I have had a fairly small oil leak over the past few months that i believe has been largely worsened due to my 1600mi trip to Muncie.

Ive tried to pinpoint it but cannot. It looks to be somewere under the idler pulley. The previous owner "said" that he fixed the KDP, but he could have been blowing smoke.

The oil has covered the passenger side front of the engine and everything below including the axle and spots behind that.

The leak is so bad that the area on the top of the timing cover is being "washed" clean enough that it wont collect dirt. The leak seems to be located in the KDP area, but dont see any cracks yet.

I can start the engine and rev it and watch at the flat area under the idler pulley and see the oil seep from behind the timing gear case, but it could also be running down the case from somewere else.

Not to sure what to suspect. My most suspected guesses in order are:
1. Timing gear case gasket
2. Timing gear cover gasket
3. KDP

If its the case gasket or KDP, realy, how bad is it for the home mechanic? Any time estimates? Tools? Do the gears have to be "pulled" off with a puller? Ive read the procedure for KDP fix and about cried. I dont have much time or money so i may consider sending it to a shop but im sure labor costs will cancel that option out. Thanks -Jake

 

From what I understand the crack in the timing case from the KDP will be under the idler pully. You can't see it unless you take the pulley off. If the previous owner used a jig to repair it, it could be a leak from the screw which will be in the same place. There is a member that has done many of the jig repairs and has found some leaking from the screw. As far as the repair if the KDP is the culprit, it will depend on how much damage was done. Some one else might be able to answer your questions better. Good luck.

 

Jake,
Bring it by sometime. We'll track it down. Mine's a 24v, but they are pretty similar up front, and I've been pretty deep in mine.

Chris

 

I had the same problem too. Turned out to be the front crankshaft seal and timing cover gasket. went to cummins and got the parts for $55 and fixed it myself. while i was in there i also installed the cummins kdp locking tab on the bolt next to the pin. Feels good to not worry about that anymore. whole job took about 3hrs including precleaning the oil and crud off the front of the motor.

Bill

 

- I'm doing mine this weekend, any tips / advice would be MUCH appreciated! Looks pretty straightforward, but......

 

In my opinion, the biggest pain is removing and installing the fan, and putting the cover back on without damaging the crank seal. There is no timing cover gasket, it's just your favorite silicone sealant.

Chris

 

If the KDP was dealt with by the jig method, you may have a leak around the setscrew. The instructions say to install the screw with Loctite Red. Mine leaked so I pulled the setscrew and resealed it with RTV silicone, so far so good. My last 2 have been done with RTV as well.

 

Get some metric bolts about 3" long and cut the heads off. Then you can use them as guide pins to support the gear case cover while you ease it over the end of the crankshaft seal's plastic starting thing that came with the seal kit.

I used the cover gasket for a '98 12-valver when I tabbed my pin. It fit just like it was made for it.

You can also use a drill press to insert the seal into the cover.

 

The headless bolt trick also works excellent for getting the first fan to hub bolt started. It can be a hassle otherwise.