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ex Belgium U1350L front oil drip

1K views 10 replies 4 participants last post by  mzcloud 
#1 ·
I am not a very hands on person, have never worked on any truck or car. Hope this is not a dumb question to find answers on this forum.

I have a 1998 U1350L noticed some oil on the driveway today. Came from the front engine section. Very small patch, trying to figure out where it came from.

Looking from the bottom, it looks like oil is coming from somewhere. See photos. I opened the hood, noticed the stick where you pull out to check the oil level is about 2 inches up, not fully down. Could this have caused the oil to flow out? Checked the engine oil level, it's in the fine but slightly lower.

Thanks a lot for your help.
 

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#4 · (Edited)
If they don't drip, it's worse, they're empty .

OK, past that ancient joke, here is what I would do :

A. Make sure it is oil- it probably is, and it looks like it, but by getting it on your fingers and rubbing it, smelling it, you can verify it.
You can probably skip this step - but it is what I'd do.
B. Next, I clean it all up within reason, on the engine, to try to determine the source. I would not worry about anything on the top of the skid
Plate- that is just where it has landed....but the more you can wipe down the engine, downstream , the more likely you might pinpoint the source.
C. I'd roll under the truck and put a socket on all of the bolts holding the oil pan on- and also make sure they are all there. You might get
Lucky.
D. Next, I'd check it once every few days or so, to see if the weep came from a specific place. If it is from the perimeter of the oil pan, or
More likely the front, you should contact your friendly Unimog dealer and get replacement gaskets, seals, etc.
E. If it is from the front crank seal, I'd just monitor the oil levels and keep it topped up, and put that on the Down-the-road list, if and when
More extensive engine work might come up.
F. Honestly, it looks very minor, and the fact that it shows up on the dipstick is interesting, or you are looking very closely- not a bad thing.
G. You deserve some kind of award or notation in that you bought a Unimog without ever having laid hands on a vehicle - Brave - Optimistic,
Or a weak (or Strong) moment, that, I think is slightly outside of the norm. I'm not saying that there is the slightest thing wrong with that.

Anyway, it looks minor, and this would be my approach.
 
#5 ·
Agree on the above. Also, I have to point out that this is a great time to become hands on!

:)

C.
 
#6 · (Edited)
And yes, if the oil level Is Showing 2" above Full, then Yes, the engine could be pumping it out the Dipstick tube, or elsewhere perhaps.
Some engines are more sensitive than others when it comes to overfilling with oil, and while I'd expect the OM
Series ( OM 366 in your case I'd think ) to be relatively impervious, it isn't ever a good thing, and the "full" line is there for a reason.
If you are indeed 2" over, I'd crack the drain plug and get it down to " full". If you overdo it, just top it off to the line. If you are due for an oil change, then it is a perfect time.
This might be your only problem, especially if it appeared only after a recent service.
 
#7 ·
Thanks for the detailed instructions TRUCKTOR. The engine levels are fine, I rechecked it and its showing within the min and max.
I am doing a swipe down and clean all areas and trying to pinpoint where the leak is coming from. Prepared to get my hands dirty. Will update shortly.
 
#10 ·
Make sure it's not higher up, oil runs down.

IF that's the spot, how much does the truck sit? Was it recently changed to synthetic oil from dino? If so, synthetic can clean out the seal and leak, unit it has a chance to "recondition" the seal, which it may stop leaking. Same if it sits a lot (or was gratuitously overfilled), the seal might need a bit of driving (with a CLOSE eye on oil levels) to seal up.

If not...

Text Auto part Line art Design Font
 
#11 ·
Make sure it's not higher up, oil runs down.

IF that's the spot, how much does the truck sit? Was it recently changed to synthetic oil from dino? If so, synthetic can clean out the seal and leak, unit it has a chance to "recondition" the seal, which it may stop leaking. Same if it sits a lot (or was gratuitously overfilled), the seal might need a bit of driving (with a CLOSE eye on oil levels) to seal up.

If not...

View attachment 2177161
Thanks, it is difficult to see on top of that directly as it is slightly blocked. But everything on top of that section that I can see from the top is dry.

The truck does sit a lot, I drive it 2-3 times a month. The truck has about 6000 kms when it came from Belgium, I think they don't use synthetics, but since 2015 into Canada, it has been drinking Synthetic Shell Rotella. I am hoping it will recondition it self. But otherwise, is this a big job, it appears the engine has to be lifted to replace the seal?

I've made my mind to do finally do an oil change for the first time, I don't think I can handle this job.
 
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