hello out there, i am the proud new owner of a 1995 f150 xlt 5.0 V8 2wd. i picked it up for real cheap (1500 bucks), it runs strong but has a few things i need a little help with. ill try and post pictures but i have had problems with it in the past. first, the underbody (which is relatively rust free! as well as NO rust in the bed), is leaking oil. there are multiple bolts on where i believe the oil pan is (a little back of the oil drain plug, its that the "bell housing"?) my initial test is to spray the $%$& out of it with degreaser (or brake cleaner, is one better than the other? i use brake cleaner or carb cleaner to get rid of soot and dust everywhere, is that a bad idea?) and see where the leak is coming from. it is definately dripping oil on my driveway, not much. i understand this could be and probably is the oil pan gasket, but may also be a valve cover gasket. any intructions/help? i am changing the oil and filter and am wondering if i should do the gasket down there while its drained. i will also be doing the fuel filter, air filter, and pcv valve just because im sure they need it (see next paragraph)

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it purrs like a kitten (a kitten with an exhaust leak like all old fords! rat tat tat tat tat) when its warmed up, but on cold start it idles very rough and will die once or twice unless i give it gas. fuel filter? IAC valve? MAF? ideas?
this may help: i think the front fuel tank (it has two) doesnt work. i hope the pictures work, i want you all to see. i went to fill it up and pump stopped like it was full, when i switch to from tank it wont crank. it cranks in rear tank but i went to fill that up (i was on E) it only let me put in a quarter tank before it said that was full too... there is also a rogue wire sticking out near the fuel filter, it looks like it may have been a fuel line though i have no idea... its right above the filter and rusted off..
sorry for the book guys, but i need your help!! i want to get this thing running like a champ again. it has 144k miles on it and im lookin to double that!

ill post pics soon when i can, hopefully tonight

 

ill be damned i did it.... what is this and how do i fix the leak

 

cant see the pic sry

 

Pictures by NCWillhite - Photobucket

here is a link to what i hope is the photo gallery of the truck. the pictures include the oil leak from below, the fuel filter area, and a loose bracket up near the manifold that i dont think is a huge deal but i would love to know where to bold that thing down. and if that is in fact an issue, how to fix it. thanks again. oh and does anyone know how to attach a picture of my truck to my signature?

 

The oil leak looks like a rear main seal, that line looks like a fuel line that was capped or crushed to make an ending did you look at the top of the tank to follow the line from there?

 

didnt follow it too far but ill take a better look. would that shut off the front tank all together? could the rear one be plugged up at all? im having a guy look at it soon im thinkin hes gonna drop the tanks, thats a little beyond my expertise at this point...

 

Underbody looks great. I agree with the rear main seal. Could also powerwash the underbelly near and all around the oil pan and bellhousing to get a better idea. The boltsrunning longways on each side of the pan are 3/8 and the 8 bolts running at the end and beginning are 1/2. Can simply see if they are loose. Can't hurt.

Also i agree with someone capped the other tank off.

1st and foremost, have you checked for codes? The CEL doesn't necessarily have to be on for codes to be stored indicating problems. Get a check for them and proceed with the following.
(Note: If you don't have access to a code reader, the link here will provide you with much needed info on our older Fords, and help with pulling codes stored in the computer.)

Ford Fuel Injection

As the rough idle goes, numerous ideas come to mind. Have you tuned her up recently? Check all vac lines, even if they look ok, these on our ol' trucks are prone to brittleness in bends and hot spots. You can also remove the IAC and check for carbon buildup. Ensure the plunger can operate freely without much restriction.

 

That looks like a brake line that was cut off. There are two fuel lines, one blue (feed) and one gray (return) that go into a splitter for each tank. That's the way they are on my '96. It sounds like you have a bad front fuel pump that is feeding the back tank from the front one. There is a check valve in it that goes bad. It happened to me a few years ago and I had to change the front pump. It is easier to get a couple of friends over to help you take the bed off to get to the pumps, trust me.

 

You might as well change the fuel filter since you're going to be working on the fuel system, anyway.

 

tuning her up tomorrow. fixing a long list of things. hopefully getting to the bottom of the tank situation. im leaning towards fuel pump. could the fuel pump cause the rough idle? its only at cold start, revving up high then real low, sometimes stalling. when i hit it in reverse, then drive it wants to shoot forward without much gas... clean injectors? after i drive it for less than a minute it idles perfectly, somewhere around 750 rpms....ill fill u guys in after the tune up, after all it may just need that!

oh, and the tranny shudders when i reach overdrive, but thats another thread...

 

ok so ive been reading up on rear mail seal leaks and apparently it might be more worth my while to run a thicker oil with a lucas additive and not worry about it, just keep checking the oil. will this help? im not sure pulling the tranny and flywhell and lifting it up is worth a leak that might be fixed another way..

 

ok so i replaced the IAC and that fixed my idle. i put 2 cans of seafoam in each gas tank and that 'unclogged' whatever was keeping me from filling up, both tanks running great (though i wonder where that clogged junk went..). i changed the valve cover gaskets because the top of engine was covered in oil and they were bad but it did not fix my leak!!! everything was cleaned up and i have narrowed it down to a couple of oily bolts oin the bell housing, oil is dripping near my starter and on the rubber grommet that exposes TC drainplug/ exhaust crossover... is is reap main seal?? help! also, any advice on changing it if it is?? i am gonna get help from a buddy who knows a lot more than i do so i figure the 2 of us can knock it out in an afternoon, just would like to know what i am getting myself into...

side note:dr tranny instant shudder fixx repaired an awful OD shudder i had in under 10 bucks and 10 minutes!