Excessive CLEAN Oil on Air Filter and in breather tube

[JTDRam]

Background:
As I was preparing to take my truck to the dealer for LOF and tire rotation, I wanted to see the condition of my air filter so I could know ahead of time if I wanted it replaced. As I took off the air box cover, I noticed the air filter had a big wide stripe that was oil soaked. I then looked up into the permanently affixed secondary filter/noise silencer thing and noticed that was covered in oil. I then disconnected the breather tube from the air box cover and noticed that this tube had a LOT of clean oil sitting in the bottom ribs of the tube.

Concerns:
1) Why is this CLEAN oil getting into my breather tube and air box?
2) How can I stop this from happening?
3) I can replace the air filter, but now that the permanently affixed secondary/air cover is oil soaked, it is most likely impacting airflow and thus engine performance and mileage, right?

Truck Details:
2021 Ram 1500
5.7L V8 HEMI MDS VVT eTorque
Purchased new December 29, 2020
Current mileage is 43,980 miles (yes, in just 15 months!)
All 5 oil changes in the last 15 months have been performed by the same dealer where I purchased the truck.

My plan:
1) Ask the dealer why this is happening?
2) I will pay for a new air filter, even though it's perfectly clean EXCEPT for the oil soaked streak, since I've already got 43k miles on the air filter.
3) Ask the dealer if they will pay for a new air box cover to get the new secondary filter replaced since that is effectively ruined and restricting airflow.
4) If the dealer won't pay for a new airbox cover/secondary filter thingy, then I'm going to just take the secondary filter thing off as other threads in this forum have discussed.

Thoughts or suggestions on my problems and plan?

Thanks for reading and your input!

 

[HemiDude]

Wow! Seems like your PCV system isn't functioning. With those miles in only 15 months, you obviously spend a lot of time on the highway, so that should be pretty clean in there. If you remove the twist cap on the PCV box at the back of the intake, I bet that chamber will be filled

 

[djevox]

^That

 

[JTDRam]

Wow! Seems like your PCV system isn't functioning. With those miles in only 15 months, you obviously spend a lot of time on the highway, so that should be pretty clean in there. If you remove the twist cap on the PCV box at the back of the intake, I bet that chamber will be filled

Thank you very much for the quick replies HemiDude & djevox! I will try to check the PCV box and see what I can find with that.

Is it possible that this issue was a one-time occurrence due to overfilling the oil during an oil change, or filling the oil to quickly during an oil change? I seem to recall reading something like this somewhere, but can't find it back again.

 

[HemiDude]

Overfilling could be a possibility. What is the current level of oil showing on your dipstick?

It is also possible the PCV valve was not seated correctly, or is faulty.

Have you noticed any smoke from the exhaust, or do you see any leaks or seepage from any engine gaskets?

 

[JTDRam]

Overfilling could be a possibility. What is the current level of oil showing on your dipstick?

It is also possible the PCV valve was not seated correctly, or is faulty.

Have you noticed any smoke from the exhaust, or do you see any leaks or seepage from any engine gaskets?

I don't have time right now to check the PCV valve, but I did check my oil level 3 different times just now and it appears that every reading is over the "full" line if I'm reading things correctly. It sure seems like the dealer over-filled the oil at my last oil change and that is the cause of this issue, wouldn't you agree? I've got 8k miles on this oil change and it's still this high! I'm going in this morning for my LOF and plan to discuss this with them and hopefully get them to remedy the issue.

I have not noticed any smoke from exhaust and have not seepage or leaks that I am aware of. Definitely doesn't seem to be burning oil or dripping on the garage floor or anything.

Thanks again HemiDude!!

 

[JTDRam]

I don't have time right now to check the PCV valve, but I did check my oil level 3 different times just now and it appears that every reading is over the "full" line if I'm reading things correctly. It sure seems like the dealer over-filled the oil at my last oil change and that is the cause of this issue, wouldn't you agree? I've got 8k miles on this oil change and it's still this high! I'm going in this morning for my LOF and plan to discuss this with them and hopefully get them to remedy the issue.

I have not noticed any smoke from exhaust and have not seepage or leaks that I am aware of. Definitely doesn't seem to be burning oil or dripping on the garage floor or anything.

Thanks again HemiDude!!

FINAL CONCLUSION:
I took it to the dealer today. They indicated the excessive oil was caused by a faulty PCV. They said it was a "maintenance item" and therefore that was up to me to pay for that. They also said the new air filter is up to me to pay for. Same story for the secondary filter/noise suppressor thing in the air box cover. They used some solvent to try and dissolve the oil that was in that secondary filter. They said the oil level readings that I took were not "out of range" for the vehicle and that they have a machine that only puts in 7 quarts which is what every 5.7L Hemi takes. It wasn't clear to me whether I was suppose to take the oil measurement with the engine HOT or COLD. The measurements I took this morning were COLD. I took HOT measurements of my oil after the oil change and they were all above the "full line" so I'm a bit confused on this one.

Anyway, it cost $138.79 for the new air filter and PCV, parts, labor and tax.

When I got home, I popped off the plastic welded secondary filter/noise suppressor thing in the air box cover and am going to take my chances. Even though they tried to "clean it" with solvent, it looked the same to me and seems like it's restricting airflow. Hoping for no codes to show up and perhaps another MPG or two if I drive it nice.

This is my first ever RAM truck and even with this little hiccup, this is by far the most enjoyable truck I've ever owned! Almost as much fun to drive as my wife's Durango SRT.

Thanks for the community support guys!

 

[HemiDude]

Glad you got it fixed! Hopefully the truck is problem free going forward. You shouldn't experience any issues without that little filter, I know I didn't. As far as your oil being over the fill line, if its just a smidge then nothing to worry about, just check it regularly.

Not to keep the fire burning, but I pulled this from the owner's manual. Not sure what maintenance schedule your dealer is following, but Ram thinks the PCV should last a lot longer than 45k miles

 

[HemiDude]

After I sent that I looked a little deeper. The Federal Emissions Warranty only requires coverage of the PCV for 2/24. so technically I suppose your dealer is accurate in his determination

 

[HSKR R/T]

I don't have time right now to check the PCV valve, but I did check my oil level 3 different times just now and it appears that every reading is over the "full" line if I'm reading things correctly. It sure seems like the dealer over-filled the oil at my last oil change and that is the cause of this issue, wouldn't you agree? I've got 8k miles on this oil change and it's still this high! I'm going in this morning for my LOF and plan to discuss this with them and hopefully get them to remedy the issue.

I have not noticed any smoke from exhaust and have not seepage or leaks that I am aware of. Definitely doesn't seem to be burning oil or dripping on the garage floor or anything.

Thanks again HemiDude!!

Make sure you are sitting on a level surface when checking oil, and for automobiles, you should try and check it cold. Those pictures look like it is barely over the full mark, so shouldn't be an issue.

Something you can do to help your engine and PCV system is install an oil catch can. It won't prevent the oil in intake tube if PCV fails since it's installed in the PCV side of the system, but you will be surprised how much crap it keeps out of your intake manifold