Oil Leak / Help with potential vandalism

[JayLeonard]

The OP has a Cummins and that looks about right below where the oil filter is.

There are plugs for changing the Cummins oil filter that allows you to remove the filter without making a mess. Chances are the previous oil change tech didn't use or have a plug for the filter.

Yes I know I have one and it was in the truck. Last oil change I asked my neighbor who is a mechanic at a Kia dealership to change the oil. I gave the plug to him to use. Truck came back spotless. I left the plug in the truck.
2 years ago I was in CT visiting family and had the oil changed at my son's shop. I told them about the plug and they bought one. no mess.
The service writer's only comment was "we change oil in these every day. I don't know what the problem is".
Sorry, rant over.

 

[Marshall]

The service writer likely never changed any oil.
I don't have one of these, so can't comment ,but silly stuff has been built for years, watched a fellow change plugs on his 3/4T truck after lifting the cab. ( may have been injectors)?

First time I changed the oil in my 855 Cummings with a road ranger trans.
Nice and high, so slid under it with a 5 gallon/ 20 litre pail. SOB, it holds 30liters, nice and warm so pail filled up in about 5 seconds.
There are times when you just go have a coffee, I'm not a beer guy. After a shower.

 

[Dusty]

The engineers have very little to do with it. It is a problem of communication between the powertrain division and the body division. GM had big problems like that from the 50's thru the mid 90's. The solution came when the CEO got replaced and HE canned the head of Fisher Body and put a younger, more progressive fellow in charge. After that, one didn't have to remove the transmission crossmember just to drop the trans pan to do a service, among other niggling issues being fixed!

Getting rid of torque-tube was also a positive move.

Regards,
Dusty
2019 Ram 1500 Billet Silver Laramie Quad Cab 2WD, 5.7 Hemi, 8HP75, 3.21 axle, 33-gallon fuel tank, 18” wheels. Build Date: 3 June 2018. Now at 118831 miles.

 

[JayLeonard]

Good news! No more dripping oil.
Took it back yesterday afternoon and the service manager took the truck in and did the cleaning himself. He used a lot of safety clean (or whatever they use) to flush it all out. Then I drove it thru the carwash.
No drips this morning.
And my next oil change is free (IF I decide to take it back there).

 

[Hardracer]

You are correct it IS an engineering shortcoming or whatever you want to call it. NOT the engine manufacturer's issue, rather Ram's for not making provisions for easy filter removal.
I just took my truck back to the dealer an hour ago because I now have oil spots in my driveway from wednesday's oil change. Never had any oil on anything previously, so this mechanic didn't know what he was doing. They cleaned it of but did a half-a$$ job. (I crawled underneath and wiped it off more with a paper towel and tossed the dirty towel on the service writer's desk before i left).
This is probably the 5th or 6th oil change (50 k miles) and first one that was sloppy.

Blood pressure back to normal now.

Hey,sometimes you gotta holler some to get it through some people's thick dont give s**t skulls...to get their heads outta their a$$ and do a job correctly..I applaud you sir.

 

[20IndyRam]

So the end answer is a service tech was having a bad day. Most likely staked with jobs and didn't have enough time allotted to "properly" service a HOT 6.7 Diesel. At a minimum, he should have cleaned up hiss mess after the fact.

I would not call this an engineering failure. I've seen far worse filter locations on both Fords and GM's. We need to keep in mind that RAM is using this chassis for both gas and diesel engines. Those are wildly different form factors. These are big vehicles but, figure in the transmission, transfer case, front diff and driveshaft - suddenly you don't have a lot of wiggle room for different engine configurations.

 

[jr27236]

Good news! No more dripping oil.
Took it back yesterday afternoon and the service manager took the truck in and did the cleaning himself. He used a lot of safety clean (or whatever they use) to flush it all out. Then I drove it thru the carwash.
No drips this morning.
And my next oil change is free (IF I decide to take it back there).

Good to hear. When I bought my daughters jeep Cherokee and had the oil changed at a shop, I also had oil dripping on my driveway afterwards, brought it back to the shop and the owner knew EXACTLY why there was oil and pulled the cover off the engine and there was new oil pooled up in every nook and cranny. He made the kid who did the change clean that engine till it was spotless from top to bottom after chewing his ass for not taking the cover off during the oil change because of spillage being hidden.

 

[GTyankee]

In the picture that was posted, it sure looked like there was no dust/rock cover at the bottom of the bell housing.
The flywheel teeth appear to be exposed ??

 

[chri5k]

In the picture that was posted, it sure looked like there was no dust/rock cover at the bottom of the bell housing.
The flywheel teeth appear to be exposed ??

Last time I checked my 6.7 the transmission was not in front of the engine. That is the tone ring for the crank position sensor on the harmonic balancer.

 

[Sherman Bird]

Good to hear. When I bought my daughters jeep Cherokee and had the oil changed at a shop, I also had oil dripping on my driveway afterwards, brought it back to the shop and the owner knew EXACTLY why there was oil and pulled the cover off the engine and there was new oil pooled up in every nook and cranny. He made the kid who did the change clean that engine till it was spotless from top to bottom after chewing his ass for not taking the cover off during the oil change because of spillage being hidden.

I'm unimpressed. If the culture is "catch us if you can", then the dog and pony show of clean up the panel/chewing the kid out leaks like a sieve, there is work to be done as far as shop management resources and motivation.

If any one of the host of professionals in the hospital surgery department gets it wrong, the stakes are higher... but the spirit of it is the same. To quote someone dear to my heart: "There are some things you just DON'T do in the first place."

 

[1500RAMman]

This was an interesting read, I am glad you got it sorted out!

 

[jr27236]

I'm unimpressed. If the culture is "catch us if you can", then the dog and pony show of clean up the panel/chewing the kid out leaks like a sieve, there is work to be done as far as shop management resources and motivation.

If any one of the host of professionals in the hospital surgery department gets it wrong, the stakes are higher... but the spirit of it is the same. To quote someone dear to my heart: "There are some things you just DON'T do in the first place."

Well I would thi k a shop owner can only teach and train and cannot overlook every detail of the day and has to rely on his workers. This kid was young and made a decision to cut a simple corner and got the bad end of it when it bit him. I was glad at least the shop owner took accountability and schooled his worker. That today is a lost also. No one's accountable and God forbid we yell at them, they walk out crying.

 

[Sherman Bird]

Well I would thi k a shop owner can only teach and train and cannot overlook every detail of the day and has to rely on his workers. This kid was young and made a decision to cut a simple corner and got the bad end of it when it bit him. I was glad at least the shop owner took accountability and schooled his worker. That today is a lost also. No one's accountable and God forbid we yell at them, they walk out crying.

Cashiering me in front of customers or other employee cost my employer me as a worker. There is a time and place and METHOD to bring about positive changes. Humiliating a person in front of others has never been a way to win over anyone.

So, train away. I'm ALL for it. Public humiliation is NOT training. It's a perfect example of an oaf for a boss.

But, this, among other reasons, is why I work for myself!