Hey all. It's been quite a while since I logged in. Why? I haven't been having any trouble with my Ram, until now.

Now I've got a few issues to work with and this is the first one I decided to go with.

Apparent fuel leak. I have done a cursory search for the subject and got just too many results. So here I am with this new thread.

Noticing several large puddles under my truck, especially with it backed in to my driveway with a slight downward slope. (front of truck is lower than the rear when backed in)

I don't believe these are oil leaks. The viscosity is wrong (seems much too thin for oil) and the amounts on the ground are real excessive. Almost to the point of throwing down some absorbent if I had any.

Also have been smelling fuel inside the truck, with all windows closed, as well as possible burned fuel/oil smell.

Haven't noticed much on the MPG dropping but it's possible my MPG isn't where it should be.

The leak manifests itself almost directly under the centerline and to the area where the engine and transmission join up.

My first thought would be rear main seal and that is on my list of things to replace when I do the clutch in the next week or so. (might be another thread in the near future) That said, the viscosity and amount of fluid are all wrong for oil, but just about perfect for fuel. Not to mention that the color is very very light.

I'm guessing it might be in the low pressure/return side of the fuel system but this is just a WAG (wild-a$$ guess).

Any suggestions?

 

you keep talking about it like you suspect it could be or have oil in it as well? does it look dark like oil?


I ask because you have a common rail and common rails are notorious for injector failures causing overfueling in a cylinder that can wash down and contaminate the engine oil with fuel. eventually a crank case full of fuel will leak out the PCV.

just for peace of mind, check the dip stick and make sure it doesn't smell like fuel.

next is to crawl under the truck with a flash light and just look for a leak.

 

At first I did suspect oil but the sheer amount and suddenness of the leak occurring just seemed out of character.

The fluid although oily didn't appear to be the same dark color of Engine Oil.

Yesterday, I did get under the rig after having found a few things to look for as well as planning the clutch replacement. After all of this, it does initially appear to be a rear main seal. I won't know for sure until I get the clutch and flywheel out. Since I always replace Rear Main Seals when I do clutches, I was planning on replacing this one anyway.

I can't see behind the engine enough to look at the banjo fitting on the back of the cylinder head, nor can I easily see the #6 injector and it's line. That said, I don't think it's either of those, but I will check when I get the transmission out.

I did check the engine oil level and it appears to be about where it should be. Difficult to gauge with the truck nosed down on a slight slope but again, will know more when I get down and dirty with the clutch.

 

As an update:

Truck was towed to Carson Truck and Auto Repair in Carson City.

I had already removed the 2 driveshafts, skid plate, clutch slave cylinder (separate issue found here), as well as electrics and vent hose.

Main crossmember bolts were left hand tight and the transmission mounting bolts as well.

I decided that the job was too big to do in my driveway and stopped short of removing the transmission, and had it towed instead to the only shop I found in Reno or Carson City that works on the NV5600 transmission.

The shop should be getting back with me today to let me know what they've found. After much studying, I had determined that the input shaft seal on the transmission gave out. The shop is going to tell me if it's only the seal (best case) or if the bearing behind it has given out as well (worse case). If the bearing is gone, the the transmission is going to get all new ones as well as synchros and seals. Not looking forward to that.

Also found that the clutch hydraulics have been seeping for a while so I am replacing that whole system from master cylinder to the slave cylinder. Also replacing the pin in the clutch pedal that connects to the master cylinder.

After it's all said and done, at least the clutch will be like brand new. We'll see about the tranny.