Dang, the last 500 miles I need out of this truck is going to cost me more than the 200k miles I already put on it. Recall I was having starting issues recently. I pulled the starter, and it would pop and spin, but I replaced it anyway with a used 6.4 starter. I think the problem was actually my battery terminal clamps, the bolts were stripped and wouldn't tighten. Not sure, but It's been starting fine since I swapped it in and I've only started it 5-10x since then.. Until today. Does nothing with the key or engine compartment wire. So I yank it, and as I'm pulling it out, a little oil drains out, maybe a tablespoon. Not sure from where.

So yeah, I do have a rear main seal leak. It was messy under there, but I sprayed it off at the car wash back when I got the truck running again, and again, I've only started it a few times since then and only driven about 20 miles. The pan is still pretty clean, not like the rear main is gushing oil, just one little drop on the bottom of the bell housing.

Do y'all think oil burned the starter out, or did I just get a bad junkyard starter? I don't want to keep buying starters if I'm only going to get 20 miles out of them, and of course, I hate to replace the rear main when I only need another 500m max (probably more like 200m) out of this truck. That's why I just bought a used starter.

 

I'd think it's a just bad starter, not related to the oil leak. I've seen some god awful nasty units that still pop and turn, like 50+ years old starters on tractors caked with diesel oil grease dust and everything else in the world. If a couple ounces of motor oil ruined these things I think most of the ones I own would be dead and buried by now, road spray with salt has to be 10x worse on them.