I know it's a stupid question for most of you but... I have a 2003 5.4 and it is leaking oil on to my starter and exhaust pipe. I have researched this and it seems to be a common problem for this year truck and this size motor. However not being all that knowledgeable with motors my question is can you be leaking oil from the valve cover gaskets and the head gaskets or is it usually oil from valve covers and coolant from head gaskets. Also what is the problem with the oil leaking on to the starter and exhaust more likely to be valve cover gaskets or head gaskets? Thank you in advance and try not to beat me up to bad.

 

The oil leak could be from the cover or the head gasket. Either way it'll run down around the starter. Most often though that leak is from the head gasket. Repairs can get pricey, not quite so bad if you do the tear down and reassembly. No warranty though if you go that way.

Just changing gaskets might fix the leak. Have the head(s) checked for warp before reassembly. Improved gasket designs help with the problem also.

Check the coolant for oil residue. If you can, clean that rear corner of the engine, and run it for a while. If it's a head gasket leak, it won't take long to see some oil running out. That oil has some pressure behind it.

Dave

 

Oil goes through the block into the rear of the passenger side head to get to the camshaft hardware on that side.
Same thing on the driver side but in the front.
You would need to clean the area off then observe where the oil is seeping out to know which it is , a head gasket or valve cover.
Good luck.

 

Not a stupid question at all! The previous two posters have given great answers, so I haven't anything to add there, but I wanted to write for a moment about troubleshooting skills.

It always starts off with The Big Problem. In your case, The Big Problem is oil leaking onto your starter and exhaust. Usually, the first step you need to take is to start answering "Why?". You've done this well: you've figured out that you probably have an oil leak in either the valve cover gasket or the head gasket. This is good progress! But now you're mentioning coolant leaks (which you don't actually have) and wondering which gasket is leaking.

Respectfully, you need to re-focus. This is a common error. Start troubleshooting again from the point you left off, which is: "I don't know which gasket is leaking oil." Try to form a one-sentence question in your head, such as: "How do I find which of the two gaskets is leaking?" Well shoot, you'd just look, right? But the motor's not super clean, and you can't really tell where the leak is coming from, so to answer your question and move down the Troubleshooting Highway you need to:
1. clean off the block around where the leak might be and then
2. see where oil starts drooling out (over time).

Most problems can't be fixed in one jump, unless you've seen a very similar problem before. Good troubleshooting usually requires breaking The Big Problem into smaller steps, or at least figuring out what the first smaller step should be, and then deciding what needs to be done to accomplish that first step.

Always try to form that one-sentence question which, if answered by your diagnostic work, will let you move forward. Forming the question will not only help you focus, but will help you decide what to do next.

I had an idiot boss once that declared that troubleshooting skills could not be taught. Baloney. I hope this helps you out, and maybe makes the next problem easier.

Good luck,
Dave

 

Thank you all for your opinions and instructions. I will definitely clean it first and take it from there. So it's my assumption after reading your posts that oil could be leaking from both the valve cover gaskets and the head gasket. I thought the head gasket would be leaking coolant that is why I brought up the coolant. But now I guess it could be leaking oil from either so I will clean it and then try and watch carefully. Thank you all. Are there any definite "don't do's" as far as spraying water back in that area?

Jim

 

Remember that the main wire to the starter is hot all the time. It should have a red cap over it, but to be safe when working down there pull off the battery negative cable. Water won't clean much oil off....just smear it around. Use a good terry clothe rag and wipe as much off as you can. They sell all kinds of degreasers in spray form, or just spray a rag real good with something like WD40 and that will cut the oil off. Simple Green or things like that are "green alternatives" and easy on your hands and everything else. I have the same small leak on my 5.4 and I'm hoping it stays "small". It's a real common headgasket leak on these motors.