Hey guys,

Bear with me, this is a long one...

I noticed a nice big puddle of oil under my truck this morning, and didn't really think about it, because where I live there are lots of oil spots. When I got to work at 9:30, I parked the truck and started working. I came out for lunch and checked again and sure enough there was oil all over the ground (a puddle about a foot in diameter). Looking closer, there was spray all along the back of the truck and the undercarriage. I crawled under there and there is a lot of oil all over the bottom of the motor from about 2 inches in front of the oil pan bolt back. There is oil on both sides of the bottom of the motor, and a LOT of oil around where the tranny bolts up to the engine. Just for kicks, I checked the valley of the motor, and there is a little bit of oil in there as well. When I say little bit, I mean enough to cover the pad of your index finger like you were going to make a fingerprint. I have 36,802 miles on the truck, and upon checking the oil, I was about 3/4 of an inch below the add line cold. From what I can see (there is a lot of oil there) it appears to be the rear main seal. I just had the oil changed at a dealer in West Virginia over the holidays, and it didn't start leaking until I got back. I looked at the receipt for the oil change and it said they added 16 qts of oil. I talked to the dealer I bought the truck from and they say they can't do anything without looking at the truck, which I understand, but he also said it's negligible to put 15 or 16 qts in. Last time I checked it was 15 qts, and you shouldn't overfill it. Am I right in thinking it's the rear main or could it be something else. The dealer is backlogged about a week with diesels to work on, and this is my only ride. I'm going to call other dealers, but I would like to get input from everyone here as to what the problems may be, and any advice you have about taking it to a dealer. I know the engine is still covered under the 5yr/100k mile warranty, so that should be covered (I hope...) Any help you guys can provide is GREATLY appreciated.

Thanks,
basstardo

2002 F-250 Lariat, 7.3L PSD, 6 Spd Manual, 4x4 Off Road Package, Line-X Liner, grille gaurd, soft tonneau, altezza tail lights (adds at least 15HP ), more to come...

 

Itis possible it would be the rear main seal, but I dont think the fan or any other part of the engine would pull that much oil forward. I would get it washed (probably at a car wash) and drive it home (if it isnt too far a drive) and get to looking around with the engine at idle. It sounds like the oil filter may be the culprit. You arent gonna do any more than the dealer would. Only diff is he has a lift. Use a flash light to see up, a drop light isnt direct enuf to see. That is the way I would do it. Even with the warranty, you gonna pay $100 deductible. Good luck and be safe in crawling under neath ... block the wheels!!! and dont put a rag up near moving parts !!!!

 

I had a similar problem. My oil leak was so bad that it ended up on the tailgate, from driving. It ended up being the high pressure oil line fitting. Sounds like a similar situation. And also, i do my own oil changes and i put 4 gallons of Rotella 15W40 in my truck. The manual does say 15qts. but i figure if you dont let every gallon drain all the way (waste of time) you might be just right.



2001 F-350 CC Lariat 4X4 LB PSD SRW, Heated leather, off road package, western snow plow, strobe lights in parking lights, headlights and backup lights, tinted windows, stull billet insert, pioneer cd player, rockford fosgate 700S amp rocking 3 JL Audio 10W0's behind back seat,Infinity Interiors and an Alpine amp, husky liners front and back,Banks transcommand, K&N FIPK, Diablo Sport 110HP chip, Hypermax H2E turbo, Hypermax pryo/boost gauge, Hypermax 3.5 inch downpipe and 5 inch exhaust.

2002 F-350 XL 4X4 PSD DRW, XL Decor Package, 9' Heil Dump Body, 8' Western (for now) Poly Plow, Western Pro-Flo 1, Strobes Front and Back, toolboxes and Wheel Simulators.

 

After going through my own "oil leak" nightmare learned that ANY oil which leaks in to the valley of the motor will end up running out through the bellhousing and/or down the back of the motor. That includes HP oil lines, HP oil pump, Turbo pedestal, turbo charger, oil galley plugs on the back of the heads, and some intercooler connections.
I checked all the simple stuff myself before going to the dealer and all I could say for sure was that oil was coming out of the bell housing. Once was due to a galley plug, 3 times was were due to bad turbo pedestal O-rings, and once due to a bad rear main. My case was a "one-in-a-million" failure according to the Service Manager though.
Unless you find something really obvious I would take it to the dealer and let them run a dye test. The dyed oil shows up very nicely under black light making the leak easier to find and will be covered by your warranty.
Hopefully the place that changed your oil made a simple mistake you can find on your own. Did you check to see if they left the O-ring from the old filter stuck to the housing? One O-ring works great, 2 make one hell of a mess. I know, I made that mistake on my fiance's car once!

Good luck!

 

I doubt if 1 quart over the full mark would cause any problem. From your description I'd say you either have a front or rear oil pan radius leak. Take it in to Ford and they'll put some dye in the oil and use a black light to find the leak.

 

The dealer called this morning and it is indeed the rear main seal. They're gonna have my truck until Friday or Monday they said, but it is covered under warranty and all I have to pay is a $100 deductible.
Any reason why that seal would have gone out at only 36082 miles?!?

basstardo

2002 F-250 Lariat, 7.3L PSD, 6 Spd Manual, 4x4 Off Road Package, Line-X Liner, grille gaurd, soft tonneau, altezza tail lights (adds at least 15HP ), more to come...

 

None that I know of. Keep an eye on it when you get it back to make sure that the new seal fixed the problem.

 

I don't know what You All think, but with 36,082 miles, I would suggest to Your Dealer, or Factory service Rep, or both, the $100 deductible should not be charged. I know it is over 36,000 miles, but I think the "good will gesture" by the Dealer, or Ford would be money well spent towards customer satisfaction, and brand loyalty! If this not Your first Ford, I surely mention this to the Factory Rep.

 

I thought about griping about the amount of miles and something that bad happening to the engine, but I found out today they are replacing the flywheel and all of the clutch parts since they were covered in oil. All of that for 100 bucks. New clutch, and my engine fixed (hopefully...) for 100 bones ain't a bad deal, just have to go through the inconvenience of not having a ride...

basstardo

2002 F-250 Lariat, 7.3L PSD, 6 Spd Manual, 4x4 Off Road Package, Line-X Liner, grille gaurd, soft tonneau, altezza tail lights (adds at least 15HP ), more to come...

 

I got my truck back on Friday...well, it's STILL leaking! They replaced the rear main seal and most of the clutch components, but this thing is still leakin' like crazy. I'm going back to the dealer Monday. I don't wanna go in there stompin and screamin, but I'm wondering what you guys think about the idea that Ford should give me something to drive while they fix it again. I'm a Ford maniac, but this is a little disheartening. You guys have any ideas on how I can swindle a ride from the dealer?

2002 F-250 Lariat, 7.3L PSD, 6 Spd Manual, 4x4 Off Road Package, Line-X Liner, grille gaurd, soft tonneau, altezza tail lights (adds at least 15HP ), more to come...

 

I have seen The HPP plug leaking on several of these engines and causing a big mess. The oil runs down the valley, back of the block along the starter, and around the bellhousing. If its not a HPP problem it could be the Rear seal housing itself(rubber silicone gasket)leaking. Not a bad job But the rubber silicone has to sit for a minimum of 24 hours to set-up. Only hope its not the oil pan itself.

 

What's the HPP?

2002 F-250 Lariat, 7.3L PSD, 6 Spd Manual, 4x4 Off Road Package, Line-X Liner, grille gaurd, soft tonneau, altezza tail lights (adds at least 15HP ), more to come...

 

High Pressure Pump

 

International Tech hit the nail on the head, they took her apart again and it's HPP squirting oil. The service advisor just said it was the external(?) High Pressure Oil Pump, and there is a "bleeder hole" as he called it that was squirting oil out and it was running down the back of the engine and off the bell housing.

My biggest question is, could there be too much pressure for whatever reason inside this engine that is causing it a leak to hop from place to place or could this have been the HPP all along? It just seems really funny to me that first it was a rear main, and then a blown valve cover gasket, which from what Joe said, the probability of that happening is pretty slim, and now the HPP. You guys think the dealer is juicin me or what?

2002 F-250 Lariat, 7.3L PSD, 6 Spd Manual, 4x4 Off Road Package, Line-X Liner, grille gaurd, soft tonneau, altezza tail lights (adds at least 15HP ), more to come...

 

Ive seen this numerous times. The dealership was wrong saying it was the rear main seal the 1st time. Youre not gonna get them to admit that though. International has yet to solve the High Pressure pump problems (plug leaking) on the I-6's. The V-8 are not as prone to the problem but yet some of them do have it. If they do the job right this time and clean all of the oil out of the valley and along the block and trans you should be oil leak free. (Fingers Crossed) Dont be alarmed if you do see a little bit of oil dripping after they repair it. It is a PITA to get all of the oil out of the valley especially after the problem you had.