'02 dodge diesel oily underside

CWL · Mar 25, 2011

Looking at a '02 Dodge 2500 4x4 diesel 6spd manual with a little under 150k miles. It starts easy and runs out good. The whole underside of the truck is covered in a greasy oily film all the way back to the rear differential. I didn't see any oil on the ground where it was parked. When I mentioned it to the dealer he said that it wasn't that unusual. He offered to let me drive it up to a concrete slab, and get under it with a creeper if I wanted to look it over. I haven't take him up on it yet. How "common" is it for a 9 year old diesel with 150k miles to be that oily underneath?

The price seems in line with the other trucks of that type and vintage, but most seem to have automatic transmissions. I prefer a manual.

I should also mention that it sells with a 2yr. unlimited mileage warranty.

Hobo,NC · Mar 25, 2011

I know for a fact if the fuel filter is not honkered down tight enuff it will cover the under carriage well... Other than that it should be clean..

J.D.Unstyled Farm · Mar 25, 2011

There is a Black plastic can on the end of the Crank case Breather tube which will fill up with oil. This "small" can should be unscrewed and dumped out at every oil change. If not, it will over fill and cover/blow over the Bottom of the Truck. It is located on the front of motor,left side, at the bottom, just behind the FAN. Look there??

GordoSD · Mar 25, 2011

Not "common" at all.y 98 12 Valve is clan as new underneath.

CWL · Mar 25, 2011

I notice a black hose about the size of a 3/4" heater hose in that location that looked like a breather tube. It comes out near the top of the motor and turns down for about a foot then ends. It had what looked like a screw on lid top on the end of the hose, but no can on it. I thought that maybe there was supposed to be a filter there, but I wasn't sure. Would that be what you are refering to?

spanky · Mar 25, 2011

Continuous undercoating/rust proofing?

MSD · Mar 25, 2011

On my 02 the front of the motor on the underside gets oily and will start to drip. I pressure wash the underside every so often and it stays clean then. It has 82,000 miles on it. I will have to look for the can and empty it and see if that does it.

kyhayman · Mar 25, 2011

Thats where the little can goes to catch the oil that collects out of the breather tube from the crankcase. The little can is there to protect the environment and to keep from coating the underside of the truck with an oil film. Most of us that had the little devils under there pitched them.

bison · Mar 25, 2011

Brother had that on his 02 dodge.
Turned out to be just loose oil pan bolts.

CWL · Mar 25, 2011

That makes me feel a little better about the chances of the the truck working out. I still plan to crawl around under it and check it better.

edj856 · Mar 25, 2011

That sounds like it. Get yourself a new bottle and then empty it out at every oil change and you should be good to go.

Anonymous-0 · Mar 25, 2011

This reminds me of a Tahoe the wife wanted me to look at. Of course it was 2-3 hours away at a GM dealership, so we made it a little getaway for the weekend. Everything was good until we went for a test drive and could hear wind whistling around the windshield. Once back noticed that they had put some silicone on the top of the windshield to try and fix this. Thinking it was wrecked at sometime I asked how many hoists they had, of course they bragged on having 17 of them, so I said find an empty one and get this Tahoe on one. Young salesman didn't know what to do, went and talked to the head guy which said I've been doing this for 20+ years and never had anybody ask this, well guess this will be the first. Found some minor things and said they could take care of them, well it looks like you tried a few times already on the windshield and failed, so thanks anyway. The young guy received a little education from this guy. chris

farmer boy · Mar 25, 2011

Where are you located? Where I am oil blowing all over the bottom of my truck would be a big bonus, especially in the winter

grandpajohn · Mar 26, 2011

I have a 2001 and I have a oil drip that blows under the truck as i drive making a mess of the underside. In my case it is the accessory drive seal leaking. It is common for this seal to go out and if you go to dodge to fix it they want $1200. I plan to fix it myself when i get time. It looks like a real pain in the but to fix.

'02 dodge diesel oily underside

CWL

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Hobo,NC

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J.D.Unstyled Farm

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GordoSD

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CWL

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spanky

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MSD

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kyhayman

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bison

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CWL

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edj856

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Anonymous-0

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farmer boy

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grandpajohn

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