Hi Gang,

This is my first post. I have inherited a 95 180hp thru engagement to be married! On a trip from Ca to Mn Thanksgiving day she (the truck) started blowing oil out of her at the rate of 1 ½ quarts an hour. It was coming out of the top front driver side of the engine. After seven gallons I finally figured it was crankcase pressure. I pulled the filler cap and it stopped immediately and leaked zero after that. Have had it checked by two diesel shops now. After $742.00 they still can’t tell me what’s wrong with her. They have pulled the lifter cover off the side to check for vent obstruction. Nothing! It has no visable blow by at 185,000. We had the lifters adjusted the day before we left for Mn. I have since learned on this sight about the KDP problem. It’s the pulling of the cap to stop the oil leak that confuses me. Dare I ask about KDP? Help. KinnyP

 

Id check your vacuum pump. Its behind the steering pump. If you take it off there are cheap reseal kits on ebay or fixinrams.com
The pump draws vacuum for the cruise, 4x4 CAD and brake booster which should be 25" Hg or so on a vacuum gauge.
I re-sealed mine and vacuum went up to 28"

 

Thanks kawi600 for your help.

I changed the original thread to reflect that the oil was pouring down the passenger side of the motor.
I can tell by the lack of responses to this tread it is a weird problem. I knew I had a strange situation when Cummins West and an independent diesel repair house could not tell me what was going on without taking it apart. If we would have been near home when it first started we would have put it in the shop and had it torn down right away. Out on the road I had to improvise and that’s how we discovered it did not leak oil when the cap was pull off. It still don’t make sense to me why pulling the cap stopped the oil leak. Down inside of me after reading hundreds of posts on this sight I’m reasonably sure it is a cracked timing gear case and the pin made down to the pan. I find it disheartening that a trusted company like Cummins hadn’t warned owners of this problem. Oh Well! Thanks again kawi600 for you thoughts on this matter. KinnyP

 

I have a 1995 and something similar happened this last summer while in route from TX to WY, except it was blowing out of the blow by tube. I had noticed on the last run from WY to TX that oil was blowing a little oil out of the dipstick, replaced the o ring three months later for the return trip when it started blowing out the tube, about 5 quarts in 150 miles. The truck had always had Rotella 15-40 and I'd changed to Rotella Synthetic 5-40 prior to the WY-TX run. After I lost all that oil I changed back to Rotella 15-40 on the road since if it was going to use oil at least it would be cheaper. About 10,000 miles later back on the dino oil it has not blown out or used any oil. I have no idea why this would happen or why going back to organic oil would make it stop.

 

Is it coming down the front-right corner of the motor. I does sound like a KDP busted timing case. You may have to remove the fan and hub to see for yourself.

 

Hi sjester and MikeR,

Sjester, your problem is as strange as mine! We have minimal blow by out of the fill tube. The mechanic even went to the trouble to have one of his employees climb under the truck and plug the vent tube and there was very little blow by coming out of the fill tube. The mechanic did a compression test, all cylinders checked right at 400. One thing that has caught my eye was the dip stick tube backs out an inch every other time I’m under there checking the oil level. Of course it’s on the driver side and of no real concern.
Mike it does sound like a KDP doesn’t it? We’re not driving it much at the moment so we’ll wait until the first of the year to have it torn down and fixed proper. Santa needs the money to go any farther. I hope I’m being sensible, but after 4,000 miles with no more problems I think it will be OK for another hundred or two?? (-:
Thanks for the time you guy’s have put in on this problem for me. KinnyP

 

Check your Vacuum pump. There is a small fitting on the drivers side of the pump. Get a vacuum gauge and hook it directly to the pump. It should be reading somewhere from 25in. of vac. and up. if it doesnt read that much, fixinrams.com has a rebuild kit that is very easy to do.

Also, you said you had a valve adjustment. Check all of the valve cover gaskets. They will expand over time and when you try to reuse them they wont seat right on the head.

 

Hi dieselman2300,

I like you're motto about turkeys. I will take you're advice to heart and check it out. Right now with the holidays on us I'm going to act like an Ostrich and stick my head in the ground and ignore it. I will come back after the holiday’s and post what I find out. If it is a cracked gear case it may help someone in the future to know you can pull the filler cap and at least get the truck home to be repaired. Thanks again Guy’s. Kinny

 

Good Luck and keep us posted.