We have a 1996 F250 that just turned 100,000. Since I retired in 2007 it is used by my wife to haul two horses. She only puts about 2000 miles per year on it. Had a small oil leak back at 88,000. Paid the Ford dealer for oil dye and when they inspected it later, they could not confirm where the leak was coming from. They said maybe the rear main, but couldn't say for sure until the tranny was dropped. I have a drip pan under the truck to monitor the leak.

The truck is parked on a slight incline of about 2 degrees with the front higher than the back. When my wife returns from a trip the leak starts an hour or so later then stops within 24 hours. The leak has been about the size of silver dollar. Occasionally it does not leak at all. Then she'll return again from a trip and it will leak. I don't know if it's important, but the oil that leaks is very clean, golden color.

The leak has gotten slightly worse, now leaking about a tablespoon over 4-5 days of sitting. I monitor it closely using the drip pan and check the oil level before she heads out on a trip.

I guess I'm just hesitant to spend $1000+ for a rear seal (worse case?) if I can just monitor this leak. However I do want my wife safe while she's out on the road. Any advice would be appreciated. John

 

Unless you change the oil very frequently, motor oil will usually be a dark or even black color. Pull the engine oil dipstick to check what color the oil is.
No matter if the trans is auto or manual, any fluid leak would be a red color so can rule that out.
The power steering fluid could be either a gold color or red, pull the dipstick/cap on the resevoir and have a look.
A brake fluid would likely be a golden color but with a distinctive smell and if it is that, would need to be fixed at once.
The location of the drip may give a clue.

 

That is a very small leak, you can have it either way and it won't be an issue, if you decide against fixing it (i personally wouldn't spend that much for that fix) just keep the oil topped.

 

Agree...not worth the $$ to fix that minor leak. You can buy a lot of oil for that kind of money. I have the same situation in my 94 and I decided the cost didn't justify the benefit long term.

 

I have a similar leak on my 1994 F-150. It's coming from the rear of the pan. I only put about 1,000 or so on it per year. I attribute it to sitting for long stretches and the gaskets drying. I've tried some of the "gasket stop leak" additives with mixed results. I just monitor the oil level. If you drive it on a long trip, make sure you check the oil every few hours, as it may leak significantly until the oil gets real hot and saturates/swells the gaskets to stem the leak (I always keep a few quarts of oil in the tool box if I need to top it off)

 

The golden color tells me that it could be a leak from the power steering system. It could be running down the frame then dropping onto the ground.

 

Thanks to all who took the time to respond. I will check the power steering area, however, I did recently change the oil and when I checked the level last night before my wife's trip today, the dip stick showed clean oil. I will continue to monitor it closely. We're the original purchasers and sure like it. Again, thanks. John

 

To add to this, if it is a manual, the clutch system would use a gold liquid (brake fluid).