Oil leak?

[bbro44]

Hey yall,

I'm currently trying to figure out if I'm burning oil, leaking oil, or both. I've got a few things going on- 1) oil level consistently dropping, 2) white smoke puffs, 3) residue all over the lower engine, 4) a tick

1) I've now added 3.5qts of oil over the course of ~2200mi. I did an oil change ~900mi ago, filled the engine back up until it was to the top 1/3 of the good section on the dipstick, and had to add .5qts today as it was low.

2) Right after I purchased it (~2200mi ago) I had someone mention that they saw it blowing white smoke. I hadn't personally seen it until a few days ago, then again today. A couple of times when I dropped a gear and accelerated between 30 and 50mph, it let off a large puff of white smoke.

3) When I first bought the truck, I replaced the 4wd actuator and noticed it was covered in grime- I assumed it was just dirt and such. Then, when I was under there again, I noticed the new actuator was dirty, so I peeked around and saw tons of grime all over the lower engine. Recent pictures attached.





4) I've got a bit of a tick that I'm worried may be lifters or something. I've had a couple people (handy, but not actual mechanics) listen to it, and neither immediately noticed any issues, so maybe it's a normal sound that I'm just not used to. It seemed to go away for a minute or two when I did an oil change and went from 5w30 full synthetic to 10w40 blend, but it's definitely still here. I think there may also be an exhaust leak, so its really hard to decipher all of these sounds.

I'm worried that this may be a head gasket leak, especially considering I believe my coolant is low (I'll have to go back and double check that, though), but I'm hoping it's not...

Thanks!


06 dodge 1500, 5.7L Hemi, 226k mi

 

[BenchTest]

You have a lot going on in that post. Are you seeing fresh oil populate external of the engine? I saw the photos, but are you seeing clean/fresh oil outside of the engine? If not, your engine is consuming it. If so, you'll need to address whatever is letting it leak by. Also, does your coolant level fluctuate up and down?

 

[rzr6-4]

White smoke sounds like it's certainly worth buying one of those head gasket leak test kits.

And loosing 3.5qt over 2200mi is a lot. I was losing about a qt every 2500mi until I switched to a thicker oil. Even with that much lower flow rate, there was still oil collecting on the undercarriage from an oil leak. 3.5qt in a similar period would be an absolute mess if it is all coming out of a leak, which leads me to believe some of it may be going out of your exhaust (head gasket again).

 

[bbro44]

You have a lot going on in that post. Are you seeing fresh oil populate external of the engine? I saw the photos, but are you seeing clean/fresh oil outside of the engine? If not, your engine is consuming it. If so, you'll need to address whatever is letting it leak by. Also, does your coolant level fluctuate up and down?

I'm really not sure. I haven't seen any fresh oil, but with how much buildup there is, I cannot say for certain. I may get some degreaser and just spray the whole bottom side of the engine to see if the residue comes back. That being said, on my oil filter before my change, I saw a little bit of fresh looking oil, and I haven't seen that same thing since my previous change.

I haven't been tracking my coolant level, so I'll have to check back and let you know. Over what time period are we talking? Over a couple days? Weeks? I'll get some coolant and top it off today to start tracking that.

 

[bbro44]

White smoke sounds like it's certainly worth buying one of those head gasket leak test kits.

And loosing 3.5qt over 2200mi is a lot. I was losing about a qt every 2500mi until I switched to a thicker oil. Even with that much lower flow rate, there was still oil collecting on the undercarriage from an oil leak. 3.5qt in a similar period would be an absolute mess if it is all coming out of a leak, which leads me to believe some of it may be going out of your exhaust (head gasket again).

Man, you're really everywhere lol. Yeah, I'll be honest, the whole front bottom of the truck is a mess. I'll try to get some more pictures tonight.

I'll grab some coolant and a gasket leak test kit tonight to test... if it's blown, is that something I can do over a week or two, or is that a new engine/vehicle type issue?

 

[RamDiver]

Your ability to troubleshoot a potential leak through ancient caked-on horror is not much better than useless.

I'd start with thoroughly cleaning all those areas unless you can see a newly formed oozing area.

Also, what is the mileage?

.

 

[bbro44]

Your ability to troubleshoot a potential leak through ancient caked-on horror is not much better than useless.

I'd start with thoroughly cleaning all those areas unless you can see a newly formed oozing area.

Also, what is the mileage?

.

I'll have to deep clean the whole bottom side/engine.

226k

 

[BenchTest]

I'm really not sure. I haven't seen any fresh oil, but with how much buildup there is, I cannot say for certain. I may get some degreaser and just spray the whole bottom side of the engine to see if the residue comes back. That being said, on my oil filter before my change, I saw a little bit of fresh looking oil, and I haven't seen that same thing since my previous change.

I haven't been tracking my coolant level, so I'll have to check back and let you know. Over what time period are we talking? Over a couple days? Weeks? I'll get some coolant and top it off today to start tracking that.

I'd go more with a mileage monitoring approach. Check it every 100 miles or so, or more often if you are seeing regular smoke/seeing coolant outside of the cooling system.

 

[Daw14]

White smoke is coolant , while blue smoke is oil burning. Degrease that mess , it will help find leaks

 

[turkeybird56]

What Black, Blue, or White Smoke from a Car's Exhaust Means

Smoke from the exhaust pipe can mean a few different things depending on the color of the smoke. Learn what to look for so you can figure out what is wrong.

www.autozone.com

 

[rzr6-4]

if it's blown, is that something I can do over a week or two, or is that a new engine/vehicle type issue?

It's certainly repairable, but time frame is hard to say. Head off, new gasket in, head on, shouldn't be terrible if you know what you're doing. But if your head is supper warped (as they often are for a bad gasket) then you may have to have it machined, which then you are at the mercy of the machine shop. You can buy a new head, but you know, ....$$$....

 

[RamDiver]

I'll have to deep clean the whole bottom side/engine.

226k

Play the odds and start with the most gunked-up areas first.

Get a bag of shop towels and a jug of brake cleaner. Clean a section or two, observe for a bit of time/mileage and move on to the next of the largest mess, if you don't see significant leaks.

Or, you could play the parts cannon game.

These are the joys of owning older vehicles when you choose to perform your own maintenance.

.

 

[bbro44]

Okay, I just got under the truck. There's old gunk all over- I mean absolutely everywhere. From the oil pan to behind the belt. The only place that there was fresh oil was under the oil filter (in all reality I likely didn't tighten it enough because it was slick, so I tightened it a bit more). I'll clean that off and monitor.

 

[RamDiver]

Okay, I just got under the truck. There's old gunk all over- I mean absolutely everywhere. From the oil pan to behind the belt. The only place that there was fresh oil was under the oil filter (in all reality I likely didn't tighten it enough because it was slick, so I tightened it a bit more). I'll clean that off and monitor.

You might want to clean anything downstream and downwind of the oil filter location.

Think of it as investing a bit of time now to save time in the future.

I've scrubbed my fair share of old trucks and cars, it's all part of the joy of ownership.

.

 

[bbro44]

You might want to clean anything downstream and downwind of the oil filter location.

Think of it as investing a bit of time now to save time in the future.

I've scrubbed my fair share of old trucks and cars, it's all part of the joy of ownership.

.

Will do

 

[Mrblonde]

Did you ever get it fixed? What was the outcome?

 

[bbro44]

Did you ever get it fixed? What was the outcome?

Unfortunately I ended up trading the truck for something with a bit better gas mileage. I didn't use it as a truck enough to justify the 12mpg. That said though, I have my suspicions it was just the oil filter not being tight enough as a couple times, I got under there and it was fairly loose.