesel (faily clean looking) came roaring out!! Now my pan is TOOO full, I got nothing to dump it all in, and the flow wasnt slowing down as I threw the plug back in... It looks like some oil is dripping from the engine somewhere, subframe or whatever, some on the front diff... like a seal blew out or over-flowed out from somewhere. Is that possible?
My current obstacle is waste removal
Thank GOD you came to this site when you did you might have saved your eng thanks to some of these guys that told you NOT TO RUN THE ENG ANY MORE ! Now you have a good starting point ! Good luck , it will be an adventure though !
damn. you must have an injector return line leaking or an injector. Hope your decent with wrenches lol. Brent at lds sales true bocsh reman injectors. Cheap also and good people. Theres a lot of write ups on pulling the valve covers and injectors.
That engine can only hold so much fluid before it dumps it out a seal or the pcv tube which is in front of the motor pass side. good luck.
Did you figure out where the coolant is going? Is the oil cap dry under neither when it was warmed up or is there moisture there also?
Also go get some buckets with lids. That's what we use to store old diesel. Then we use it to burn or kill weeds lol
I know! I hope the engine isn't junk. A rebuild might make my family homeless...
I started looking for a forum to join before I bought the truck.
Is there an oil overflow somewhere?
From the time the low oil sensor started dinging, I was at a red light (idling for like 2 min)(on a hill) 1/4 mile from Walmart. I pulled in and shut it down after confirming with the Edge CS that the EOP was 6 psi. From Walmart, I went straight home right from the highway, about 6-7 miles, only had to idle like 2 times, maybe 60 seconds each. As long as I was diving and giving it some throttle, EOP was up around normal. What would cause that?
I started looking for a forum to join before I bought the truck.
Is there an oil overflow somewhere?
From the time the low oil sensor started dinging, I was at a red light (idling for like 2 min)(on a hill) 1/4 mile from Walmart. I pulled in and shut it down after confirming with the Edge CS that the EOP was 6 psi. From Walmart, I went straight home right from the highway, about 6-7 miles, only had to idle like 2 times, maybe 60 seconds each. As long as I was diving and giving it some throttle, EOP was up around normal. What would cause that?
these are tough motors. I would bet its fine. If it was mine I would get all that crap out of the motor then put some fresh oil and filter back in. fire it up for a few seconds or so to get some good oil on the bearings. Then you need to start searching where the diesel is entering. Only 3 possible spots. Injectors, return lines, or cp3 pump. No oil overflow besides the pcv or filler neck if it gets that high lol. You had decent pressure with higher rpms because the oil pump will still pump any fluid that is in there. but at idle they drop low because of the thin fluid.
My guess is the leak is under the valve cover as previously mentioned. Your best bet to figure out what it is exactly that's leaking is to get some cheap fresh oil in the truck, remove the rocker covers one side at a time and fire it up each time and check for fuel leaks from the fuel return lines and high pressure fuel lines. Could be either one or two lines or banjo fittings are leaking.
Once you figure it out and get it all sealed back up change the oil and filter again with good quality oil and giv'r.
Was your coolant actually low when you checked it or just the code and message was coming up?
Once you figure it out and get it all sealed back up change the oil and filter again with good quality oil and giv'r.
Was your coolant actually low when you checked it or just the code and message was coming up?
Where you buy the truck from? Sounds like to me with all the codes someone was working on it, gave up and put it for sale. I had an injector go bad and fill my old lb7 up with diesel while on my way to vacation. I changed the oil on the side of the road and drove it back home. There are some good shops around if you don't want to replace injectors.
It was probably another dumb newbie question, but I asked about an oil overflow because a ton of CLEAN diesel came out. And I only got 5 gallons out so far, who knows how much is still in there... I also have dirty oil dripping down from somewhere higher up, so I thought maybe it was past the point of "making oil", that now it was over flowing and the oil:fuel was 100% opposite! It still has me a little nervous lol.
The trans is pretty clean tho, besides the old crappy looking Napa filter.
I guess I have a fuel leak and an oil leak.
When my wife gets home I need to go to some store to find something big enough to dump my whole 5 gal pan in, and still more.
When I take off the rocker cover, will I be able to see fuel squirting?
Whats a banjo fitting?
I already bought some Rotella T4 and a Mobile 1 oil filter and a ValueCraft fuel filter (couldnt get an AC Delco anywhere)
Yeah my coolant was a little low. it had some green stuff init, so I put some green stuff back in... probably like 1/2 gal, maybe less. Still havent started it tho, so Idk whats going on with that yet.
Got it from a used dealer... problem #1 probably.
Yeah I think some of the codes may be from the CAI and 4", maybe the EGR is already deleted, I still didnt look up where to find that stuff.
Everything seemed and looked fine. I ran it thru all the gears, saw 18 # boost, EOP didnt budge, coolant temp stayed steady, nothing leaking on the ground...
Once I get fresh fluids in there, how long can I run it before needing to drain and refill again?
If it's a bad enough leak you should be able to see it. It's common for the return lines to crack and the seals to leak. It might even be as simple as a loose injector supply or return line fitting.
I attached a couple of pics of the return line and banjo bolt. There are also seals that go on there. There are lots of vendors on here and across the interweb to choose from.
I wouldn't run it any more than you need to till you fix it. As far as the oil leak, your rods were swimming so I wouldn't worry to much about that at this point because if your oil pressure doesn't come back your probably going to need a motor rebuild anyways.
I attached a couple of pics of the return line and banjo bolt. There are also seals that go on there. There are lots of vendors on here and across the interweb to choose from.
I wouldn't run it any more than you need to till you fix it. As far as the oil leak, your rods were swimming so I wouldn't worry to much about that at this point because if your oil pressure doesn't come back your probably going to need a motor rebuild anyways.
Merchant also sells HD return line bolts for the injector side. factory bolts are a 5mm Allen head and don’t have much head on them to grab. Can be a beeyotch to get torqued or even right sometimes. Merchants HD bolts have twice the head to dang near eliminate stripping. Plus, more likely to be able to reuse. Pull your valve cover and the return lines. If you don’t see a crack then replace your banjo seals, bolts, and probably a good idea to get new head side bolts as well for insurance. They’re cheap. Torque to spec and put it together. I’d recommend cycling some oil in it. Fill it, run it for a short period to warm up, and drain. Rotella Dino oil is cheap and is good. Maybe someone else will chime in if that’s not a good idea. Just could probably use a good flush.
Thanks
Thanks for the tips.
I'll probably change the oil and filters 2 or 3 times.... if everything is ok.
Glad you found the culprit. Make sure your surgical clean on disassembly and reassembly and you'll be fine the lb7s are finicky:thumb:
Check your local laws, because you bought it from a used car dealer they may have to fix it. Here in California any dealer has to give a 30 day (? Mile) warranty on everything they sell. Even if they sell it as is.
I did sign the "sold as-is" waiver.... I dont know anything about PA laws for that kind of stuff. Anyone how how to look that up?
I did a quick Google search, it says to give the state Bureau of Consumer Protection a call at +1-800-441-2555. the website said even if the vehicle was sold as is with no warranty, that if a problem that the dealer should have known about, was not disclosed to you they can be held responsible for the repair.
I’d say they 100% new about the issues. Brand new oil and filter along with no codes. You drove it for how long and had 5+ gallons of fuel and oil drained and multiple codes. Pretty shady if you ask me. Good luck
Well, 4 different oil filters wrenches and 100 ft/lbs later, I finally got the oil filter off.
Finally got the fuel filter off too, except the wires for the water sensor broke off... where can I get another one??
Finally got the fuel filter off too, except the wires for the water sensor broke off... where can I get another one??