If you have diesel dripping from the bell housing it is almost always a guarantee that the leak is from one of the injection lines where it enters the fitting on the side of the head. That is real easy to spot, the injection pump side of the head, below one or more of the fittings where the injection lines connect will be wet with diesel. Sometimes it appears to be oil from the valve cover, but if it smells like diesel you have the source.

There are two other types of leaks. The front seal of the injection pump will leak diesel into the engine if it fails. The tubes that reach from the side of the head casting through the valve gallery and into the injectors can develop leaks if they were improperly installed at some time, but they generally do not just spring leaks out of the blue.

The only way to effectively determine if either of those are a source of internal leaking is to perform an oil analysis. Any Cat or Cummins shop, or any Amsoil dealer can set you up with an analysis.

Diesel leaking out the bell housing is rare as birds teeth, and usually not an injection pump issue. Almost always such a leak is either one of those OEM slug transfer (lift) pumps still mounted on the side of the engine leaking and allowing fuel to run down the lower casting flange and back so it appears like it is dripping out the bell housing, or it is one of the flexible fuel lines between the engine and the frame that is drooling fuel on the engine and that is running back and down the bell housing.

The miss may or may not be related to the leak. For instance, if you have not replaced the fuel hoses for several years you can have an air infiltration problem that is causing the miss. If the transfer pump is leaking you will have a miss. If the front seal on the injection pump is leaking you can have a miss.

Unfortunately, dealerships are not always the best source of diesel expertise. In most areas if you are a member of the Cummins Power Club (part of the Cummins customer relations program), you will get a discount on diagnostics from the local Cummins Service Center. Unlike a Dodge dealership, the Cummins Service Centers have no shortage of work, so do not need your money from unneeded parts replacements, and generally do a very good job of diagnosing problems.

If you have an independent diesel shop nearby, they are also almost always much better and more economical than a dealership. If you have an independently owned performance diesel shop handy, all the better.

 

I don't know yet I have had so much good information thrown at me I'm trying everything. The lift pump is on my list. Thank you all for the information if you see me on the side of the road walking I was not able to fix it. I'm sure I will have many more questions before I can stop walking to work which is in CA. Long walk.

 

does anyone know a trustworthy shop in vegas? Trust me they are very hard to find

 

Where is the water seperator and how often do you have to change it?

 

The dealership that was trying to rip me off went **** up while they had my truck. I went to pick it up and found the doors chained shut and most of the cars where gone. It took an act of god to get my truck released along with a tow truck because they did not complete the work. But atleast I did not pay them a dime. There was no one there to take my money. To bad for them.

 

If your running a factory fuel filter, that is the water seperater also. Factory says that it should be changed every 15000 miles. Do you own service manual. You can get a factory cd off of e-bay or buy on from Dodge. Very informative even if you do not do your own maintenance.

 

My vote is for the return from IP or supply line for the lift pump. I had a leak on the return line at the quick connector, o-ring inside was bad. I ended up removing the factory plastic line back to the metal line on the frame rail. Then installed a rubber hose to connect the two metal lines. Couple of hose clamps and a little hose - good to go.