I am working on a '89 E150 van,5.8,auto.To be honest I dont own a ford they just end up in the driveway to be fixed.My moms van has got an oil leak possibly around pan area.I cleaned up oil and let it idle and no leak she takes it home and it is smoking going down the road like it was before.It is dripping on exhaust below pan area,I dont like the idea of this build up with the heat and fire hazard.Back of van is soaked with oil plus undecarriage.Rear main would leak at idle if bad,oil pan leak shouldnt throw oil that bad,seems it would leak at idle also?Any experiences with this ?

Any ideas for a lopy idle ? I was thinking Egr system,but not being familar with this van I could not locate EGR.I am also leaning towards fuel system because it also has a hesitation or stumble off the line.Any sensors I should be testing?

I know a lot of questions but theres alot to do on this van and these are the most important at the moment.

Any input from van owners would be appreciated.Vans are a whole different motor to work on with the space confinement issues.

 

had a problem with my rear main seal and valve cover gaskets that was the same effect, might check those out

 

Might take it to the coin-op carwash and use the engine cleaner all up underneath, then see where the oil comes from.
For the idle, the first place to start is to pull the codes, then take it from there. Also, how long since the last tune-up? Plugs, wires, filters, etc...

 

Thanks "c96" thats one thing I forgot to ask .Where and how to pull codes from van without a reader?Maybe a key on off sequence?I got both haynes and chiltons maybe they have trouble codes.
Cleaned it real good already once,Idled it and revved it up no leak when I am under there.She drives it home and leaking like a siv.Hopefully its not to dirty by the time she can get it back to me so I can see some fresh oil drips.

"Vanhecht" I changed rear main and valve covers 2 years ago.

Can anyone point me to the location of the EGR valve?

 

To echo Vanhecht, check your valve covers bolts.
If you are lucky, tightening those will reduce your oil leaks,
it did on my van at least.
Be prepared to remove the engine cover and cuss up a storm, have various combo wrenchs, socket/swivel/extensions, etc.. because access is lmited- to say the least.

Alan P

 

Alan,I see you have 351w in your '91 is that the stock motor for these vans meaning windsor not clevelands were used these years?
Have you taken off your upper intake manifold?I would like to take out injectors for a cleaning or replacement since their not that spendy.I know these vans with MPI are a bitch to get into.The spark plugs were a real pain last time I did them.

 

351C's haven't been around in a long time.

 

the gasket for the pan is a common prob, also the oil pans rust, and get holes in them. There are alot of posts on the oil pan. You could put some dye in the oil and watch for the leak. Sometimes it helps find it. Valve cover gaskets sound like a good cheap place to start.
A code scanner can be bought at your local parts store for about thirty bucks. It has all the codes and what they mean in the manual.
A fifteen dollar haynes manual is a good investment. It will have location diagrams for assorted sensors. If you have a volt meter, you can pull codes with that. The manual is a must though. Good luck. Maybe it's just the valve covers leaking.

 

EGR is located behind the alternator, just below the tranny dipstick on my van. A tube runs from the bottom of the EGR to the exhaust manifold, it was loose too. Also check the ex manifold bolts and any others you can reach.
I did not replace the valve cover gaskets, just snugged the bolts which were only finger tight.
Alan P

 

Thanks to all who replied !

Think I located leak,oil pan,just havent seen one leak that much oil so quickly.Still dry around valve covers,fresh oil down low.

Looks like I got enough to check out saturday,Pan gasket,serpintine belt cut,tranny fluid old,and checking for codes.

LEO T,what brand scanner did the job for you?Got the manuals back to my house today(haynes and chiltons),seems what one manual leaves out the other picks up.

 

IF you search here or buy a haynes manual you wont need the code reader. Just a paperclip.

 

Hello guy, pfogle is right about the paper clip. I just prefer the scanner. The brand I have is a Sun-Pro. Made by Sun. They've been around a while. I paid under $30. bucks and it works good. Comes with an informative manual too. I have a 96 now, and with the OBD 11 it's useless to me. Progress I guess? You might want to check in the on line store at this site, they may have something better. Good luck with the oil battle.

 

Good news-No more leaks and runs nice an smooth,Shifts great too.

Bad news-Mom is leaving driveway 1/2 block away I see white cloud of smoke/steam coming out exhaust.

I dont have cooling pressure tester but have seen head gasket leaks look just like this.Do you think Im wrong cause I would like to be wrong about this ?This really sucks ,10 hours saturday to get all those things done in 90 degree heat just to have to take it to a damn mechanic.I dont have time for something like a head gasket on a van with fuel injection.

Any one know personally of an "HONEST MECHANIC" in the Portland,Oregon area ? I have always worked on my own cars so I dont even know a good honest mechanic.

 

Too bad about the smoke, after all that work. I've had a few Ford vans, but this will be the last one. Too hard to work on, at least for me. Before you give up, make sure it is the head gasket. The coolant level should be going down. If you can't afford a pressure tester, usually these parts places will loan you one. If your pressure drops and no outside leaks, could be the head gasket.
Pull off the dog house and block the vacuum line going to the transmission modulator. If the mod is broken, it can resemble a bad head gasket when it sucks the trany fluid into the engine.

If you find out the coolant level is going down, and you do have a bad head gasket, it's not a cheap repair. Also it's recommendd to do the valves, and seals, plus magnafluxing the head to look for cracks is common.
I had a friend go the stopleak route, and had good luck with it. It's not the best way to do it, but I've seen it work.
Also a low pressure radiator cap can help. Hard to justify the work and money to r&r the head gasket on a 15 year old van. Just my 2 cents.
If you go with the stop leak, you'll have to change out the antfreeze at least once a year, and flush out the rad, and heater core. Good luck!

 

LEO-T I may have jumped the gun on steam,checked again tonight and I dont smell that hot antifreeze smell in the exhaust smoke.Talking around someone thought something like you said about modulator sucking oil into motor.Its late and cant check it tonight but if this is the case new modulator maybe oxygen sensor too would be in order but what about tranny fluid going through intake and such,what else to replace or clean out ?Tranny fluid breaks down motor oil but what else could it harm up there?Do I block both sides, the line and where it hooks up to?Damn I hope your right.They also told me tranny fluid has been leaking cause they have been adding over time a little bit but I did not find a leak,I added a quart to hold off until I change filter also.

One thing that seems odd is that after working on it I drove it for 45 min. ran great,shut it off, 2 hours or so later start it up and idles while saying goodbye,1/2 block away starts smoking/steaming.Seems awful sudden for a head problem ?

Also today I notice that it does not smoke right away that it takes about 5 minutes or a good high rev before it smokes then smokes constantly,more smoke the higher the motor revs.I also notice holding pedal with steady pressure about 1000rpm motor rpms fluctuate down then back up to 1000rpm.As you can see I dont want to take it to a mechanic for $70 an hour.By the way they book man hours at 13.9 hours of labor and I think thats conservitive for a van.

Your input is most welcomed !TIA

edit:No oil in water,no water in oil yet.