Oil on air filter

[J_bare]

Okay I know pretty much nothing on engines so wondering if anyone else has had this issue or knows what a fix could be?

I bought a 2012 Ram about a year ago and only have 31k miles. I usually go to valvoline for oil changes because it's convenient. The other day I brought it in and the tech pulled out my air filter and showed me about half of it was covered in oil. Today I brought it to the Toyota dealership where I bought it and they forwarded me to a Dodge dealership because they said they aren't quite sure what could be the cause. Brought it to the Dodge dealership and they also told me they aren't sure what the cause is. The tech there disconnected a hose from the air filter and there was oil in that as well. I'm dropping the truck off tomorrow at 8am. Any idea what this could be and what a fix is? Luckily I'm under warranty but hope they don't try to pull any crap with me.

 

[7777xm]

Was the oil on both sides? Was any oil in the airbox where the filter stays?

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[doz]

Crankcase Ventilation - Make Up Air. You can remove that hose, put a rubber cap on the intake side and a filter on the engine side ($3-$7 in parts from Autozone).

Its pretty common to get a little oil on your filter. If its covered, there could be a bigger issue but if its just a light glaze over it, that is pretty normal.

Here is an image of that hose. Its the lower section I am referring to. The other PCV system is where a catch can would be installed (top portion of image).

 

[Ratket]

Catch can????

 

[J_bare]

Thanks for the responses. It's not just a little oil, about half of the filter was covered. Enough where the filter is wet to the touch. I didn't check the box so I'm not positive. I've thought about a catch can but this seems like way more oil than even a catch can could help.

 

[7777xm]

There shouldn't be much oil. The only thing I can think of is a super sloppy oil change where a LOT got spilled around the air box. Not an uncommon area to set a quart down while adding.

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[doz]

A catch can wont catch the oil he is talking about. It could be damper than normal due to condensation and more water vapor but it sounds like it may be something more serious the way you describe it.

If you look at the diagram above, the top half is where a catch can is routed through. The lower half is the diagram for the hose that allows oil to get to your filter.

 

[J_bare]

Good to know I'll mention this stuff when I take it in tomorrow. The tech that just glanced at it said its way more than should be. And the fact that the hose had fresh oil in it said it was a concern.

 

[JohnD72]

I'd check the pcv valve. If it's clogged or stuck closed, the engine may be venting oily air thru this hose and into your air cleaner.

 

[J_bare]

So took the truck in and they took a look at it. The tech said apparently when valvoline put the oil in they put it in too fast and it got sucked up into the air filter? He said its nothing to worry about but I might want to make valvoline aware of it since they drenched my filter. Seems a bit odd but he said everything looked alright and since it was fresh oil it wouldn't be the pcv valve. No harm no foul I guess just kind of annoyed I wasted my time.

 

[MyOhFive]

So took the truck in and they took a look at it. The tech said apparently when valvoline put the oil in they put it in too fast and it got sucked up into the air filter? He said its nothing to worry about but I might want to make valvoline aware of it since they drenched my filter. Seems a bit odd but he said everything looked alright and since it was fresh oil it wouldn't be the pcv valve. No harm no foul I guess just kind of annoyed I wasted my time.

That seems like a really weird explanation... Maybe they overfilled the truck? I would monitor this yourself for a while... check ur fluids and make sure everything is where it should be, put in a new air filter, and then check it urself every few 100 miles.

 

[audio1der]

Whether your 'Valvoline' shop overfilled, filled too fast or spilled, you may want to reconsider what your convenience may cost you. Next time they might forget to refill with oil after draining & changing the filter (this happened to a co-worked at the Toyota dealership who did his oil change!)
No one will be as careful as YOU for your truck.

 

[Casper]

A catch can wont catch the oil he is talking about. It could be damper than normal due to condensation and more water vapor but it sounds like it may be something more serious the way you describe it.

If you look at the diagram above, the top half is where a catch can is routed through. The lower half is the diagram for the hose that allows oil to get to your filter.

Or they overfilled his crankcase which vented to the air cleaner and then sucked it back out to the right level without telling anyone.
Not hard to imagine. Any one know a 19 year old; one who would rather hide a problem instead of fessing up?

 

[doz]

Very true. I honestly missed the part in the OP about the oil change being done at Valvoline.

Do it yourself. Cheaper, faster, and you know its done right.

 

[dodgetech]

oil filled too quickly

Been working on Hemi engines for years. if you have an excess amount of oil on the air filter and the oil looks clean then it is because the oil was filled too ****** during your last oil change. It backs up in the filler neck and seeps down the breather tube to the air box. See it all the time, its a dumb design thats never been fixed.

 

[electricyeti]

You have got to watch the quick change places too. Those oil guns that pull down from the ceiling can be set to gallons. I used to be ass. Manager at one and have seen it done. The motor rocks pretty hard when it's that full.