2005 ISX cummins leaking oil at front , not sure from where

Front structure leaks are common for that year, as well as head gasket leaks on the drivers side rear of the head. You could have front cover / cam cover leaking. A shop can do a diagnostic for you where they will steam clean the engine, inject dye and then black-light it to determine the origin of the leak(s). Usually about an hour for the diagnostic.

A complete engine gasket overhaul will run you about $6500-$7500 depending on who does it. You may or may not need to go to that extent. If it's high mileage and is leaking at the head gasket, too, you may want to consider having a dyno run on it and using that information to decide on what next steps to take. For instance, if the dyno (and blowby) are good, you could probably just do the gaskets and save money, but if the dyno is poor, you might as well get the engine rebuilt.

One problem with the ISX is that the cams must come out for the head to come off. This almost always means radiator removal and sometimes hood removal. Book time for a full gasket overhaul like that is about 40 hours in labor.

If it's not leaking very much, just keep it clean and add oil as needed until you rebuild it.

 

possibly the rope gasket around the front cam cover, or o-ring on oil fill tube leaking. either 1 is very possible, those are the easiest I can think of, unless it is the front crank seal or structure cover.

 

I know the red devils well you name it they can leak from about anywhere
in front of the engine you just have wash it off and spend some looking

 

I would clean your front cover off with some degreaser then some brake clean to dry the area. Your front cover does hold oil in the bottom of it but when the engine is running it is being circulated through the area.these leaks can make things a lot worse than they are because like you said the fan is blowing the oil all over the place. run the engine and try to catch the leak before it starts getting blown all over the place or disengage the fan. If that is the problem hopefully you don't have to remove your radiator /intercooler.lso more than likely theleak will be between hallway down to the bottom.good luck!!!!

 

another approach if you dont have the dye available. After you clean it thoroughly, use some arid extra dry antiperspirant on the engine. Spray it any place there is a joint. You want a white film on everything after spraying it.

Drive it, pull over after 10 miles. The arid extra dry will stain where the oil is trying to seep out.

 

We have a unit with similar problems, but it still has 95% of rated power with hardly any blowby, so we add oil as needed, and keep it clean. No one wants to blow $7k on gaskets, so I understand and sympathize with your position.

Many variables contribute to the longevity of a motor. Depending on how well it was maintained will be the biggest factor. Cummins has a facility in Jamaica. If you don't have any luck with the other suggestions, or if the leak becomes acute, try calling these folks. If they don't have a dyno, they will be able to tell you who does. Good luck mate.

Jamaica- Cummins:

Appliance Traders Ltd
35 Half Way Tree Road
PO Box 308
Kingston 5
Tel: (876) 926-3370
(876) 960-8439
Fax: (876) 926-2090
ekhoury.atl@cwjamaica.com

 

How bad is this leak? If you washed the engine, how long does it take to make a mess?