fly, the orifice in question was plugged w/silicone from recent venture into clutch housing to renew driven disc facing. i have no history with this truck other than the fact that it sat un-used for 2 yrs before getting this unkemped eyesore left at my doorstep. i have not seen blue silicone for at least that many years. thanks aloris

I am not sure of your model, but could it be a velocity styled orifice with venturi effect (creates suction) inside of a boxed unit? Disassembly and a thorough cleaning and proper reassembly may solve the problem.

thanks mike n, we took the starter off and the level was up and over the starter. the valve on the bottom of the housing has a multitude of hoses,but no scavenge pump. what the story??? mike a

I believe that the oil goes back to tank whn it reaches a certain level. Just a simple pipe that leads back to the resevoir...

Sounds like you actually have a starter problem.
The starter needs to be a sealed unit. I even open up the rebuilt units, and add silicone around the solenoid locating tab to prevent leaks.
You'll also run into problems with missing/damaged seal washers on the bolt for the bendix-lever.