Hi everyone I am new to the Forum and hoping someone here will take the time to read this and have a real suggestion because I am going out of my mind.

VEHICLE: 2001 Escape 3.0L V6

Before anyone answers I'm listing here the obvious that has been changed already:

1) Valve cover gaskets
2) Oil pan gasket
3) Timing chain cover gasket
4) Upper and lower manifold gaskets (not oil related but changed)
5) PCV valve
6) Washed engine twice to remove everything and make sure nothing else burning


PROBLEM: I still have a small leak from the top that causes smoke near or around the #4 COP on passenger (left side of the motor). But we do see some oil coming from near the PCV valve. It makes no sense and after reading what caused smoke on that side of the vehicle I changed the Timing chain cover gasket (which were finished anyway) and while was at it the oil pan but to no avail. Smoke and leak still there.

PROBABLY NOT: I know that it is not the head gasket because there is no sign at all; I've never lost a drop of coolant and there is no smoke from the exhaust in back.

SUSPICION: Could it be the oil separator where the PCV valve connects and makes it's way around to the other side? Is there something I am overlooking? There can't be many other places for an oil leak like that.

COINCIDENCE ? : Even after changing all the COPS and spark plugs I found oil in the #4. However smoke was there before. I thought maybe a cylinder gasket I got second opinion from my mechanic says no not cylinder...

Engine runs well except for misfire in #4 but comes and goes. I think when oil builds up.

ANY help or advice (besides telling me to get a new one) would be greatly appreciated!

 

If you get oil in the 'well' that the spark plug goes into, it will make the plug misfire. Oil can come in from the camshaft area if the seals are bad. The cam cover has a seal, and there may be another at the base of the well. I have not looked at the blow up diagram, and have not taken my engine apart that far. Yet. Only upper intakes so far, but lower likely in the near future.
tom

 

Hi tomw,

Yes there was oil in the well of the #4. Are you talking about the cylinder itself? It could have a bad seal? But wouldn't that make smoke in the exhaust? Wondering was is causing the smoke to begin with.

 

Not the cylinder itself unless the head is cracked. There is an O-ring type seal at the bottom of the well, where it pushes against the cylinder head machined flat. The O-rings get hardened with heat cycles, and loose their 'push' to regain their O shape, and droop in defeat, realizing they will just end up D's instead ... either side flat, or both, with no pressure against the metal. Then they let oil into the well. The oil is a dielectric if clean, but it is not clean any more, so becomes a semi-conductor that will allow sparkage between the plug and the well wall. The boot gets oiled, and absorbs enough that it needs to be replaced once contaminated... after the seal is replaced.
I think the cam cover gasketry should have the well seal, but don't want to fire up another computer to look at the shop manual DVD and verify. I'm lazy today.
tom

 

Are we talking about the o-ring that is part of the kit when changing the valve cover gaskets? If so, I changed those two months ago as well when doing the covers. Or are we talking about another o-ring that I missed?

Thanks for taking the time and answer me, I appreciate it.

What do you think about the oil separator? I did find some oil near the air filter.

And I still wonder why I'm getting all that smoke!

 

If you are continuing to get oil in the plug well, you have not sealed it successfully with the new parts. Either the cam cover is warped, chipped, scarred, marred or grooved, or the cylinder head in that area has that sort of damage. The well could be cracked, or the milled portion of the cylinder head. IOW, there's something wrong with the well or the cylinder head, or gasket/O-ring installation that causes leakage.
As far as the smoke, two thoughts come to mind: 1)PCV plumbing from the separator to the intake, or 2)the surface of the timing chain cover or bottom of the cam cover where the two meet. The shape of the covers both changed during the years, but should be an obvious match if they are correct and have an obvious mis-match if someone traded covers or heads or cam covers. There's a posting here about changing the covers and sealing the 'gap' between the two. A third possibility is the elbow at the rear of the intake manifold which apparently turns into crumbly stuff with age and deterioration from the vapors in the crankcase.
Did you check the bottom surface of the cam cover for defects, and the top surface of the timing chain cover also? That's the first place I'd be looking. The separator seal could also be leaking.
To determine if this is a PCV problem, remove the tube from the air intake that feeds air to the front cam cover. Idle the engine, and place a finger over the end of the tube. A slight vacuum should develop in a short period of time if the PCV system can take care of blowby gases. If pressure builds, either the PCV system is failing or there is too much blowby and it is pushing oil out the easiest avenue itcan find,
tom