drscott

Inland truck parts did not have the screw so eventually went to BoltMax.com and ordered them - 25 for $2.12 plus shipping. Got all four changed and have plenty of spares.

Thanks for that web link. There is one of those 9 miles from my house - practically on the way home from work.

The non-torx bolt is about 5mm too short to engage all the threads while the 3 torx bolts stick out about 5mm past the last thread (the torx are 35mm and the non-torx is 25mm). So I think I will replace all four. Just need to find 4 M8x1.25x35mm high grade bolts. A guy on one of the other diesel forums recommended the cap head screws that use a 6mm allen wrench. They look nice but so far I have only found the 35mm length at Granger and they only come in packs of 100 - Home Depot has 30mm and 40mm.

Here are two pictures of the 4 bolts that are in the flange on the u-joint connecting the front drive shaft to the front differential. Obviously one is not right - besides looking funny it is not as long as the other 3 bolts and does not stick out the back like the other 3 do. Where is the best place to buy one of the correct bolts and is there any issue with just replacing the incorrect one? Does anyone know the correct torque?

Here is a shot of the new style of line clamp that the dealership put on my truck last month when the #4 line broke.

So my reason for asking the question about oil analysis was that the dipstick on the new to me truck was reading about 3/4 inch above the full line - about 2700 miles since the last oil change if the used car dealer can be believed. I did this oil spot on a piece of paper and to me it looked like maybe fuel was present due to the very light ring at the edges of the spot. The internet said that the fuel would difuse farther than the oil and be lighter in color. So I changed the oil and filter and sent off a sample to Blackstone after being convinced by the knowledgeble folks on this forum. Here is the report from the boys at the lab: There was a lot more in the report but not relevant to the fuel issue. I guess they just overfilled the oil last time they changed it - probably did not let all the old oil drain out. So lesson learned about listening to the cheapos on the internet when there is a real quantitative and objective way to diagnose something.

I had only had a diesel for a month now and I was going to post a very similar question. To me there are two noises that are different from gas engines. There is the "clatter" which I think is the detonation and there is the "whistle" that I am guessing is the turbo. Whatever it is I like it - sometimes I turn the radio down when I am on the highway just to listen to the engine.

Never would have guessed that that was a grease fitting. They could have made that a lot clearer in the owners manual.Thanks for the photos.

So I finally got around to doing some maintenance like oil change, fuel filter, etc. on my 2 week old new-used truck. The owners manual says to grease some fittings where the front drive haft connects to the transfer case but I can not find any fittings there. It is very possible that there are some aftermarket parts on this truck - the transfer case looks brand new compared to everything else under there. Does anyone know if on the stock 2006 2500 4x4 there really are grease fittings at the u-joint in the location shown in the owners manual? I am just trying to figure out what all is stock on this truck and what is aftermarket.thanks,Scott

Thanks for confirming what I thought about the fuel pressure. I really should have tried to speak with the actual mechanic who could have told me a lot more than the service manager did. That is why I take my gasoline vehicles to a small local shop when I have repairs I can't do myself - I talk directly to the guy doing the work who I have built a trusted relationship with.

Hopefully I am not violating any rules by posting this link that addresses the "what to do now that all you can find is CJ-4 oil" question. It is the TDR report updated for 2012. http://www.genosgarage.com/GenosGarageTechArticles/TDR76_LubeOil2012.pdf

I understand what you are saying about not driving until I find out for sure about the fuel in oil / injectors.A week ago is when I noticed the oil level high on the dipstick right after the #4 injector line broke and left me stranded. I checked the oil before the tow truck showed up the next morning and the level was about 1" high.While in the shop the dealer did their 23 point inspection and they marked "Motor Oil Checked and OK". It had to still be high when they checked it. And they drove it at least 10 miles "road testing" it. Then I drove it home about 20 miles at 70 mph on the interstate. The oil level has not gotten any higher, there is no smoke and the idle is smooth. But I can't kick that nagging feeling that maybe there is a problem lurking. At first I trusted the dealership saying it was all OK but after doing a bunch of reading on diesel forums I am not sure the dealer is a reliable source of information. Hence the reason for my flury of posts here. I will be doing the oil analysis as soon as possible.

Please forgive all the questions that I am sure you have answered a hundred times but can you tell me where you send your injectors to test them?

Thanks for the quick replies and recommendations - got the test kit ordered.

I did the "paper towel test" on a drop of oil from the crankcase because the oil level was about 1 inch above normal on the dipstick. It is a crude test I know but it looks like there could be some diesel in the crankcase. So who do you like best for doing an oil analysis (the definative test)?