My van is leaking oil from where the oil filter extension bolts to the block. Is it an o-ring or a gasket that needs to be replaced? Any unexpexted upsets that I should expect when fixing this?

 

any dents in your oil filter?
the extension is easily damaged/cracked by debris hits to the filter hanging down. check closely when you remove it. clean with brake or carb cleaner then examine under bright light. the aluminum cracks easily

takes an O ring. take the old one to your auto parts store
FEL-PRO Part # 72884

use a torque wrench on adapter bolt. tighten to 25 lb/ft and run/check for leaks....30 lb/ft max

 

There are two O-rings; a large one that seals between the plate and the block, and a smaller one inside that separates the incoming and outgong oil passages. If one is leaking, chances are the other is as well.

 

I have a 96, 4.0. Had the same problem when I first got it at about 33,000. Dealership fixed the problem by changing an oring where the extension attaches. Haven't had any issues since and I'm on 131,000 now.

 

I seem to be getting some leaking from that area as well, though it is hard to tell because I think the valve cover is also leaking.

 

For the 4.0l OHV in the '97, this is the line drawing that the Ford manual shows.

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Notice that it shows only two o-rings: the big one that seals the adapter to the block, and the small one that is an intermediate on the adapter bolt.


The following pic is from an eBay seller, purportedly for a 4.0l OHV.

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Lastly, this is for a SOHC. Notice three o-rings in this drawing?




At first, the dealer couldn't find a listing for that under-the-bolt-head o-ring, but when I showed the SOHC drawing, he used that group number to find it. This was sufficiently difficult to figure out, that I'm posting it for future Googlers.

Adapter Filter Adapter Mounting Bolt o-ring:
E9TZ-6749-A ---- 26.5mm

Internal seal o-ring:
E3TZ-6749-A ---- 17mm (or Victor Reinz 72115)

Oil filter adatper-to-block:
Fel-Pro 72884
Inside Diameter (In): 2.482 Inch
Width (In): 0.141 Inch

 

So, now that I kind of know what I'm fighting (I have the too-typical oil weep at those o-rings above), I have a question for those of you who may have already been down this road.

I am installing a dual-filter remote (one full-flow, one bypass) in the usual location of outside the right frame rail. I assume that I can remove the OEM oil filter adapter entirely and bolt my filter adapter directly to the block, but that I'll need the double-ended threaded insert that screws in the block, and to which an oil filter would normally thread. Something similar to this:



Does anybody know either the 4.0l OHV's thread size/pitch, or a part number for that adapter?

 

Thanks for posting this. I'm getting ready to do this on my Explorer. I had noticed that Rock Auto had three o-rings with no worthwhile description about what went where. I was going to order all three because of the price. They're so cheap that if I didn't need one, it was no big deal. But, if I did need one and didn't have it when I needed it, it would have been rather inconvenient.

 

Did you already buy the kit? Are you going to keep the factory adapter?

If you are going to keep the adapter, and relocation kit is for a 5.0/5.8L, it will work sense they take the same FL1A filter.

As for the 5L2Z-6894-AA "special" bolt that goes into the block to hold the adapter to the block, I could not tell you, Ford does not list size.

 

mine too has been leaking! it's not the oil filter, the leak is coming from above, from the adapter, so it must be the o rings or the gasket. Looks like an easy job during an oil & filter change. Thanks to this information and part numbers I already found the parts;

found FelPro 72884 Gasket and E3TZ-6749-A O Ring at Advance Auto Parts for $3.00 + tax

found E9TZ-6749-A O-ring at eBay for $4.11 delivered.

 

Yes, I'm bought one of the AMSOil kits that have a spin-on bypass filter as well as a full-flow.

Right, any kit that uses the venerable 51515 filter . . .

It seems likely that it's a common size, but I thought I'd tap those of you who might have already been down this road. I may visit a JY and pull one for reference.

 

there are 3 o-rings, not two.

the large o-ring between the block & adapter, and then there are two o-rings in the adapter's Center Bolt. one medium, one medium-large.

The job is a piece of cake, you need to remove the Oil Filter and drain the old oil, then a 3/4" socket with a large ratcket to remove the adapter's Bolt in the center, and a 13mm long socket to remove the "securing bolt" on the side, which seems redundant because there is a protrusion on the block itself which meets with a "locating leg" on the adapter's housing and prevents it from going anywhere.

my 3 o-rings were "cooked", hardened by heat and age.

 

Right, the Ford OHV illustration is wrong, but the dealer was able to find the part No. when I supplied him the SOHC pic., which has the group number.

Yup, I imagine that they all are by this time.

 

The block is 3/4-16, apparently.

As I didn't have the correct block-to-filter adapter bushing today, I went ahead and just replaced the three o-rings. The orange one was the leaker -- not much, but enough that I'd have a drop after 5k miles. The green one was not hard nor leaking. The black intermediate one was friable and broke in pieces when I just looked hard at it.

So, I need a 3/4"-16 x 3/4"-16 bushing.

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These last two pics are me proving to myself that the OEM adapter bolt is the same size as the filter, which is 3/4"-16. Saved me the work of getting out my thread pitch gauge and dial calipers

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Good day sir,
Do you need to remove the exhaust manifold on the SOHC to make this happen?
Thanks,