Engine BLEW UP?--BOZ
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Engine BLEW UP?--BOZ
Hey everyone,
Please give me your best educated guess on this one. Driving on I-10 today. 87 degrees out. Just set the cruise at 75. Looked in my rearview mirror. Billowing white smoke. GREAT! What to do what to do. Pulled over-no shoulder-NICE! Flashers on for 1 mile. Pulled off exit and shut her down NOW! Paused for 10 seconds. Gathered my thoughts. Hood release-opened hood. NOT BAD. Small amount of residual smoke. Flash light-no leaks on hoses-no oil under hood. Yanked dog house off NOTHING. Slide under drivers side-oil everwhere back from engine transmission mount up area on my 4 wheel drive. Small puddle of oil. Checked dip stick-half a quart of oil missing-not bad. Back the van backwards for a bit to get a frsh area of ground. Started the van. Slide back under. a couple of areas dripping oil, but both areas are right where the block/oil pan and bell-housing tranny bolt up. Time of drips--every 3 seconds. Rear oil seal? No antifreese in the oil. Perfect compression-no lose there. Its parked 20 miles up at a wrecker service building. Oil level switch on pass side pan right/ Grasping at straws. Say it is the rear main seal. I could split the flangs and replace or pull my spare 4.0 & tranny from my 1993 4-whl drive donor van. damn-Damn D-A-M-N!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Please give me your best educated guess on this one. Driving on I-10 today. 87 degrees out. Just set the cruise at 75. Looked in my rearview mirror. Billowing white smoke. GREAT! What to do what to do. Pulled over-no shoulder-NICE! Flashers on for 1 mile. Pulled off exit and shut her down NOW! Paused for 10 seconds. Gathered my thoughts. Hood release-opened hood. NOT BAD. Small amount of residual smoke. Flash light-no leaks on hoses-no oil under hood. Yanked dog house off NOTHING. Slide under drivers side-oil everwhere back from engine transmission mount up area on my 4 wheel drive. Small puddle of oil. Checked dip stick-half a quart of oil missing-not bad. Back the van backwards for a bit to get a frsh area of ground. Started the van. Slide back under. a couple of areas dripping oil, but both areas are right where the block/oil pan and bell-housing tranny bolt up. Time of drips--every 3 seconds. Rear oil seal? No antifreese in the oil. Perfect compression-no lose there. Its parked 20 miles up at a wrecker service building. Oil level switch on pass side pan right/ Grasping at straws. Say it is the rear main seal. I could split the flangs and replace or pull my spare 4.0 & tranny from my 1993 4-whl drive donor van. damn-Damn D-A-M-N!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Post Fiend
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 5,720
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From: Washington state
if motor oil leak, look at filter and its seal or the long adapter. all subject to failure/damage sticking down on the 4L Aero and getting hit.
if ATF, torque converter seal or pump seal, both common catastrophic leak points in 4L
if ATF, torque converter seal or pump seal, both common catastrophic leak points in 4L
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Wishfull thinking though-my gut says:--bad motor/rear oil real wasn't tranny fluid
Lead Driver
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 7,018
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From: SoCal
Sounds like the rear main seal, although I haven't heard of one going catastrophically like that before. Had it been leaking before this event?
I have some pictures I took when I replaced my rear main seal and oil pan gasket on my web site:
geocities.com/eycchu
(Yahoo tells me that this site will be going away soon, so I'll have to find another place to host it.)
I have some pictures I took when I replaced my rear main seal and oil pan gasket on my web site:
geocities.com/eycchu
(Yahoo tells me that this site will be going away soon, so I'll have to find another place to host it.)
Thread Starter
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Senior User
Joined: Nov 2004
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Sounds like the rear main seal, although I haven't heard of one going catastrophically like that before. Had it been leaking before this event?
I have some pictures I took when I replaced my rear main seal and oil pan gasket on my web site:
geocities.com/eycchu
(Yahoo tells me that this site will be going away soon, so I'll have to find another place to host it.)
I have some pictures I took when I replaced my rear main seal and oil pan gasket on my web site:
geocities.com/eycchu
(Yahoo tells me that this site will be going away soon, so I'll have to find another place to host it.)
---I'll keep you posted
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Don't know. Will find out soon. I'm just now leaving to go get it. I'm hoping for the least, but fear the worst.
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Lead Driver
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 7,018
Likes: 210
From: SoCal
On my van, the leak was actually the pan gasket. But it had been weeping for a long time; it did not just let go one day. I also had a leak in the O-rings in the oil filter adapter. Those were surprisingly expensive for such small parts. In any case, they will probably continue to drip as long as the oil level is above those seals. It will be worse when you raise the front end, as in towing it on the dolly.
Bozz, I will warn you that the work took me several days spread out over many weekends to complete. I also used most of the tools in my collection, including a transmission jack I borrowed from Copper. But if you have full time to devote to this and I'm guessing you have a good tool collection, you can probably get it done in a few days. I would order the new parts as soon as possible and get started on it now.
good luck
Bozz, I will warn you that the work took me several days spread out over many weekends to complete. I also used most of the tools in my collection, including a transmission jack I borrowed from Copper. But if you have full time to devote to this and I'm guessing you have a good tool collection, you can probably get it done in a few days. I would order the new parts as soon as possible and get started on it now.
good luck
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On my van, the leak was actually the pan gasket. But it had been weeping for a long time; it did not just let go one day. I also had a leak in the O-rings in the oil filter adapter. Those were surprisingly expensive for such small parts. In any case, they will probably continue to drip as long as the oil level is above those seals. It will be worse when you raise the front end, as in towing it on the dolly.
Bozz, I will warn you that the work took me several days spread out over many weekends to complete. I also used most of the tools in my collection, including a transmission jack I borrowed from Copper. But if you have full time to devote to this and I'm guessing you have a good tool collection, you can probably get it done in a few days. I would order the new parts as soon as possible and get started on it now.
good luck
Bozz, I will warn you that the work took me several days spread out over many weekends to complete. I also used most of the tools in my collection, including a transmission jack I borrowed from Copper. But if you have full time to devote to this and I'm guessing you have a good tool collection, you can probably get it done in a few days. I would order the new parts as soon as possible and get started on it now.
good luck
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Well-I just pulled up in the driveway with it. I crawled underneath thinking I could scout the solution. what I found was that the oil wet side of the car was more under the pass-side. Now before I get my hopes up I'll have to start the engine and put the eye ball stare on it. I had my flashers and headlights on because my tow dollies trailers stopped working today and it ran the battery down. Those two hex headed bolts with their vary own passage ways straight up are impressive. I've never seen a set up like this before (what size are they?). There seems to be a lot of oil around there and it is possible that the leak is there-but the amount that was going on was more than in my opinion a small drip-that couldn't have happened there or? The other place of interest is the filter adapter area. 90 mentioned that and I will check that two. I saw where something above could leak out and then run straight down and then appear to be leaking from the flange area of the Eng/tranny. I'll keep you posted. I'm coming home from work tomorrow to take the van off the dolly then I'll check for sure.--Thanks everyone Tim
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From: Portland, Oregon
firstly i'd clean the engine and trans off throughly with like a pressure washer or something to remove all sprayed on oil and dirt (while van is cool of course). then let it dry and start up, see where it's leaking from. best way IMO to find a leak. you sure you didn't just over heat the tranny?
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I wiped it down thoroughly when I got home last night. Oil-Oil Oil. It is oil. Touched smelled it-ATE IT-just kidding. The area I'm going to put the flash light on is back right side where the weird @$$ floating aluminum housing is for the oil filter. It appears to me that it might be leaking there then cavitating to the bottom in an 3 O'clock to 6 O'clock type of way. The only other thing is the two little weird pan bolts for the engine that look like hex/allen headed bolts. I've got to go fight the enemy at the base now. See ya later.-Boz
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