Oil Leak-Help please

Reply Subscribe

Thread Tools

Search this Thread

Mar 24, 2009 | 03:21 AM

dereknicole

Thread Starter

New User

Joined: Mar 2009

Posts: 3

Likes: 0

Oil Leak-Help please

First, I know very little about cars. Forgive this elementary question.
My exp is leaking oil. It appears to be coming from a silver metal box with a round plastic piece about the size of a silver dollar. It is directly behind the oil pan.

Any help would be appreciated.

thanks

Mar 24, 2009 | 10:37 AM

c_hohensee

Laughing Gas

Joined: Feb 2006

Posts: 843

Likes: 0

That sounds like the bell housing and the plastic plug is the access to the drain plug in the torque converter. What color is the oil that you are seeing?

Mar 24, 2009 | 10:41 AM

dereknicole

Thread Starter

New User

Joined: Mar 2009

Posts: 3

Likes: 0

oil color

the oil is a light to medium brown. It looks about like oil half way through an oil change cycle- if that makes sense.

Mar 24, 2009 | 10:46 AM

c_hohensee

Laughing Gas

Joined: Feb 2006

Posts: 843

Likes: 0

Sounds like engine oil as opposed to tranny fluid. Is it coming out of the bell housing area or is possibly coming back from the oil pan or running down from above. What year and engine do you have?

Mar 24, 2009 | 10:54 AM

dereknicole

Thread Starter

New User

Joined: Mar 2009

Posts: 3

Likes: 0

The oil pan appears fine and dry to me. It is a 2003 5.4L 4wd. There is a black bar that the oil is leaking on to and from there it hits the ground.

Mar 25, 2009 | 02:15 AM

c_hohensee

Laughing Gas

Joined: Feb 2006

Posts: 843

Likes: 0

I will look under mine today and see if I can give you any more ideas.

Mar 31, 2010 | 01:03 AM

joecitizen

New User

Joined: Mar 2010

Posts: 1

Likes: 0

any updates on problem

c_hohensee, did you ever find out what the issue was? this is an old thread, but my 2003 w/5.4 has started to do the same thing. any info you can provide would be helpful, thx

Rezvani's Latest Post-Apocalytic Monster Is a Ford F-150 Raptor Underneath

Verdad Gallardo

Top 10 Most Expensive Ford Trucks Ever Sold on Bring a Trailer

Joe Kucinski

2027 Ford Super Duty Buyer's Guide (Every Model, Engine, & Package)

Brett Foote

Top 10 Ford Truck Tragedies

Joe Kucinski

AEV FXL Super Duty - the Super Duty Raptor Ford Doesn't Make

Brett Foote

Lobo Vs Lobo: Proof the F-150 Lobo Should Be Even Lower!

Michael S. Palmer

Ford's 2001 Explorer Sportsman Concept Looks For a New Home

Verdad Gallardo

10 Best Ford Truck Engines We Miss the Most!

Joe Kucinski

2026 Shelby F-150 Off-Road: Better Than a Raptor R?

Brett Foote

2027 Super Duty Carhartt Package First Look: 12 Things You NEED to Know!

Michael S. Palmer

Mar 31, 2010 | 02:24 PM

Moto Mel

Postmaster

Joined: Jan 2009

Posts: 4,584

Likes: 3

From: Chesapeake, Va.

Quote:

Originally Posted by dereknicole

the oil is a light to medium brown. It looks about like oil half way through an oil change cycle- if that makes sense.

It is most likely the engine rear crankshaft seal or the torque converter seal at the tranmissions front pump. It's a fairly big job for either one so if it's not leaking a lot you might want to just live with it and check the oil levels often in both til you can get to it. I would guess that the cost of repairing either would be more than $500 and only a little more to do both at the same time. Trans fluid can appear to be brown if it's nearing time for a change. How does it smell? If it smells burnt it's probably trans fluid.