I've done a lot to fix leaks on this truck. The original leak was coming from the HPOP seal but two separate mechanics guided me into completely unneeded services and now the truck is leaking worse than before.

Resealed: full HPOP, oil cooler, injectors, valve cover gaskets, crankcase vent o-rings, turbo pedestal, front main seal, lpop housing seal, rear main seal, oil pan, dipstick tube.

The oil is running from the very front of the oil pan down along the oil pan- this makes me want to blame the mechanic who resealed the oil pan. Or possibly the front main seal? More likely the oil pan because they did not pull the engine and flip it over to do this job.
The oil is also dripping a lot of drips at every single stop, from the inspection cover at the back of the engine/oil pan area. It's very hard to tell where this oil is coming from. I suspect the oil pan is leaking because the upper oil leaks have been taken care of.

But every single time I get on top of this truck to do something, there is either oil or diesel that I'm making a new mess with, and it's impossible to get ahead of the problem! The darn thing doesn't stay clean long enough to know for sure where the leak is coming from. But all available sources tell me that the front and back of the oil pan are almost sure to leak if the engine isn't flipped over for the reseal.

Has anybody else been through this journey? I just want my daily driver not to embarrass me and mess every single parking spot I go to.

 

Do you have oil in the valley on top of the motor? Look there first. If you have any fluid in the valley swab some up with a paper towel and smell it. Theres a chance its fuel.
Alot of leaks turn out to be fuel leaks. Any fuel leak will wash crap off the motor. By the time it hits the ground its black and many assume its oil. Not saying this is your problem but it happens alot.

If its defineitly oil and the repairs you made are dry, it could be the oil rail plugs in the ends of the head. Theres a plug on the front and back of ea head.
I cant comment on a oil pan leak. I think ive fixed every leak on a 7.3 except the pan.

 

I have cleaned this engine thoroughly so many times. I mean with brake cleaner and rags until bone dry with no shine at all. The top of the engine stays totally dry under all driving conditions ever since I resealed the HPOP. The problems is I can't take the top of the engine apart and scrubadub dub for 30 minutes every single time there's a little spill. I've investigated this leak thoroughly and cleaned the hard to reach areas.

There was a leak that persisted from after a mechanic had done my valve cover and valve cover gasket and over tightened the bolts so much it ruined the gasket. That leak wouldn't go away and I couldn't be totally sure until that was taken care of. But there has been oil on the starter, coming down from above on the bellhousing. It's so confusing. I did these cleaning/ checks with flashlight and mirror at 2500rpms many times and found that a leak is originating at the rear of the oil pan. That is certain. But it has the appearance of being a very fast leak when other leaks are happening.

The valve cover leak, along with excess "spillage" blowing down the bellhousing from the top of the engine, and the oil pan leak, and the leak from the front, are all just too confusing to deal with at once! I understand the highest leaks have to be fixed first. It's just so aggravating when all my efforts are failing. It's like whack-a-mole with oil leaks.

 

How was the oil pan "re-sealed"? If it was the Moroso aftermarket gasket then double check the torque on all the replacement studs and that they're all still present and accounted for. If it was an RTV job what sealant was used? That gray stuff from Ford is some serious stuff but still requires the proper procedure and curing time. If it was another product, let's cross that bridge when we get there.

 

The engine support/crossmember had been previously cut out to reseal the oil pan and re-welded really poorly by the previous owner of the truck. The mechanic who replaced the oil pan and resealed it cut the crossmember out at the bad welds to R&R the pan. Then the shop welder re-welded the crossmember in and did a good solid job at it.

The sealant used was not Ford/International. It was Permatex gray.

Multiple times I have gone back and checked the oil pan bolts and found they were not fully tightened in. I don't understand how they can loosen out if I've already tightened them. Also, if they are coming out maybe that's why it was leaking. AND- the mechanic had done the whole job a second time because it continued to leak after he had already done the R&R once!

So obviously the engine needs to be flipped to do this job correctly. I'm just really not sure this leak is bad enough to spend the time and energy to do a big job like that. Which is part of the problem I'm facing. I can't get these damn leaks to stop! By now they should all be gone. Nothing has been untouched on this engine.

I feel like it would have made more sense to pull this engine out of the truck when I first bought it and just rebuild the whole thing all at once. The only benefit to the way I've done things is that I've learned the ins and outs of the 7.3 Powerstroke.

 

At this point I'd forgo proper procedure and embrace the Kluge that pervades this rig. Lay plenty of cardboard on the floor, spray it all down with brake kleen, hit the oil pan joint circumference and dipstick adapter with like 5 tubes of TA-31, then spray Flex Seal everywhere after the TA-31 dries.

Don't make smores if you burn the cardboard.

 

The Moroso gasket does work and is a good quality part, but my personal experience says not to trust the included hardware. Another very important step in the job is to make sure everything is clean, clean, clean before assembly. That goes for the rtv method and gasket both. Have you considered trying some dye to confirm the source/s of your struggles?

 

In spite of the internet lore, resealing an oil pan in the truck has a very high failure rate. Cutting the engine crossmember out is some seriously next-level hack BS. I would bet I could have the engine out and back in, in the time it would take to clean, cut and re-weld the most significant piece of metal on the frame. And with less aggravation.

I cannot embrace the gasket. It costs 5x as much as TA31 and I’ve never had a correctly sealed 7.3 oil pan leak after doing dozens of them.

Here’s a 2min time-lapse video of a 7.3 coming out in about 2hrs.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=lX5yQDqChx0

 

This is exactly why I think the best approach is just to remove the engine and flip it and reseal the oil pan the right way. But it's very hard to embrace this as my solution when I might have other leaks still unsolved... Because it is hard to tell how much of the oil is actually originating at the oil pan due to the other leaks etc.

Even a single drop of oil in a parking lot is unacceptable to me. I can't even park in customers driveways because of this issue.

 

Knock on wood... I'm about 1 year into a Moroso gasket install without a leak. I'll admit, though, that the gasket install was performed on a pan which was not leaking to begin with (did it proactively at 320K miles while the engine was out for something else). The engine was flipped for the gasket job, and I also had a weld-in dipstick tube flange installed as well, again, proactively. Not sure if the shop used a thin film of gray along with the gasket, but I do not believe so. Before committing to the Moroso gasket approach, they reported that their experience had been good with it, having done a number of the gasket installs without problems; my take away from that initial conversation was that they were likely using a solid technique. After all, the shop is owned and run by Zack Pierce, and the vast majority of their work is on Ford PSD's, a high percentage being 7.3's - they know the engine in and out.

Jason, please don't take the above as any indication that YOU are NOT using good technique by any means, as I could not bring myself to ever suggest such a wild thing like that. Just saying that so far, my one-off experience has not been bad.

Eddy... I cannot disagree at all with your proposed approach.

 

I'd say as T-Wood said above check the plugs

" If its definitely oil and the repairs you made are dry, it could be the oil rail plugs in the ends of the head. There's a plug on the front and back of each head. "

And as stupid as it sounds.... I'd duck tape paper towels all over the place to determine where that oil is coming from before pulling the engine.

 

Are you using the word "re-seal" to mean re-tightened / covered in some sort of sealant or were the front and rear main seals actually replaced? I would imagine there are grades to the different seals one can purchase, and some that have sat on shelves too long. I have had adventures with being told "oh, yeah, we used a new Motorcraft" only for subsequent failures to reveal the lie.

My understanding is the rear main seal requires transmission removal to replace. Front main seal sounded like a simpler job, though I couldn't do it. It was a nice chance to replace a probably getting tired, but still working, LPOP as well.

Oil pan = engine removal. Don't touch it if you don't have to, was another take-away.

I have battled leak after leak as well. Nothing worse than fixing a leak only to discover a new one the very next day.

Currently my HPOP has a minor leak, a re-build, not my usual choice but time/availability was a factor right then. I am hoping the actual HPOP is fine and it is just some pitting on the block that wasn't properly filled before a new gasket was placed on top. Happens. Shops are super busy and corners are cut.

 

When I say reseal I mean the seals were replaced with new ones. Rear main seal the mechanic told me he used National. I believe I used Motorcraft but it may have been National on the front main seal.

Yes, the trans had to come out for the rear main job, and the front main job is a bit of a hassle mainly because getting the fan off is a real challenge. And special seal for the LPOP housing has to be purchased from Ford as nobody else has it.

The oil pan bolts are loose every single time I check them. I just don't understand how this is possible. I've tightened them twice. And the mechanic stripped out the front cover passenger side and had to drill and tap to a larger bolt size. With the Permatex gray silicone formula being used instead of TA-31, I don't know how the torque specs are affected.

There is a layer of oil being stored between the bell housing and the engine too, and it seems like more oil is all over the back of the engine too, but I can't really clean that because of the amount of grime and horrible access. It almost makes sense to pull the engine just for the joy of power washing and knowing that it's clean.

Does anybody know where the valley drain hole comes out? I'd like to clean that area up but I don't know where the "bottom hole" is.

 

If the pan bolts are constantly becoming loose why not hit them w/ some blue loctite? You could pull a couple bolts at a time. Clean them up real nice with brake cleaner on the threads and holes. Then a generous but not excessive helping of blue. Torque them back to spec then let it all cure overnight. If that doesn't keep them where they belong then something a little more serious is going on that needs investigation.

 

The valley drains into the bellhousing and exits above starter.