I returned home from a weekend trip today and went out a couple hours later only to see a puddle of oil on the driveway. It had dripped down from behind the oil pan and there was oil at the rear of the rear of the engine, any ideas how serious this could be.

 

Welcome to the drip of the 7.3.

First thing you need to dois look inthe valley for oil, My bet, you have it.

IF you have oil here, the fixes are easy, but findinghte leak can be the pain.

The leaks are normally the non servicable plug on you HPOP (servicable by the way thanks to Guzzle)
HP oil lines
Turbo pedestal, or even the EBPV stem. lets make sure you have oil in the valley before we go further.

 

I went through this, and the leak was a plug on the right hand side of the HPOP. It has a 3/8 drive hole in it. I had checked all of the above mentioned places, and the IPR. before I found it. Justanothertruck is right in that this is the first places to look.

 

Just like posted above, plenty of us have been in the same situation. When the engine is cold take some simple green and spray her down real good and flush it clean with a garden hose. No need for a pressure washer and cover the alternator and air filter prior to cleaning. Let it dry out and drive it around. With a couple of rags and a flashlight you'll find the source of the leak. It's pretty common and with a little time and patience you'll find it. Like posted above, Turbo Pedestal o-rings, HPOP line and possibly diesel fuel from the bowl drain valve.

 

I am not sure were the valleys are your refering to.

 

See, if I was else where, I could provide a picture, but for now you will have to deal with my lousy explanation.

The valley is area between the heads on your truck, We dont have an intake manifold, so, where the intake once was, is now a valley.

You may need to remove the 7.3 plastic cover on top of your Oil pump to get in there, but this is where I would start.

The valley has a drain hole that dumps oil right back to where you are seeing it. DONT GO TO A SHOP, you will hear instantly it is your rear main seal.. you dont want to hear that, even more so because it wont be true.

 

Here ya go," just like Just Another Truck" posted, the valley runs right down the middle of the engine, shine a flashlight behind and below the fuel filter (blue arrow in 2nd pic). There is a drain hole at the end of the valley, passenger side by the firewall before the cab. Fluid drians down the bell housing then down betweeen the engine & tranny making it look like a rear main seal.

 

I love this place! Every issue that crops up, I look here and find the fix. 100% hit rate since joining. You guys are awesome, THANKS!

I too just developed this leak - yup oil in the valley (and on the driveway) I will be heading out to the Garage in the morning to fix...

Once I find the source of the leak is it normally just a little tighten of the existing plug or sensor? Or does the suspect item require removal and replacing?

Thx!

 

Depends on the leak - May need to replace o-rings which may need removing turbo or pedastal, or HPOP - Kinda hard to say

 

Just got done replacing o-rings in the valley tonight. On the plus side the film of oil on the underside of my truck should slow the rust down a little.

 

Finally got some time, engine cleaner, a bright light and inspection mirror to look thoroughly for this leak... the oil is most definitely seeping out from around the snap ring on the back of the HPOP. I haven't got the time or confidence to tackle that fix myself. What parts, and how many hours can I expect from my local stealership?
Thx!

Oh, I picked up some oil absorbing sheets to tidy up the valley while investigating the exact source. These things look like they would make a nice diaper to set in the valley and absorb the drip as it happens until I can get into the shop... would this be a fire risk? They are 100% poly something or other...

 

Most that know will tell you that the hpop doesn't usually leak at that point. Make sure its not the fuel bowl drain or other fuel line connections or O-rings on the fuel bowl. Its true that fuel mixing in with dirt in the valley will look like oil. Just want you to be 100% sure you know where its coming from before a dealer tells you that you need a whole new pump. Look at the threads for fuel bowl and hpop reseal at the top of the site page where it says common mods or maintenance.

 

Second line down, click on that and scroll down or use the search function, you'll find it. I think its under Springer Pop's maintenance tips. I don't know how to add links to a post, sorry.

 

Most definitely is oil, not fuel. I have been enduring the stuff for a few months now...

I will look again to be sure of the exact leak point. Possible that it is the plug on the side and dripping around. May be from up top where fuel bowl sets as I did have the bowl worked on recently.

thx

 

Also look for high pressure oil coming from the hpop hose fittings. It could be leaking there. Just clean real good to be sure. You might try watching while running, but be careful you don't get a face full.