cat c7 oil leak

I picked up the motorhome today from the Cat shop. The oil leak was in the gasket between the oil filter base and block. They told me that this was a common place for the cat c to leak oil. I'm glad to get this fixed. It always seem to be something.

Ken

I found my oil leak. It is just above and behind the oil filter. The local cat shop ( Thompson Machinery) told me that this was a common place for oil to leak on the cat c7. There is a gasket that is used to attach some sort of plate to the side of the engine block. I am taking it to them tomorrow to be fixed. I tried to tighten all of the bolts in this plate but it still leaked. Well it is nice to find where it was coming from. Now I just have to pay to get it fixed. Like I say. It is always something.

Thanks for all the suggestions.

Ken

Well I cleaned up the engine and took the motorhome for a trip this weekend. About 60 miles. Yep I still have the oil leak and it is definitely on the left (drivers side) of the engine. I can see some oil on the bolts on the left side that hold the oil pan on but the oil is not very high toward the front on that side of the engine. I see more oil around , above and behind the area of the oil filter but can not see where it is coming from. I probably should clean it back up and take it for a shorter trip and check it. It might not have oil everywhere like it is now and maybe i could find it. Even if I fine the leak I will not be able to fix it unless it is very simple.

That brings me to the question. Where should I got to get this thing fixed. I don't mind taking it to Gaffney, SC. I will just watch the oil level. I live in Murfreesboro TN. I have some experience with a shop in Nashville , Neeley Coble, that I want to stay away from this time. They worked on this engine in the past. This is a cat C7 2004 in a Freightliner chassis. It is more important to find some honest people that know what they are doing that to find something close. I would like to find a good shop within a days drive/



Any suggestions


Thanks

Ken

If changing the oil, I would also re-calibrate the dip stick. First determine small or large sump pan.
If like m7 CAT, then 19 Qts. Drain oil, replace filter with a dry one.
Pour in 17 Qts into pan. Remove stick. Make a mark.
Start engine, run for a few minutes. Stop, let oil settle.
Remove dip stick, now mark again. You have now complete the Add oil to full mark calibration. Add the remaining 2 qts.

And by the way, CAT now has added a fuel burn rate of 1000 gal of fuel = replace oil.
Since oil is a critical component to the fuel system, I change my every 5K miles

Well, I cleaned up the oil and ran the engine for a while. It was just a fast idle. It did run long enough to warm up. I was not able to see where the oil was coming from. I will be driving about 60 miles this next weekend and will check it again. It looks like I lost about 1-2 quarts in the last 2500 miles. It is always something with a motorhome.

Ken

Yup, I would clean and verify the source of the leak before replacing anything-- even an oil filter.

And, yes, you can change an oil filter without doing a complete oil change.

I had a leak in the same area it turned out to be a gasket in the piping above the oil filter. Was told that the original gasket in the C-7 has a history of failure. Had a Caterpillar shop do the repair.

I would clean up the area good so you could see where the leak is coming from before anything else.

Ken,
Well Sir, we too have the C-7 330 HP CAT. At present, we have no leaks (knocking on my head). But, your plan would be just like I'd do. And that is, if you have to, change oil and remove the filter and see/investigate with a good flash light and whatever else is needed to really get up and close to the are you think the leak is emminating from. If nothing else, I'd maybe get a can or two of spray carb cleaner and douse the area real good and then, do what you can to keep an eye on that particular area. See if it starts up again. Let us know what you find out so that we "brother" C-7 pilots can keep an eye out too.
Scott