I have a major oil issue with our company vehicle, a 94 1 ton dodge cummins, and would really appreciate any help towards fixing it. First off, the truck isn't your typical work truck, we have mounted a hydraulic drill rig to the front of it, and it carries a lot more weight in drilling equipment than it probably should. The hydraulic system runs off a PTO, and we added a Banks turbo kit a few years back to compensate for the extra weight. Lately we have had to add almost a gallon (seriously) of oil every time we use it. It leaks a bit, but most of the oil seems to go out the exhaust and from the blow-by tube coming from the bottom of the engine.

We replace air filters almost every two months, but I suspect the culprit is the rock dust generated during rock drilling that gets past the air filter. The engine must remain running to operate the drill. At any rate, we had a local shop look at it and recommend an engine replacement, and I have gotten rough estimates ranging from $6k-$12k. Ouch. The thing smokes like heck once you get it back on the road after drilling and seems to have lost power over the years. Another problem we've had is air filters being crushed from the high vacuum. So I guess I need advice on the engine oil problem, and once it's resolved, are there any snorkels to re-route the intake away from the front of the truck?

 

I think you've diagnosed the problem correctly, the stock filter housing doesn't seal as well as it should. The filters that were crushed failed due to being plugged with dust, and the crap that came off of them and went into the engine no doubt hastened the damage.

Once you get it rebuilt (or find a used engine to swap in) I'd suggest going with a BHAF (Big Honkin' Air Filter). It's a 10.5 inch diameter by 10.5 inch tall paper air filter that sits pretty nicely where the stock filter box is now. It has nearly triple the filter area so it won't plug as quickly, and as long as you make sure it's sealed to the intake duct nothing will get around it like the stock filter. I'd also look into installing a filter minder (could be put in the end of the BHAF) to make sure the filter is changed before it gets plugged. This will prevent any more crushed filters. Part #'s for the BHAF are in the "tech facts" section of this site.

 

I'd skip the BHAF and go straight to a tractor type filter with housing that has an inner safety element. Mount this out from under the hood. These types of filters spin the incoming air so most of the dust drops out the bottom.
This is what we use on our probe truck at work, no problems. Our filter is mounted on the rear of the cab, away from the dust action.

 

Thanks for the tips on the air intakes-bith are much better alternatives than what we're doing now. It sounds like my only options are rebuilding or replacing-but no one in Nashville seems to know how to rebuild one of these.

Do you guys know about what I should expect to pay for rebuilding and/or replacing the engine? I'd probably have to get a used one with less than 50k. The sad thing is ours only has 88k miles on it, but then again it should probably use an hour meter since it runs the PTO most of the time.

 

How did you hook the pto up on the dodge? Is there a plate on the transmission or did you run a belt driven pump?

 

I'm pretty sure it's mounted to the transmission. We have to engage the clutch before engaging the PTO. I'm not much of an expert on the mechanics of the truck, since I took over as operator only a year or two ago.

 

A rebuilt long block assembly (no turbo or fuel system) goes for around $4,500. A complete engine runs around $6,500. I'd expect at least $800 - $1,000 in labor for doing the swap. So your $6k estimate isn't far off.

 

In Nashville TN, you could try Cummins Cumberland, but I don't know about the service as I only bought filters from them, or south in Columbia is Dixie diesel which I have heard really good things about their service and I know they have rebuilts in their counter area.

Roy

 

Thanks-we had someone else recommend Dixie Diesel also, and I just dropped it off there. I'll post back to let you know the rest of the story.

 

Perhaps as soon as you recieve the vechile back you could install an hour meter on it. Hobbs makes a good one, there are other brands as well. This will give you an accurate gauge by which to change the air filter and engine oil and filter as well. If you run a lot of idle time, you'll want to change oil in that new engine often as well. Good luck--there is likley a post here about installing an hourmeter if you search for it!

 

Dixie Diesel appears to have done an excellent job of rebuilding the engine. I had forgotten what it is supposed to sound like when starting & idling. The engine bay looks (and is) brand new. All of this came at a cost of $9300, which included a lot of extras, such as having to remove the entire drill assembly from the truck and some clutch work, but I think we'll be in good shape for another 10+ years of use. I highly recommend D.D.-they know their stuff.