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I have an seepage issue that's causing oil to collect in the valley area of the engine. It looks like it then causes drips at the rear of the engine. What is usually the source of these leaks? The HPOP lines were replaced a few years ago after one of them blew on a road trip. The resulting mess was cleaned up as well as it was possible at the time. Oil seems to be accumulating enough again to cause a drip. I've though of just taking it to a good mechanic I know but he prefers not to work on these engines and none of the guys he recommended are in business anymore. I've tried just calling a few diesel shops in the area but I didn't like the vibes I got from them. After all that I actually feel I would be better off trying the chase it down and fixing it myself. Any suggestions where to start?
Is it heaviest towards the front or rear? Are 100% positive it's oil? Diesel fuel mixed w/ a tiny bit of oil residue can fool the best of us. If it's oil then most likely suspects for rearward are turbo pedestal or exhaust back pressure valve actuator. Frontward it's most likely the non serviceable plug(which is completely serviceable), one of the hpop discharged fittings, or the rear cover of the hpop. On rare occasions you may see a front cover leak too.
Also check the fuel drain valve under the fuel bowl. That is a known leaking point and as Kapusta said, just add a little oil and it will seem like all oil. The motor tilts back a little and there is a drain hole in the rear flange at the top. I believe the drivers side. Makes it look like a rear main is going out.
RiffRaff Diesel has a repair kit for it and it is a quick easy fix. I did mine about 180K miles ago and it is still dry up top.
I'm more than sure it's oil. It seems to coincide with the need to add oil to the engine. I'm not sure if it's heavier in the front or back. It's hard to get a good look with so many wires, tubes and other hardware in the way. It does give the impression the rear main is leaking but it doesn't appear so on better inspection and wiping oil off of the bell housing area. I know I'm capable of the repairs, It just looks like there a lot of stuff that needs to be removed to access what needs attention. I often end up breaking a lot of stuff that needs access with my luck with Fords in the past. I wish I could just find a good mechanic in the Vancouver WA area.
It may be time to invest in an endoscope camera and go spelunking in the valley. If you do decide to go that route then I recommend buying a camera w/ the very best resolution you're willing to shell out for. You'll also want to clean the valley as well as you possibly can, then lay down a couple layers of paper towels. Take a short drive to get everything warmed up and the juices flowing. The clean paper towels will usually lead you to the source or at least the area of the source.
I would be willing to bet it coming from turbo or EBPV.. I had teh same thing last year.. not a ton of oil but just a slow leak that turned into a bigger leak.. We took trip from NC to Maine and back and on way back I was stopping every couple hrs to put oil in.. it was dripping down the valley and out the weep hole more on the passanger side.. When i stopped and sat for 15 to 20 min you could see a small puddle of oil and looking under you see more drip comng..
It was teh turbo pedistal.. one of the bolts holding turbo had stipped out over time and the ped was leaking at the o rings.
I had to remove turbo get new ring, drill and put a helo coil in for bolt.. also installed WW2 i had that was sitting around as well .. still no leaks and this was aug of 2022..
check the pic..
Don't completely count out a minor leak from one of the HPOP fittings below the fuel lines that plug into fuel bowl. Had one leaking that drove me nuts for weeks trying to find, including a Ford dealership telling me that I had a possible rear main seal leak (I didn't).
Have you tried to find leak while engine is running? Cause it took all of 10 seconds for me to find it with the engine on
I haven't tried looking with it running running. It's definitely worth trying. Worst can happen is I don't find anything. I'll give a few of the suggestions a try tomorrow when I have some time.
Best I can tell you is, don't bother with anything less than 5MP. DEPSTECH is a pretty well reviewed brand. I have one of the wireless models that connect to a smartphone from them and the quality is good, but only a 2MP version and the resolution is not great.
I saw the DEPSTECHs on Amazon. I was hoping I would see a review from a forum member using one. I'd prefer one from a brand I recognize and I've never heard of DEPSTECH before.
one tip i used is a can of non chlorine brake cleaner to get stuff oil free.. I had the leaking HPOP line in on the pass head allowing oil to run down that area and going to back pass side of engine.. I sprayed with BC and put a white napkin crammed in and it showed some drips.. but eventually it was the turbo bolt was loose allow seepage that got worse..
I have the DEPSTECH linked below. Used it on random things over the last few years. I like it. Good deal for the money in my opinion. $45 plus 10% off.
Maybe there’s something newer now that’s higher resolution but it works for me. Probably biggest downside is some lag in the camera which makes moving it around a little tricky. Gotta move and wait a couple seconds.
Wireless Endoscope, DEPSTECH Upgrade 5.0MP HD Inspection Camera, Scope Camera with Light, 16 inch Focal Distance, Semi-Rigid Snake Waterproof Borescope with 2200mAh Battery for iPhone & Android-16.5FT https://a.co/d/f7c8T9j
