go figure, at 101,000 miles the truck began a small oil leak. its "only" a few drips after every stop i make, but very consistent. i went to school in montana and drove home to minnesota just the other day (1000 miles) pulling a trailer. by the time i reached home oil was all over the trailer, tailgate, and on the underbody on the passenger side. i am assuming it is one the passenger side due to the rotational direction of the fan, any thoughts? i can not pinpoint the leak do to the oil being everywhere. i tried cleaning it up, but was still unable to find it.

my plan is to replace the breather bottle with a valve breather (made for gassers) that will be directed up towards the hood, not down towards the fan. yes, i have emptied my breather bottle. i also purchased a new front crank seal that will be installed this weekend. i have also tightened all the oil pan bolts and feel the pan gasket should not make the type of leak i descriped (all over the engine) since it is so low to the ground.

i would like to know if there are any other culprits that i may have overlooked? anyone else have this problem and remedied it?

thanks in advance, Pat

 

First are you shure that its engine oil? Does it come from the front of the engine. (where does the oil begin to cover the engine?) How much oil did you put in the engine? Hows the oil level look after you noticed this? The catch bottle is a lame design and if I were you I would relocate it to a better location under the truck past the engine, away from the fan and radiator. Plus you might want to see if your radiator is covered in oil, too. Could cause problems later. Also did you encounter any steep grade hills before you say the oil? I mean really steep, like 25%. That will cause oil to puke out of the engine.

 

First thing I would check is the valve cover gasket, make sure it did not get loose and move. They make a mess.

 

The 02's didnt have the KDP problem did they?

 

Pat, I'd advise against using your breather plan after you solve your current problem. I suspect you'll have an oily film all over your engine compartment from the vapor leaving the vent. Have you considered doing what most of us do and that's to extend the hose down near the ground? I went so far as to route the hose rearward and tie wrap it to the lower arm on my 4x4.

 

Thanks for your thoughts and ideas...

I pulled the front apart friday night and went to work with the seal on saturday. Cleaned up the engine bay so I could see what was what. Put it all back together, started the truck and turned heater on to fill it back up with coolant, but once it got warm oil started to drip again. Bad news = I didnt solve the problem. Good news = I fould where the problem is. Turns out the gasket BEHIND the timing case was missing about two inches of gasket material (I could see the gap right next to the fan bracket on the block and oil was puking out of it), NOT the timing cover gasket!

I just graduated college so I have absolutely no money for an expensive fix like this (plus, I was frustrated I just had the truck apart and that didnt solve it) and used JB weld to seal the area with the leak. Hasn't leaked yet during multiple engine warm-ups and cool-downs. Once I begin working, I might take it in to fix it.

Have any of you heard of this?

Thanks again for your replies, Pat

Commatoze, I will take your advise into consideration - did you use elbows to make turns with the hose or just bend/kink it? Seems they don't like to bend very easily, any thoughts? Thanks

 

Just bend it. There are no turns drastic enough to kink it off. Just go to your local harware store and buy some 3/4" hose, and 1 3/4x3/4 male hose adapter, and 2 hose clamps, and some zip ties if you dont already have any.

Remember this is gravity flow, so dont create a dead leg. Leave it open ended too. Throw the bottle in the trash, and never look back.

If you have the habbit of biting your fingernails, you may steer clear of this job.

 

Did just what the 'Kid did; no elbows.

 

Very important, dont let the hose sag to create an area for the oil to collect or it may stop the vent from working and blow a seal. I ran mine all the way back to the begining of the fuel tank, over the cross member and used a 90* 3/4" plastic elbow on the end to point it downward.