i have been using about 4 qts of oil every 450 miles so i took it to the dealer to see if they could diagnose/fix the problem cause i was having a very hard time locating it. they said it was the crank seal and the front timing cover gasket (odd to me cause i just changed the both of them about 20kmi ago when i did the kdp fix). now that they have '' cured the problem'' im now losing about 6 qts onto the ground every 350 miles! i spoke with them today (they have the truck back ) and they are telling me that they ''think'' its coming from the road draft tube. if that is even where its coming from--who knows! i saw a couple of old posts about collapsing rings and leaking lift pumps and bad overflow valves--and, vacuum pump seals but no one got elaborate with how to tell or check these. i would ve taken the truck to cummins but the $87/hr scares the hell out of me! any ideas before the dealer takes me broke? i really dont think that they have a clue-even though their tech is ''cummins certified''

 

oopsie! forgot to add that ive always used rotella 15-40 and the engine has about 98kmi on it. i dont feel any power loss and it only smokes blue VERY lightly at initial startup in the morning-but i guess thats normal and just a little unburnt fuel.

 

I'd take it to Cummins.

That $87 an hour won't look bad when they fix the problem in that hour.

After the Dodge tech spends 10 hours trying to find it, then in the end tells you they don't have the tools and you'll have to take it to Cummins for them to fix it.

Compression test will let you know right away if it is rings or not, and the Dodge tech might not know how to do a compression test on a Diesel (no spark plug holes ya know )

<edit> unless of course someone chimes in with more knowlege about the 12 valves. I'm sure there are much cheaper tests and fixes.
But, the above still stands if you aren't mechanical (like me) and need someone with skills to work on the truck.


phox

 

Hows your boost reading? Maybe the turbo is using it. Are the turbo lines dry? I take it your not seeing any drips anywhere. Have you checked your coolant for oil?

 

Pretty bad diag if they called a rear main or crank seal and it turns out to be blowby. I'd be having a chat with the service manager about that. Go to cummins. One hour diag you will know what you are dealing with. As said alot cheaper than 10 hours at the dealer. Good luck

 

i did have a chat with the service mgr. they misdiagnosed the oil leak definately. i had them do the front end align-it pulls left now it pulled right before the alignment (i swapped the front tires r-l still pulls left)! put my front lug nuts on about 30 ft lb. its been a nightmare so when i called and raised hell- they put me in a car for free and promised not to charge extra-- to make it all better.. then the phone call today. they insist the oil is coming from the road draft tube (i cant really tell - its all over the bottom of the truck and even all the way up the tailgate!) so today svc mgr says they need my authorization to pull oil pan , pull out crank and pistons and replace oil nozzles in crank bearing area--for a fee of $800.00 - unless they find a major problem or decide to change more parts--then its more. i'd rather perform brain surgery on myself than let them touch my engine internals !! at that point i immediately picked up the truck and set an appt. at cummins (harmarville,pa) . i told them my situation- hell, they were even smart enough to ask if i have a torque plate. they said it could be as simple as blown turbo seals forcing pressure into the crankcase. but either way, they said they would be able to narrow it down within 2 hours. and yes, my boost is right where it should be and no evident cross-contamination of fluids. ill let ya all know where it ends up- but any further insight will be definately appreciated.

 

Just wire an empty clear plastic container on bottom of your draft tube to capture oil and you can judge yourself how much oil is comming out. Drill two small hole in PVC plastic tube about one inch from end to attach wire. Also, take note of amount of vapour coming out at idle. Do not pressurize crankcase by blocking tube or you will blow a seal.

 

wow what a nightmare you have been going thru for that oil consumption , that dealer did not know what they were doing , now the labor rate of your Cummins dealer is pretty cheap , if you came to my shop in Ca. , our rate is 110 an hour.... but the first thing that would have been done is putting the truck on the dyno and running a blow-by test and then isolating the problem. hopefully it is the turbo causing your problem and your cost won't be so high. good luck