I've noticed that the oil level in my new (1500 miles) 6.7 CTD is way past the "SAFE" zone. I checked the oil this morning after the truck sat all night. I know this is usually an indicator of leaking injectors. However, the oil itself didn't feel too thin and didn't reek of diesel, but I'm not an expert in these matters. I made an appointment for next Tue with the local dealer to check into this (he's going to perform a re-flash at the same time). I also had him change the oil & filter so as not to incur any further engine damage if any has occurred already.

My Question: Is this a common problem on these engines? Do you think any damage may have been done to the engine up to this point? The truck has been driven very conservatively but I did tow a fifth wheel trailer approx 30 miles (some of that up a pretty good grade). Thanks in advance for your thoughts....Ed

 

Mine was above the safe mark on the factory fill. When I changed it I put in 3 gallons and it was right at the mark.

 

Have had the dealer do 4 oil changes so far and after each oil change whenever I check the oil, waiting a minimum of at least 15 -20 minutes, the oil level is always above the "Safe" mark. I watch them put the oil in - always the correct amount. Each time I check for diesel smell but cannot detect any - Dunno??

 

Send a sample of oil to Blackstone for analysis.

 

Usually with a failed injector oil level will rapidly overfill and come out the overflow hose. My 04.5 was driven less than 20 miles and in that 20 miles went thru 8 gallons of fuel and dipstick was as high as it could show. Truck was completely covered underneath and rear of truck. Iff you check oil as recomended in manual 10-15 minutes after shutting down most will check OK. If you check immediatly after shutdown it will check low. If you wait and check in the morning before starting from overnight shutdown, more gallerys will drain and will check slightly overful in my experiance with 4 different trucks. Hopefully that is all your problem is.

 

I recall Dodge have the same problem with earlier 2nd gens and them not having the correct dipstick, or it was marked wrong. The fix was a new dipstick that read correctly.

 

the oil just drained down from the motor. everything is fine

brett

 

Thanks for the assistance, guys. Somebody on another forum suggested putting a sample of the oil on a paper towel. If a lighter ring appears around the oil spot it means diesel fuel in the oil. Unfortunately, I didn't try that because the oil was drained before I learned about this trick. I had the dealer change the oil & filter (at 1500 miles) and I'm keeping a close eye on it. I'm also getting the latest re-flash at the same time. I do love the truck and hope these issues can be resolved.

 

If you are really concerned get a free oil sampling kit from Blackstone Labs : http://www.blackstone-labs.com/ , and pull a sample and send it in. One of the tests they do is fuel in oil. They do a slew of tests to the sample and give you a comprehensive report. Would be worth looking into.

 

Dont sweat it.

 

UPDATE: It's been a couple of days after having the re-flash done and I must say I'm quite pleased. The idle seems somewhat smoother and there's noticeably more power. I just finished driving the truck carrying 2 passengers and a fifth wheel hitch in the bed up Lewiston Hill outside of Lewiston, ID (several miles of a 7% grade in 100 deg ambient temps). There was no strain at all in 6th gear at 60 MPH.

The computer read-out used to indicate about 12 MPG around town before the re-flash but now shows about 15-16 MPG. It's too early to tell if the oil level is rising but I think the re-flash may do the trick. At least the truck's running a whole lot better.