Chieflou

Mark, That sounds like an awesome plan. You won't really be paying for "diagnostic manhours" which can quickly get out of hand, but merely for scheduled service which will accomplish two goals: fresh lube/filter and confirmation of dipstick tube accuracy. Well, confirmation with the caveat of the dilemma regarding manf fill specs being for dry or pre-lubed engine. I think that concern is pretty well resolved by numerous comments we've seen here about folks routinely running their levels a bit on the low side. Your engine won't know if level is a bit low ... it definitely will know if it's overfilled. And if overfull, it will take matters into its own hands, so to speak, to resolve the problem. The good news I think and hope for you is that you have a common, easily resolved issue. That you can eliminate that dreadful "major engine repair needed" diagnosis premonition lurking in the back of your mind. Please keep us all informed with how things go. Best regards, Lou S.

Ray, Thanks much for your thanks. I feel thanks are needed much more for those currently serving (my son included). Very tough time to be in the military right now ... as active duty suicide rates demonstrate. Prayers please for all those in uniform now. That includes members of our police forces who are these days serving in a capacity every bit as life threatening as our military combat troops. And being horribly treated by some as the serve. Sorry for the digression, back to oil. I was not at all offended by your comments, my post was meant to thank you for enlightening me to the dilemma. And it seems the dilemma is, to this day, unresolved, yes? I like the idea in one of your posted links about contacting Cummins with the oil pan P/N for a capacity readout, cause the pan is really what determines that number. Have not had any issues regarding oil with my Camelot so far, but it I ever do, the knowledge gained from this thread will help guide me to a resolution. Thanks to all for the wisdom and information. Best regards, Lou S.

So Ray, not disagreeing with you, but enlightened -- the manual accuracy question. So how do we (any of us) discern with confidence the proper oil volume? I understand the issue of Cummins not being able to speak to technical details of items/systems "hung" on Cummins engines by the coachbuilders. But the oil pan (only variable to affect oil volume spec on any given engine) was definitely a Cummins installed component. That said, can Cummins not provide definitive (read trustworthy) oil volume specs for a given engine they manufactured? Then on the drain/measure/refill advise I offered before. I neglected to state that you should replace oil filter with new as part of that process. Because there will be a significant volume of oil in the filter to throw measurement off. Finally, and again, not a disagreement (not that much expertise) but wouldn't the manf recommended oil fill specs be based on an already prelubed engine? If not, it makes no sense. That would mean every one of us should be trying to ascertain the volume of oil in our prelubed/drained engine then deduct that volume from the manf recommended fill spec. Looking for more enlightenment.

Mark, I keep going back to your initial complaint: oil coming out the dipstick tube. That specific issue has no relevance to oil pressure. Oil coming out tube will only be caused by higher than normal crankcase pressure (blow by) which goes to what others have already mentioned -- restricted crankcase breather filter or tube. Fix that and your dirty toad problem should be resolved. Then regarding oil pressure. As has been mentioned, overfilling could be a factor there. Specifically, as Ray D. posted, your dipstick markings could be inaccurate, a common issue I've noted others mentioning on the forums. Inaccurate markings could lead you to overfill which will cause numerous problems. And the engine will almost certainly "get rid" of that excess oil all on its own. Before spending money on diagnosis, you could confirm or eliminate this possibility by draining your oil then carefully measuring and refilling with the amount of oil stated in your owners manual. After filling, check your dipstick. If accurate, press on with further professional diagnosis. If stick is off, use a fine-cut file to create a new (accurate) full mark on the side of stick opposite the factory marks. Hope this helps, best regards, Lou S.