(I posted this first on the 24 valve forum and now realize I should have posted here instead - sorry about the double post)

I just bought my first diesel, after driving a Ram Magnum the last 5 years - that was the best truck I've ever owned, & easy to work on. I have a fairly steep learning curve ahead of me, learning this engine.

This truck is a 2005 and has 18K miles on it. I strongly suspect this is the engine's first oil change - nearly needed a breaker bar to remove the filter ;-).
The oil dipstick read just past an inch over full and the old oil smelled like fuel when I changed it yesterday. A Forum search points to a possible injector or injector pump problem.

Questions:
Should I smell ANY fuel in the old oil, even with 18K miles on the oil?
Are there any other causes for the fuel smell in the oil?
Assuming this is abnormal, what damage may have been done to the engine?

Thanks in advance.

 

You shouldn't be able to smell fuel in your oil... You could have a bad injector (cracked). I'd send in an oil sample to someone like Blackstone labs to get an analysis done right away. Also take her in to the dealer (preferably a good one) and have them check it out.