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Oil in the valley

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  #16  
Old 12-04-2014, 06:48 PM
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yes, white buffalo. this past saturday i pulled the upper part of the intake off and cleaned the valley and everything on top of the engine and replaced the valve cover gasket. my leak from underneath the truck has seemed to slow a little. i havent had a chance to check the valley since ive cleaned everything up. when i pulled the turbo inlet off of the intake there was oil sitting in the housing. the o-ring that seals the intake to the housing was bad. Is it possible that oil can leak from internally and leak out that seal. <TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=6 cellPadding=0 width="100%"><TBODY><TR><TD noWrap>white Buffalo ******** type=text/javascript> vbmenu_register("postmenu_14874983", true); *********>
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  #17  
Old 12-04-2014, 10:35 PM
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Originally Posted by jeremy chesley
....................... Is it possible that oil can leak from internally and leak out that seal.
No, any oil found in the intake (turbo Compressor housing), intercooler pipes and the intake plenum is from the CCV (crank case vent). The crank case is vented to the intake just prior to the turbo. You'll see a little dog house looking box on top of the drivers side valve cover. The hose coming out of that dog house is attached to the air intake. The oil residue builds up over time makes some of the boots look like they are leaking.

Some folks do a CCV mod to reroute the gasses and keep the engine components cleaner. Here is a link to one Jesse just did:

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...e-ccv-mod.html

for the oil leak in the valley - as Jesse posted there are only a few areas in the middle & back of the Valley.

1. Turbo pedestal O-rings (engine block to bottom of pedestal)
2. Turbo pedestal O-rings (between turbo & top of Pedestal)
3. The EBPV
4. HPOP lines
5. The oil residue from the CCV could build up enough on the orange intake plenum boots & blue Intercooler boots.


So, it probably would be best to clean out the valley one more time, take her for a drive then start stuffing paper towels in the valley and see where the oil shows up on the paper towels.
 
  #18  
Old 12-04-2014, 11:09 PM
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Thanks, white buffalo. I'm gonna check the valley out tomorrow and see if me putting a new seal between the turbo inlet and plenum and tightening the plenum boots keep the oil from misting out of these areas. Then on to the next drip. I had checked the valley after doing the seal and tightening and saw no oil in the valley but I had only driven it 6-7 miles. I have driven 25-30 miles now.
 
  #19  
Old 12-04-2014, 11:23 PM
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Post some pics up, much easier to diagnose.....at least for me it is
 
  #20  
Old 12-04-2014, 11:26 PM
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I will post some pics, hopefully it's dry
 
  #21  
Old 12-05-2014, 02:07 PM
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my truck just started dripping oil this week. pretty good pool of oil in the middle of the valley and oil dripping off the bottom of the converter inspection plate. looked up and it's coming down the passenger side of the block, somewhere around the back of the head. don't think it's the head, but maybe the drain hole mentioned a few posts back? I'm glad jesser had such a detailed write up for cleaning and troubleshooting (reps sent!). looks like I know what I'm doing this weekend besides duck hunting!! any areas we should not hit with the pressure washer?
 
  #22  
Old 12-05-2014, 02:29 PM
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I don't use a pressure washer, just the garden hose after spraying with some simple green. I would cover the alternator & air filter, try not to directly spray any electronics to0 hard.

Here is a pic (borrowed from 1fixitman) of the location of the drain hole in the valley, you can see the yellow turbo pedestal O-ring holes. This is where the oil goes down the rear passenger side of the engine.


 
  #23  
Old 12-05-2014, 02:32 PM
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Be careful with a pressure washer. My suggestion is lots of simple green and regular pressure water hose when in the valley.

You have a lot of electrical connections in the valley, high pressure can damage the wires or connectors.

Park your truck on a good incline and lots will run out the back of the valley. Inside of the valley are three recessions (front, middle & back) using some blue shop paper towels, you can soak up the pooled water. This will help in finding what's new.

TIP: for the back of the valley, I use two unconventional items. To push the paper towels back, I use an 18" 1/4 ratchet extension. It's small enough to not block my limited view and rigid to push!

To get the wet paper town out, I use something like Harborfreight #94162 (pick up extension).

Cleaning and drying will help to see what direction the oil is coming from and you can pinpoint with one cleaning and a simple 20-40 mile drive.

TIP 2: have a very bright flashlight! It's dark in there and that light will be very handy when searching the valley!

Good luck!

Originally Posted by varminthunter243
my truck just started dripping oil this week. pretty good pool of oil in the middle of the valley and oil dripping off the bottom of the converter inspection plate. looked up and it's coming down the passenger side of the block, somewhere around the back of the head. don't think it's the head, but maybe the drain hole mentioned a few posts back? I'm glad jesser had such a detailed write up for cleaning and troubleshooting (reps sent!). looks like I know what I'm doing this weekend besides duck hunting!! any areas we should not hit with the pressure washer?
 
  #24  
Old 12-05-2014, 04:14 PM
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Originally Posted by varminthunter243
........................ looks like I know what I'm doing this weekend besides duck hunting!! ................
same here - my Excursion is testing me and my patience......

cracked radiator discovered last night

oil leak in the valley from the turbo

starting to dig into her..........


 
  #25  
Old 12-05-2014, 05:31 PM
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I didn't notice any oil in the valley this morning but this is the pool of oil under my truck after driving for 15 miles and the valley



 
  #26  
Old 12-05-2014, 06:48 PM
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The first image, is that on the drivers side or passenger side?

It looks like the drivers side, taking a stab in the dark... Check the oil pan bolts, the oil filter housing (back of the oil cooler), and the back bolt on the valve cover. I'll break these down staring with the last one.

Valve cover bolts: if you've been under your valve covers, changes are you didn't get that back bolt, the knuckle buster, tight enough. After heat cycles of the motor and the vibration, it can loosen to the point oil will escape. (I've had this issue)

Filter housing: this part also serves as the back of the oil cooler. There is a thin metal gasket between the block and the cooler. If the two 10mm bolts loosen you'll see oil there, but also coolent will have mixed with your oil so a loss of coolent is a tell-tell sign.

Oil pan bolts: there aren't bolts in the corner of the oil pan. With the liquid gasket and loose bolts, oil could work it's way through in the corners.

All three of these can be check with a bright led flashlight and 5 minutes if your time.

Let us know what you find. The good part about an oil leak is it leaves a trail, we just gotta find the trail.

Originally Posted by jeremy chesley
I didn't notice any oil in the valley this morning but this is the pool of oil under my truck after driving for 15 miles and the valley



 
  #27  
Old 12-05-2014, 07:06 PM
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Jesse, it's the passenger side, everything on the drivers side is dry as a bone. I've checked oil pan bolts, I've had the tranny rebuilt last year and they checked everything behind the bell housing. When laying under the truck while running it seems the oil is coming from between the starter, block and bell housing while also running down the inspection plate. I've heard there are plugs on the back side of the passenger head that can leak but I can't get a mirror back there to look and see. It's driving me crazy. Looks as if the valley is dry, nothing in the mid to back dips.
 
  #28  
Old 12-05-2014, 07:16 PM
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Alright now we are getting somewhere!

Behind the starter is the dipstick port. It can leak.

To look at those plugs on the back side of the passenger head, you'll need a mechanics mirror. I posted a link to one earlier in this post.

There is a big plug on the front and back of the head, it can leak, but I don't know how common that is.

The starter and down pipe cloud your view. Do you have a stock exhaust?

If you don't have a stock exhaust, you can pull the starter and the down tube and see the area without the need of a mirror.

If oil is running down the motor from above, you should see the trail. In that area it is very likely that oil would drop on the exhaust manifold and up pipe. At 400-800*, you would see and smell the oil burning off the hot pipes.

The only bad part about pulling the starter is not over tightening the bolt holding the main power lead. It's only 4in-lb.

You can snap it off real easy. (Ask me how I know)

Originally Posted by jeremy chesley
Jesse, it's the passenger side, everything on the drivers side is dry as a bone. I've checked oil pan bolts, I've had the tranny rebuilt last year and they checked everything behind the bell housing. When laying under the truck while running it seems the oil is coming from between the starter, block and bell housing while also running down the inspection plate. I've heard there are plugs on the back side of the passenger head that can leak but I can't get a mirror back there to look and see. It's driving me crazy. Looks as if the valley is dry, nothing in the mid to back dips.
 
  #29  
Old 12-05-2014, 07:28 PM
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I have aftermarket 4" exhaust, I haven't ever smelled oil burning. The leak has been going on for two years. It just seems to be getting a little worse. The dipstick tube seals are pretty good.
 
  #30  
Old 12-05-2014, 08:01 PM
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is it only oil or is it diesel fuel as well?
 


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