fluid leak + general maint. questions

[noviceowner]

First off, please forgive the length of this and the inexperience evidenced herein! I just bought an '03 2500HD CC SB D/A. Have driven for 700 miles and loved every minute. I'll be using it to haul my horses a bit and for daily driving. I've observed the break-in precauitons and also have not hauled anything yet. This morning (-15F), I plugged it in for 3 hrs., started her up, let it warm up in the driveway for a few minutes, then drove it for about 5 minutes. Coming back up the driveway, I noticed evidence of a fluid leak where I had moved it to warm up after I had started it. Pink stain in the snow. Crawled under the truck and found pink fluid behind large silver pan on the mid line right about where the back of the front seats would be. Called the dealer and they said not to drive it and they came and towed it. Checked trans. fluid before they came and it seemed fine. Is this trans. fluid? Fuel? Any ideas what might be the problem? Service dept. opens Mon am. Should I have the rear differential fluid changed while its in? (Per the 500 mi. recommendation by Eaton). What do you think is a reasonable charge for this? Would you in general have the truck done at a big rig garage or at the dealer's for general maintenance. (Less expensive, more knowledgeable techs at the diesel garage?) Does anyone have knowledge of a good shop in Maine? After I picked the truck up, I checked the fluids and the brake fluid cap was off. This was right after the dealer service dept. prepped the truck. Things happen, but a little unnerving. I called one dealer after this cold snap started and asked about changing to 5w from the 15w I assume is in it and he said no. What do you think? Sub-zero temps at night now but warming into the teens. What would you carry for an emergency? It sounds like it would be important for me to learn how to change the fuel filter. What tools and are there easier filters to put on in an emergency than the others? Do you believe every owner should buy the Service Manual? (Having never even changed oil on a car, this could get pretty dangerous in the wrong hands--like mine for instance...)Sorry for such a long post and thanks for your help! Wendy

[Corndog]

Hi Wendy
Welcome to the forum :D You are in the right place to get good info on your truck. It sounds like you have just got a loose trany line shouldn't be any problem for the stealer. As far as your rearend change, you can get Mobil synthetic gear oil at www.avlube.com if you don't have a local dealer. Its very easy to do if you want to do it yourself, takes about 4.5 quarts. Hope this helps.

Corndog

[SteveO]

noviceowner,

Welcome to the Forums... Hope we can help you...

Pink Stain>> That sounds like Transmission fluid.. The place you described sounds like the split line of the Trans Main Case and Pan.. If that's the case it could be comming from one of the Trans Cooler Lines, or PTO Cover, dipstick tube grommet, or the trans could be over filled and it's coming out of the vent tube on top of the trans.. One last place if the dealership added fluid they could have spilled it down the side of the dipstick.. It's just real hard to diagnose with out a pic or being able to se it....

Differential Fluid change>> I would have the dealer, yourself or a garage of your choice (I can not recommend a dealer or garage in your area) with the GM Goodwrench Fluid..
If you have 1 Hour and a few Hand tools WE can tell you how to replace the fluid if you wish.....

5W Engine Oil>>> Since Mobil 1 Delvac Synthetic only comes in 5W-40 weight and the temps are in the low teens and in the Owners manual it clearly states that 5w-40 is A OK to use, then I do not se how the Dealership can tell you not to use this weight, as long as it has the API symbol and meets one or both SAE ratings of CG-4 or CH-4...

Fuel Filter>> I would keep one in the truck at all times.. Not that your going to use it but it's just a good idea... When you deside to change it let use know.. We (or I) will help talk you through it.. It's not hard, but you can make life hard on yourself if done incorrectly..

Service Manual>> Yes, If you know nothing about your engine/truck I HIGHLY recommend buying this to help you understand and hopefully give you enough info to replace something that you would have never thought about fixing......

I hope you have joined The Diesel Page.com...

Hope this helps,

Steve Overcash

[noviceowner]

Thank you Corndog and SteveO! Nice to know at least what that stuff was leaking out and now I'll just keep my fingers crossed that it's not something life threatening. I would definitely like to try to change the differential fluid when the truck comes back. I live on a farm and as long as they're not too specialized, I'll bet I could dig up the necessary tools. It would really add to the experience of owning this great truck to be able to do some of the basic maintenance on it. Thanks for the offer to walk me through it. Is there anywhere that I could get the Service Manual for less than $125? I became a member of Thedieselpage a few days ago little knowing how soon I would be prevailing upon your expertise! Thanks for the input-you guys are great!