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Oil Filter Adapter Housing Gasket

HiImBrian

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St. Petersburg, Florida
Year, Model & Trim Level
2003 Explorer Eddie Bauer
Ok so apparently this gasket is bad and it the cause for the oil leak in my 4.6. AND my mechanic just quoted me $250 to replace it.

It seems like it should be an easy change out and a relatively inexpensive gasket to replace. What's your input?

EDIT: Advance auto wants 11.50 for this gasket....
 



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These 4.6s a known to leak there. I replaced mine with no issues. You will need to drain the radiator because that adapter also doubles as an oil cooler. It will take you 2 hours tops (if you're slow like me). Save the money and do it yourself. :D
 






I have found that most mechanics will charge a minimum of $250 to do anything. They cannot stay in business by doing things for $50 here and there.
 






I have found that most mechanics will charge a minimum of $250 to do anything. .

Remind me to stay away from the mechanics in your area. :thumbdwn: In my area, if most mechanic's charged a minimum $250 to fix even the simplest of things or "anything", they would be out of business because no one would take their vehicle to them to get ripped off. A shop owner/mechanic should only charge or be paid for the true amount of time it took them to do a repair, not any more, not any less. When you are an honest mechanic that charges fairly and does quality work that they back up, you won't have to worry about having plenty of work and staying in business, because plenty of repeat, "word of mouth" customers will flock to you each year.
 






FordFool2 said:
These 4.6s a known to leak there. I replaced mine with no issues. You will need to drain the radiator because that adapter also doubles as an oil cooler. It will take you 2 hours tops (if you're slow like me). Save the money and do it yourself. :D

Well, now at least I know it IS a 2 hour job and not a 30-minute one; AND that $250 is ridiculous... Thanks for the heads up, that would've been a curve ball....
 






That job SUCKS. It took me hours. VERY difficult to get to and get the bolts in and out. Not to mention very messy. No, you don't need to drain the radiator. Pulling the filter drain shield off and pulling the left front tire is a must.
 






CommandPresence said:
That job SUCKS. It took me hours. VERY difficult to get to and get the bolts in and out. Not to mention very messy. No, you don't need to drain the radiator. Pulling the filter drain shield off and pulling the left front tire is a must.

It seems like there's plenty of room to work right there. Why would I have to pull the tire? And I'm sure it would leak coolant if it flows through there. Are you sure I don't need to drain it?
 






Here is a diagram and the bolt torque. Please make sure you drain your radiator before you pull this off otherwise it will be a huge mess as Command Pressence somehow experienced. I worked it from underneath but mine is 4WD. Maybe I had more room.

The big hole in the gasket is coolant to lower radiator hose. The 2 smaller openings are for oil in and out.

2010-01-02_230143_2010-01-02_165947.jpg
 






FordFool2 said:
Here is a diagram and the bolt torque. Please make sure you drain your radiator before you pull this off otherwise it will be a huge mess as Command Pressence somehow experienced. I worked it from underneath but mine is 4WD. Maybe I had more room.

The big hole in the gasket is coolant to lower radiator hose. The 2 smaller openings are for oil in and out.

That diagram helps a lot! Thanks! Hopefully I'll be doing this Tuesday morning. How would you recommend I drain the coolant?
 






There should be a draincock on the bottom of the radiator, pretty sure passenger side. Catch it in a clean bucket and reuse it if fairly new.
 






FordFool2 said:
There should be a draincock on the bottom of the radiator, pretty sure passenger side. Catch it in a clean bucket and reuse it if fairly new.

Nah, I'll trash it. That's how I would have emptied it anyways. Just wanted to be sure there wasn't some special way to do it.
 






Nah, I'll trash it. That's how I would have emptied it anyways. Just wanted to be sure there wasn't some special way to do it.

As "Fordfool2" said, there is a radiator "draincock or petcock" on the passenger side lower radiator, at least on my V-6 it is, but you may also want to remove the expansion tank cap after you open the petcock. It will drain faster that way. The petcock nut should be made of plastic, so don't over tighten it when you close up the system to begin re-filling the system with new coolant. Doesn't take much torque to tighten them up.
 






I only lost a small amount of coolant while doing the job...didn't need to drain. But make sure you have extensions, swivel sockets and patience. Its tough to seat it and get the bolts started. Especially if you have big hands. Wash the crap out of it prior to removal with brakeleen. Makes it much easier to see the surface and bolts.
 






CommandPresence said:
I only lost a small amount of coolant while doing the job...didn't need to drain. But make sure you have extensions, swivel sockets and patience. Its tough to seat it and get the bolts started. Especially if you have big hands. Wash the crap out of it prior to removal with brakeleen. Makes it much easier to see the surface and bolts.

I think I'm just going to drain it anyways. New coolant couldn't hurt... I bought a case of brakleen a couple months back so I've got plenty. Anyone recall the bolt size?
 












1ATony said:
It shouldn't be to hard to change. If you have a Haynes or a Chiltons manual it should tell you how to do it.

It seems straightforward enough. I'm not too concerned about it anymore. Thanks for all the help everyone! I'll be sure to let you know how it goes.
 






POS:
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Remind me to stay away from the mechanics in your area. :thumbdwn: In my area, if most mechanic's charged a minimum $250 to fix even the simplest of things or "anything", they would be out of business because no one would take their vehicle to them to get ripped off.

I think it must be because there are enough people with car problems that don't want to learn how to fix things on there own around here. Didn't realize my part of the world was so different from everywhere else.

A shop owner/mechanic should only charge or be paid for the true amount of time it took them to do a repair, not any more, not any less. When you are an honest mechanic that charges fairly and does quality work that they back up, you won't have to worry about having plenty of work and staying in business, because plenty of repeat, "word of mouth" customers will flock to you each year.
The way things "should" be are not always reality. It makes a great story, though.
 






The way things "should" be are not always reality. It makes a great story, though.

And to think getting overly charged by any repair shop in your area a minimum of $250 for even the "smallest" of car repairs is reality? If it is, then it's no wonder why crooked repair shops thrive in your area.
 



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Any chance that this gasket could leak internally allowing coolant into the oil, or is there any chance the oil adapter/cooler could itself leak coolant into oil. I have a 4.6 leaking coolant into the oil, but with no other signs of head gasket or intake gasket. Run fine, no white smoke, etc. I would consider replacing this gasket before taking to the dealer to diagnose. Also, I'll be doing compression and leak down tests this weekend or next, but this looks like another area where coolant and oil come in close proximity.

Thanks,
 






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