got my truck, love it . ok just 450 miles but i love it. psd f250 lariat lb.
now i keep on reading bell housing leak every day, so as i have no clue. where is the bell housing? what should i be looking for?
thanks

 

The bell housing is at the rear of the engine/front of the transmission that contains the flywheel and clutch assembly on a manual or the flywheel and torque converter on an automatic. If it is leaking, you look for a drip on the floor of your garage in that area. If you don't have any drip on the floor of your garage, it is not leaking.

If I may be permitted, let me offer a little friendly advice: Don't go looking for trouble or you might just find it.

 

Joe the head in the sand theory doesn't work. Should he wait until after the warranty is over before he looks. Please, it is better to get it fixed now before it gets worse.

 

Agreed, but Ford does not have a sure-fire 100% fix right now. Many people do seem to get it fixed the 1st time while many others report several unsuccessful attempts at fixing.

 

Head in the sand? A leak hits the floor. Seepage does not. Joe says this because the great majority of these rear mains are seepage not leaks, and many have attested to this. One guy told another.....................that was complaining about spending $45k for a leaking engine....................it's not leaking!!! yes there is seepage. Have you ever seen an engine that you could eat off after even 30k miles? where does all that dirt, grease and grime come from????? SEEPAGE!!! I agree with Joe if it doesn't hit the floor it is definitely not leaking. Oh by the way, cute name. Sort of tells everybody what's to come from you.

 

thanks you Joe. I am not one to worry until things happen,so far i have owned 4 ford trucks and I have had very little problems. I just wanted to make sure I could identify it if it happens.
As far as warranty, 100,000 miles powertrain and 75,000 miles extended warranty should cover me pretty good.
take care, be safe

 

I am not at all convinced that it CAN be fixed!

 

Joe whats the problem with the r.m.seals?

 

I don't think the rear seals are leaking (this is just my opinion -- I have no proof). There is a hub bolted to the rear of the crankshaft after the timing gear is pressed on (the timing gear train is in the rear of the engine). The hub provides a surface for the seal to ride on and facilitates a mounting point for the flywheel. There is a recess in both sides of the hub. The inner recess fits over the crankshaft but it doesn't mate up face to face with the end of the crank -- there is .106 inch between the bottom of the hub and the end of the crank. There is another recess on the outer part of the hub that centers the flywheel. The automatics have an adapter to adapt the flex plate to the hub. If you take a hub, before it is bolted to the crank and put a flexplate adapter on it, it is an absolute perfect fit. But once you torque the bolts that hold the hub to the end of the crankshaft, because the hub doesn't fit face to face with the crank, it distorts the hub so badly that the flexplate adapter has to be driven on with a large rawhide mallet. After the hub is torqued the seal surface is then finish ground to make it concentric with the main bearings which is why the hub can NEVER be removed from the crank. It is my opinion that this distortion along with the fact that ALL of the torque that the engine makes has to be transmitted through the six 12 mm bolts that hold that hub to the end of the crank could possibly be providing a leak path through the bolt holes that hold the hub on. And, if there is any movement between the hub and the crank, under a load, that could exacerbate the problem.

 

My bellhousing is leaking alittle to. David

JT said,
I saw a truck on a Ford lift two days ago with rear engine oil seal being replaced. This mechanic I've made friends with told me they had a run of several trucks with no metal ring in the seal and that is why they are failing.

 

The Diesel Dude,
Did you see which Injectors I have? I posted my #s on 6.0 problems post. Thanks, David

 

Today Iv checked four 03 6.0s with the same oil seep. Joe you are probably right. Trust me I will Find the problem with it.

 

There is no necessity for the metal ring until there is a groove worn into the seal surface. The replacement service part may be designed for the metal wear ring so they don't have to inventory 2 part numbers but I can assure you that the absence of the metal wear ring is NOT causing anybody's rear oil leak.
Be sure and let us know either way if it does or does not fix the leak.

 

If you can put some dye in the oil and run the engine, then black light the seal when you get the transmission out, you might have better luck finding its source. If the leakage radiates from the seal area, the seal is leaking. If it radiates from the 6 hub bolts, then it is coming through the hub.
Let us know what you find.

 

Check the 6.0L Problems post.