waynem

Where is that stupid overflow oil bottle located on the '01, 24v HO engine ??? I am getting some oil over the front of the engine after 4 wheeling, can't seem to find anything leaking though.

dodgediesel4x4

If you look from underneath the truck, behind the fan shroud, you should see a small bottle smaller than a coke can. It should be filthy, in most cases. If you don't see one, then you should atleast see some rubber tubing pointing towards the ground. Where exactly on your engine is this excess oil located? 4 wheelin or not, this overflow bottle should be dirty as helk, conisidering it hasn't been cleaned in a long while.

BarryG

Another possiblility is that when wheeling and going down more than 25 degree slope (that could be the wrong slope but it is somewhere around there) oil will puke out that vent tube at an alarming rate(upwards of a quart or more depending on the length of time at that slope). There is a tsb on it. The fix is to relocate the vent tube to the side of the engine. Which I believe is a rather involved process. Just rerouting the tube itself wont fix the issue (though rerouting the tube and doing away with the puke bottle will keep it from going all over the front of your engine and radiator)the tsb relocates the vent from the front of the engine to the drivers side. There have also been some home remedies for the tsb. Try a search I think it was ericbru12 that came up with a rather easy and inexpensive fix

DD4X4 has the location of the bottle right. If you have never emptied it it may just be full and the wheeling is just sloshing the gunk around alot more than normal casuing it to spill even more than it does normally. By the way the bottle is plastic and has holes in the lid. When you find it your are going to say to yourself what were they thinking especially when considering the tsb. I believe they did relocate the vent and bottle on the newer models.

Mopar1973man

Well I had a idea about moving the vent tube to the back of the engine over the top.

Kinda like the vent tubing on a snowmobile. As you notice you can roll a snowmobile but it will never split oil or fuel out the vent tube.

So basically just disconnect the stock vent tube and rerun a new one from the front along the top of the engine to the back and down towards the ground back by the bellhousing.

If this is correct you sohuld be able to tilt the nose downhill and keep the oil from going uphill to the back of the engine.

Chime in if you know a better way...

waynem

Well, I am glad to see that the catch bottle may be what it is putting all the oil over the front of the engine!!! I located it, on the right side of the front of the engine, just behind the fan blades, it has 2 holes in the sides, up towards the top of the bottle, is dirty and oily as hell. You are probably right, the dealer has NEVER emptied this when they changed oil. When I go off road to our radio sites it is a real bumpy, steep climb, and it probably is dumping that right out into the fan and the fan is just flinging it all over the place. It really is a stupid place to put that thing, right in next to the fan. But, I would guess it was there to keep the cost of the Maintenance down to access it. Now I know why I would smell oil after going to one of the radio sites. I can understand why D/C just didn't vent it down to the pavement, the EnviroMENTALISTS would be all over them, so they had to put in a catch bottle. But why in next to the fan ??????

ramcummins

How often should you empty these things Every oil change or so?

waynem

I think it is recommended that it gets changed at every oil change, but the dealer probably figures that it will just overflow and vent out anyway. Saves them time NOT to do it. Only problem, is because where it is located, it dumps into the fan blades and then you have a real mess ALL over your engine.


Anybody have any suggestions regarding how to go about steam cleaning this type of engine ??? COLD or HOT, cover anything ????

BigBlue

Cover the alternator and computer's and have fun. I'm gonna fix my catch can tonight and clean the crud out of my engine. I want it shiny.

waynem

what about the "TURBO" ????

Where is the computer located ???

thanks !!!

Dr. Evil

Wayne,

There is a TSB covering oil loss:

http://dodgeram.info/tsb/2002/09-002-02.htm

I eliminated my blowby bottle altogether. I picked up a couple of S.S. hose clamps, a 3/4" barbed union fitting (for underground sprinklers), and 12' of 3/4" heater hose. I took the bottle off at the engine installed the barbed fitting on the u shaped tube, and then installed the hose clamps and heater hose onto the union fitting. I then ran the heater hose down along the inside of the framerail. Use cable ties/tywraps to secure the hose to the framerail. Make sure you route the hose nice and smooth so that the oil can drain without being trapped in the hose. You can put the bottle on the end of the hose if you want, I left mine off.

Good luck.

waynem

Gee Dr. Evil, you environmental nastie, letting all that oil drop onto the sacred ground !!!! (Sarcasm off) Ha ! Ha !! Got to "Recycle" that oil, Right ???

Actually sounds like a great idea to me, do you remember what size PVC fitting you had to get from the hardware, (1/2 or 3/4) and what size heater hose ??

Dr. Evil

ya know....I have yet to see even a drop of oil on the driveway.....I will probably put the bottle back on when I get a chance or think about it. It is worth $10 to relocate the bottle...its so much easier to empty than when its in the stock location.

Reread my post....fitting and hose size and length is all there.

BigBlue

I just ran some hose back to right behind the front axle and left it there.

waynem

Hey thanks,
this will help greatly,
now if I can just get all that old oil off the engine !!!!!

waynem

One thing that I did long ago, when I had my old 1500, was to buy some shadescreen, real fine stuff, and install it in front of the radiators, all away across the front, top and bottom.

You would NOT believe how many bugs do not get into the radiators, and it is real easy to clean them off the screening.