fuel leak

[dripley]

got a pretty good leak going on, apperantly at the return tee at the back of the block. i have gone under the truck while the engine is idling but cannot see it leaking. it is however soaking wet. the fuel is coming down and hitting the front drive shaft and is being slung all over the place. when i park i leave a small puddle of diesel and can smell it pretty good. since i cannot see it leaking i am assuming the engine needs to be under load for it to leak.anyway its going to be a pita to work on. so anything yall know to make it easier would be appreciated. i am going to buy a new tee and replace it while i am back there. is there anything else that ususally fails in that area? iam pretty much going to be committed once i take it a part. no spare vehicle and no gopher.

[Mopar1973Man]

Hopefully someone chimes in but I think its just o-rings on the tee that you got to replace...

[dripley]

there is a diesel supply and garage here in columbi tn. got my connector tubes here. they had what they called grommets. they are round but square shouldered and look like they would fit over the fuel lines and inside the nut on the tee. they did not have the tee so i am going to hope they do. any way going tojump in there tomorrow and see what happens.

--- Update to the previous post...

i got them in today and so far the leak has stopped. 5 and 6 injectors were a little loose so i snugged them up. drove around a little and no drip from the truck. hopefullly that got it. idont relly want to do that again for a while. my right hand looks like a herd of chickens have been pecking on it. but if it stopped the leaks it was worth the pecking.

[RJC2]

It appears the old girl has been a little testy lately Dave. Maybe you need to take her out and buy her some shoes or something.

[dually]

When you had the leak did it start hard after sitting over nite parked level ?

[dripley]

Pirelli 265/75r/16's about a year ago. believe she wanted the michelins.:cry:I gues I am paying the price of 8 years with no issues.Nothing but regular service work.but 8 years and 200k miles i cant complain. The only thing i have had to do twice was the ecm. tranny went due to owner ignorance. I have got better service than some people on other items. Spent alot of time learning this truck.the more i work on it the more i love its simplicity(excluding the elctronics, iam still trying tograsp all of that).the rv275's gave me an extra 1mpg, maybe ill get another with this fix:hyper:. It was leaking pretty good the last several days.

[RJC2]

The RV275's amaze me. How can more power = better fuel mileage? Believe me I am not questioning your math as I know you are the kind to say straight up if it did better OR worse. It is one of those things that one has to ask, why didn't Dodge put these in from the factory?If I ever need injectors I know which ones to use.Regarding simplicity, these trucks are like the AK47, simple, and reliable. Buy her the Michelins and put them in the garage. She'll never wear them.

[dripley]

i drove the truck 4 years stock and got around 18mpg highway about 15 ot 16 around town and right at 10 towing my 5th wheel. i put a banks stinger plus on it back in 05. their stated gain in rwhp was 75hp and a possible increase in mpg. i did not see an increase in mpg but a very good increase in power and torque. i could not tell you how much because i never had it dyno'd. when it was stock and i pulled out into traffic i had to floor it to keep from getting run over. after the install half throttle was all i needed to do the same. i had no change in fuel milage, but hotrodding around it did not suprise me. the tuner helps the engine use the fuel more efficiently than the stock program. i did have more power and the quick turbo that came with it allowed me to spool the turbo quicker, build more boost pressure and add more fuel. i dont think i got that in the right order though. most of my extra power came on in the upper rp, 18000 or 1900 and it kicked in real good. When i adde the rv's i pickup power in the lower rpm in addition to more in the upper range also. the rv's i believe have one more hole in the nozzle(smaller diameter also) and produce a differant spray pattern for an even a more efficient burn of the fuel.before the install i was getting 17.8 or .9 driving for hickory nc to columbia tn. got that on the last 2 trips home. thats pretty normal for the way i drive. the last trip i made with the rv's and my banks connected properly i got 18.9 for a 1mpg gain. this was with the fuel system leaking. i knew i had a problem just did not know how bad till i got here. so we will see what happens on the next trip. driving habbits play a big part in fuel milage. both of us know that very well. when i drive home i run 65 and 75 mph depending on the speed limit, a litttle slower going over the mountain though. some of the other guys here do better on milage, but their foot is no quite as heavy as mine.i guess it all boils down to burning less fuel more efficiently with greater power from less fuel. i think some of the other folks here could explain it better than me. i just know it works. i am ready for the dyno now.i also know i am not leaving puddles of flammable liquid laying around any more.:hyper:the rv's were agreat mod. especially for the low cost. $270 if you return the cores, $370 if you keep them.

[RJC2]

The cost isn't bad, and I hear guys say that they have changed them themselves. The thought of it is a bit intimidating for me as I imagine those back two injectors would be hard to reach. I have limited mobility so that would be out of the question for me.

[02cummins25mpg]

5 & 6 aren't bad. It's the fuel lines to the pump that made me throw things....LOL

[dripley]

brake line wrenches will solve that problem.

[RJC2]

How hard is it to do, and how long (realistically) does it take.

Well Dave, if the leak is fixed you can just say she is over her leaky "time of the month". Don't feel bad, mine is hormonal right now too! I mean the truck. Wheeeww, I can get myself in some trouble here, I had better quit.

[dripley]

it isnt really hard to do. the back 2 injectors are a little tough to reach. i could reach them ok by kneeling on the bumber and i had a couple of buckets to stand on. i believe i spent about 4 hours or a little more from start to truck running again. i cleaned up the injector lines while i had them off. the mating surfaces anyway. i believe i could do it almost half the time next time. its like aything else you have to do for the first time. fearof the unknown and what will i screw up. this is not difficult mechanically just a little uncomfortable here and there. mike has a good write up on how to do it. i read it a few times. i did #1 first and saw how easy it was then went to #6 and worked my way back.knowing what i know now i would recomend to replace the oring/grommets in the return tee whil it is apart. be sure you have a socket to remove the IAT sensor, i did not have min with me. it would give better access to it. a stubby 3/4" wrench helps to. on sale at Lowe's now, 6pc 7/16 to 3/4 for $10 lifetime warranty. available in metric also.a good valve adjustment would be in order too. you are right there already. i better quit now you be in there forever at this rate.as far as hormonal, i would agree with both of your statements.

[RJC2]

Thanks for the info. Dave. It really doesn't sound too bad. I am fortunate in that I can take my time and quit if I need to and pick back up later. However, I probably would still have to pay someone to do that job due to my spinal injury. Next question; Would the RV275 injectors have the same effect on a stock engine like mine as they would on yours? [+1 mpg]I have also thought about finding a used Smarty or Edge (Comp or EZ) as I have heard a lot of good about them. I am more concerned with the increase MPG than horsepower as I am okay with the power it has in the stock form. I say "used" because they are very pricey new and once in a while a guy will trade in a truck and take the box out and sell it.I have heard a couple of horror stories about buying used boxes, so I don't know if that is really the wisest way to go.

[dripley]

shoot if i could get close enough i'd come over and do it for you for beer and burgers. i dont know that thats going to happen any time soon. as far as the mpg gain, it is advertised that way and i dont see why it would not work out on your truck. the advertised hp gain is 40 over stock, mpg's at 1 to 2. i dont know that i got 40hp, but i did pick up some low end power that i really like. some high end also + 1 mpg extra. the only differance between your truck and mine is the rear end. you have 4.10's and i have 3.55's. that might make a differance. you should have pretty good low end power already with the 4.10's . we need smarter people to answer that one. or just put them in there and see what happens.i did some research, we better call it shopping, on power upgrades 6 years ago when i wanted more power. it was a little overwhelming at the time. too many choices and claims to sort thru. i also did not know about all the forums out there at the time. that would have helped me make up my mind. the biggest reason i opted for the banks system is because it was a complete system, exhaust, tuner, gauges,and on and on. six years ago that was $2500 as i remember. but times were better then. another reason i chose banks was the tuner is not adjustable. you adjust with your right foot. simpicityat its best. the one thing i did not think of, take an edge comp, set it on high them adjust with your right foot and you have almost the same thing. nothing like 20/20 hind sight. the comp and others also give the option for economy settings for mpg gains. Mike has one maybe he will chime in on that.i like you am a little leary about used. you just never know how used, especially when buying form someone you dont know, sight unseen. but i see alot of guys have good luck. sounds like a personal decision.anyway i dont think you can go wrong with the rv 275's, nice power and hopefully an mpg gain. all for $270 if you return your cores.

[RJC2]

I think a box and the 275's would be a nice addition. Maybe sometime after Christmas.

[dripley]

when i installed the banks it was a good power add, but the rv's really helped the low end better that the banks did. the banks gave me more on the upper end than the lower.

[RJC2]

Maybe it is the 4.10 gears, but my truck seems to have nice low end power, or maybe it's that my last 2 trucks were a gassers and I have forgotten what real torque feels like. I am currently getting about 17.5 mpg in the country and 20 on the highway. I don't think that is too bad considering the low gears. I really wanted 3.55s and an 8 foot bed and a 6 speed and High Output would have been nice,,,come to think of it that's exactly what you have. Where you parking that thing tonight?

[dripley]

i know the 4.10's make a differance. my last truck was a gasser too. 96 dodge 2500 with a v10. hard to beat that truck for accelaration. it would fly. the only thing it would not fly by was a gas station. 12 mpg on the highway down hill with a tail wind, empty. 4.25mpg towing.thank god gas was .99 cents agallon then. even with the rv's the wife's dakota will takeme off the line. but after an 1/8mile i believe i cam take her.and by the way,its at camper's rv park columbia tennesse lot 91. biring it on.

[RJC2]

I have only known one other guy with a V10 Dodge, it was a 96 also. He used it hard and it took a real pounding and asked for more a very good truck, however, it was a major PIG on gas. He bought a diesel after that one and never looked back.