Ok, I know I'm new here but I keep discovering new things about my truck and can't always find the answers.
I have the 24v engine..today I was getting it safety inspection by a state certified mechanic. He passes it but brings me out to the rack to show me some wet spots.

#1-at the front of the engine on the left side there is a rubber hose hanging down with a metal attachment with threads on the inside, he points out there is a small amount of oil leaking and has been for awhile or maybe the front main could be the cause of the oil on the oil pan. What the heck is that thing hanging down?

#2- at the end of the transmission above it on the Quad Cab is a large wet spot of some kind and tells me he's not sure what it is, then says it may be your rear transmission seal leaking, I make the comment that if it is leaking that bad shouldn't I find some on the ground? Any ideas? I have @200 miles before the power train warrenty runs out.

Once again thanks for the info, and yes I ordered a service manual on CD but it will be next week before it arrives.

 

Correct me if I'm wrong but it sounds like the hose your talking about is for the little catch tube. It collects oil from the crank case. Sounds like your missing the bottle that's supposed to be at the end of that hose. Not sure about the tranny, sorry.

 

What year is your truck?

The hose that you speak of in your first question is most likely your blow by tube. My 99 did not have a bottle at the end of it from the factory.

Do you have a 2WD or 4WD? If you are 4WD the NV241 transfer case extender seal has been known to go bad and would cause the wet spot you mention. Or there is a slim possibility that the U joint at the yoke is simply slinging grease up there if you are 2WD though it would be easily identifiable as grease and not a wet spot.

As for the remaining time left on your warranty, just take it in and have them look it over. Tell them that you were getting your inspection and the state mechanic pointed to some potential problem areas that you would like some attention given to.

 

It is a 2002 4 x 4, I called the local dodge dealer and they stated they didn't have time to look at it till next week! The dealer I bought it from is a Ford dealer 50 miles away. Thanks for the info

 

Drive down to the dealer, ask them to pull the diesel tech aside for 5 minutes to crawl under your truck. Don't let the fact that they did not sell you the truck get in the way. They will most likely get it if there are any repairs to be made under warranty and if the service writer is intelligent enough he will remember the measly 5 minutes and add that to the WRO when they submit it to DC for payment. If, when you are there, they really will not pull the tech away you must ask the service writer to open an RO and document your mileage and give you a copy. If they give you a hard time get the service manager or the GM of the dealership. It's a shame that you have to push that hard sometimes, but if you don't you'll be sorry.

On the other hand they may have the tech look at it, open an RO, order the parts he thinks he needs and tell you to bring it in when they get the parts. Just make sure you get your mileage documented if it is that close to the end of the warranty!

 

Thanks Smokindog, I will have to be somewhat of a butthead to them. There is a reason why I didn't buy a Dodge from them. They are hard to deal with sometimes. They sold one vehicle in 1993 and kinda put the screws to me so I am a little shy. The good thing is that they have changed ownerhsip since then.

 

Moaggie, the breather tube up front is normal. I don't know about the wet spot on the transmission. But a couple of other things I'd look at, although it might be too late since you bought it already. 1) Check the lift pump pressures at idle, and at wide open throttle. They go bad frequently. Dodge can do it for you, but will probably do a volume/minute test instead of an actual pressure test. I bought my own portable tester for 35 bucks and test it at each oil change. 2) Check the front axle seals. I say this because my '02 had a bad seal from the getgo. a leak is very evident by the "dampness" just behind the U-joint. 3) Have the engine coolant changed. For an '02, it's due. 4) Have the front and rear differentials drained and refilled. 5) Change the tranmission fluid (ATF +4) and filter. 6) Keep an eye on the batteries. Mine are starting to show signs of aging and might need to be replaced in the near future. 7) I had a U-joint on the front drive shaft go bad at around 65,000. The entire shaft was replaced by a revised part. You can tell it's bad by the vibration under the floor, and by the movement in the jont itself if you try and wiggle it. Hope you enjoy your new ride!

 

Moaggie,

The seal you are referrig to I think is the output shaft seal. Mine also laeked enough to leave the fluid on the ground. The place I go to has failed twice to fix it. I thought mine was leaking allot, but the fluid level was fine. They have fixed it enough so it does not leak enough, still not good in my book. Re-post to the thread if you any luck with dealer fixing the problem. There is also allott of good info on this site as what to do with the breather bottel.
Good luck.

 

Well I just got back from the local dealer. I went in and told them my problem and one of the service persons said " didn't I talk to you yesterday on the phone?" I said yes, she started to give me all that crap about it would be next week, then the service manager overheard us talking and said "He just wants to document the miles!" she said "oh, ok" gave them the VIN and they wrote up the RO and even moved up my day and time! I was impressed! Looked up the truck and said it has never had any warrenty work done on it and they would look it over and check for any repair bulletins. I will let you know the results after Tuesday morning. Hope everyone has a safe & fun weekend.

 

Just got back from the local Dodge Dealer

Here is what they found on my truck and that none of it was covere under warrenty:
#1 Engine breather catcher tube bottle gone. $12.60 to find that out!

#2 The transfer case leak is the driveshaft slip yoke, the vent hose was pinched off also caught at trans shift tower. Freed hose and tied it up to get kink out of hose $37.80

#3 Ran DRB scan, DTC's in ECM. PO Turbo Boost Limit exceed, P0193 DTC in PCM. P0216 Fuel Injection Pump Timing failure. 255 starts since set. DTC in PCM, P0466 Fuel Level Unit No change over 211 starts since set. Cleared Codes. $63.00

Added Fuild ATF 2units $7.60


Grand Total to not fix anything $129.21


What should I do now? Thanks for suggestions.

 

Well I called the selling dealer(Ford) and they said to fax the bill to them and they would see about paying me back, as far as any repairs that are not covered under warrenty they will try and work out a deal(maybe I pay for parts, they pay labor to fix the transfer case leak, oil breather issue, etc...) They still can't believe that the power train warrenty wouldn't covr the leaking transfer. Well, all I know is I'll beleive it when I see it all taken care of.

Oh yeah, checked the truck this morning, already throwing a P1693 code!

 

Hold on!!! You have a 0216 DTC......this is the beginning of the end for your VP44......255 starts since the 0216? That is not good.....it means the ECU on thye VP44 has some problems that will cause the pump to fail completely......You must go back to the dealer and ask them how they plan on fixing that DTC!!!.....You should try your best to get that VP44 replaced by the dealer before the warranty expires.

The 1693 DTC is a companion code and doesn't mean much other than there is another code that is probably in the ECM instead of the PCM which can't be retrieved without a DRB scan tool that the dealers have.

 

So should I pursue it with the local Dodge dealer to try and run it under the Dodge warrenty? It has 70,000 miles on it now or should I contact a larger Dodge dealer?

 

Talk to the service manager and diesel tech at the local dealer first. Also, ask them why they didn't tell you about the 0216 code (injector pump). If you don't feel comfey with them, then go to a larger dealer and do the same thing. At 70k miles, it should be covered under the warrenty. You should have a $50 deductable for warrenty repairs.

 

Well the local service manager and I didn't see eye to eye! his approach that it was proably just an error on the computer and wait and see it any of the other codes pop up soon! So I had to make trip anyway @40 miles to a larger Dodge dealer, showed them the paper work from other dealer, they said"didn't they tell you that the fuel injector pump should be replaced? " Told them what happened, they then went to the computer and ran the VIN. I have an appointment for Tuesday, new pump is on its way! Fianlly may get all this stuff taken care of.