I'm proud to say that I have a normal leaky 2002 7.3 Diesel. However, it's come time to seal the oil leaks. I can't park in any of my friends driveways, anymore.
At first, I though it was the oil pan. But, I've found out that is not the case, deciding it coming from the top of the engine. My question, from your experiences, is WHERE is all that oil coming from ?? What gaskets do I buy, and from where, to help the situation? Thanks for your thoughts.

 

You might be best to hose it down with degreaser and try and get it clean to try and trace where its leaking from. The top of that motor has a BOATLOAD of spots for oil leaks. Valve cover gaskets, hpop, oil xover, turbo pedestal, doghouse on the valve cover, your going to have to play CSI to figure out where its leaking and seal it up. Fuel bowl too, that could leak and the diesel thickens and makes it look like an oil leak, Never hurts to slather the oil pan with Chassis Saver or POR15

 

Thanks for your reply... I was afraid of that. With 350000 miles, I'm thinking that I should just pull the engine, insert new mains and rods, and seal it all up including a new pan. I did read about a pan that Morroso is selling, and it sounds pretty good . Thanks, again for your reply. Phew...what a job ...

 

I would direct you to the 7.3 specific forum for follow up. Oil leaks in a 7.3 are defiantly normally at that age. However like mentioned there is an endless list of things that could be causing it. How bad is it? Just a coating on the engine or are you leaving drips? It could be a sensor o ring, oil cooler, HPOP lines, valve cover gaskets, front cover, LPOP housing, dip stick o ring, etc. I would do further investigation before getting too crazy. These engines aren’t a bad pull, had mine out a couple years ago. Would also recommend quality gaskets, OEM if you can I think are still the best. I looked at that MORRSO pan as well but didn’t hear good things about the gasket you have to use.

Anyways I hope it works out well for you. Defiantly check out the 7.3 forum, good people there.

 

Thread moved as suggested, and bumped to the top of destination forum.

 

Welcome to the FTE forum. As mentioned, it’s in your favor to do a thorough degreasing/cleaning job to properly identify the leak locations before guessing/stabbing in the dark and replacing good parts. If you decide to pull the engine then have a good plan for other upgrades you would consider with the engine out. Please do not hap-hazardly decide on pulling the engine until you determine the actual true condition of your engine. The guys here on FTE have a boat load of good/experienced advise for those interested.
Good hunting.

 

The “rule” for finding oil leaks is to look at the bottom of the engine for the farthest point forward, then look for the highest point up.

For example if you see oil on the front end of the oil pan, but no higher than the crankshaft pulley, you wouldn’t be looking at anything above the crank seal.

Usually anything that’s leaking heavily enough will look clean relative to its surroundings because the oil helps “wash” the dirt and grime away.

I’ve found the best way to clean engines (in general but especially for leak diagnosis) is to use hot water under low pressure - cleaner/degreaser optional as the hot water really breaks up grease and grime buildup.

I’ve found some car washes have adjustable pressure in the manual bays, so maybe check the washes in your area if you don’t have access to a pressure washer with hot water feed.

 

Thank you ALL for your responses.
I'll take a look at it all.
I do have one last question. Most valve covers and oil pans I've worked on, require 20-24 in/# for torquing. Would appreciate any thoughts on this. (??)
Thanks, again.

 

Check out the tech folder above. There is a link to all torque specs. Here is a little bit.

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/8...ml#post7298510

 

My thought on this is, if you think that just tightening up the valve covers and oil pan will stop a vast amount of 'leaks'.... Do Not Do that yet....These may be of no issue at all and may strip something out or distort something needlessly.
Get your top side of the engine cleaned up first (Simple Green or Dawn Soap and water) and then look for leaks from the top, down. Keep the electrical components dry when cleaning. Any 'leaks' that you find, don't throw money at it, let us know what you have found and we will suggest an easy fix.

 

Thanks Brother Les. From past experience , I agree with you. However, my plan was to get new gaskets for the places I can replace them. The oil pan would not be possible, of course. But, I have checked bolts on many pans, in the past, and they were actually finger tight. The reason for the request for the torque specs on the gaskets, was to alleviate any issues regarding crushing gaskets and bending metal. Wet gaskets are an issue, and need special care when re-tightening . ..especially the oil pans when they can't be removed. I understand exactly.
Thanks, again.

 

The valve cover gaskets are designed to be reusable and yours may not need to be changed out.

 

Good ideas... I just placed an order for POR15 Degreaser... We'll see how that works for starters. I'll keep you all posted as I move along. Thanks, again.

 

My apologies, I posted this to the wrong 7.3 Forum, originally thinking this was the 7.3 Diesel Forum. However, your replies were relative to the issue on hand, an quite similar to all engine analysis for the most part:
Thanks to all for the suggestions. It's been a while since I've completed your suggestions, plus a couple of other things had to be done as well.
Yes....the oil cooler fuel housing, turbo housing, fuel filter housing, and the oil filter housing gaskets all needed to be replaced.
I've learned a lot on this "old girl".
With 330K miles on it now, things still seem tight, runs well, and gives some decent fuel mileage and power.
Lastly, you all might not believe in chips, but I did install a Rocket Chip, and after doing so, the engine really is running a lot more smoothly. It could be running a lot more smoothly because we're finally experiencing above freezing weather, and the axle hub locks are disengaged. It's supposed to give a 60HP boost. I have no way of proving it, but your comments would be appreciated.
One last question .. Due to a strange twist of truck swaps, I got my old '97 dually back with 177k miles on it, and it really runs great, a quietly, considering it's age. Is it possible I could do an engine switch to my 2002? What electronic components have to be switched, if any?
The 2002 is supposed to have more HP, but this one has 330,000 on it, as I mentioned before. What are your thoughts??
Thanks again for your posts. I'll try to make more timely posts, and comments. This last year and a half was kinda tough on this 'ole jar.
Best to all...
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