Clean Oil Slick - SOLVED

[C420sailor]

’99 Ex V8

I’ve had an oil leak for a while I can’t seem to track down.

Changed the oil a few weeks ago, and went out of town for three weeks. Came back and there is a good sized slick of clean oil on the driveway directly underneath the differential. Isn’t gear oil, is clean, smells just like my motor oil I use.

Given the fact that it leaked so much doing nothing but sitting, im thinking pan gasket. Anything else it could be?

 

[masospaghetti]

Pan gasket wouldn't leak that much from sitting either. Pan drain plug? Maybe it's power steering fluid?

 

[C420sailor]

It’s definitely Shell Rotella. Clean as a whistle, light amber, has that distinct smell. I’d bet my life on it.

Not the drain plug. No oil pool directly under it. Seems like it’s coming down the left side of the pan/motor. It’s slow as hell...slow enough to accumulate after three weeks. Just moved her into the garage and not a drop in the last 10 mins. Slow yet long lasting while sitting.

Does the pan contain all the oil, or does the level sit above the gasket? Dipstick o-ring maybe....?

 

[EB4X]

Faulty seal on new oil filter....it can happen....
I had one with months on it and it gave out in traffic and oil gushed out...

 

[JCat]

Rear main crankshaft seal

 

[C420sailor]

Welp, found it. I hope the previous owner dies a slow death.

Somehow, the oil pan was shoved in above and forward of the front diff. It must have cracked or been punctured.

Guy covered it in epoxy, which is now cracking and coming apart.

It needs a new oil pan. Or a GOOD fix.

Looks like it can be done from below by removing part of the exhaust, the diff, and the steering rack. Anyone been there done that? Any suggestions for a repair product?

 

[rasouth]

I dropped the oil pan on my 4.0 and I believe I did not have to remove steering rack or exhaust.
It can be a PITA if you have to drop the front diff. It's quite heavy and not easy to handle, but should be doable. I would start with exhaust and see if you can wiggle the oil pan off. If not, remove whatever else is in the way and wiggle it some more.

 

[CDW6212R]

I'm assuming it's the aluminum pan version, not the steel one. Check the pan structurally to decide what to do. If it's a big crack and not sound, then the pan should be changed, and that's a hell of a job(don't do it). Ultra Copper RTV(or Ultra Black/Blue/Grey) can seal a crack easily and permanently if it isn't flexing greatly all the time.

First drain the oil. If you will succeed at sealing the crack, and the crack is near the drain plug opening, I'd squirt(gently) some mild solvent aimed at the crack inside. I have a hand squirter I use for Kroil penetrant. You just don't want too much oil seeping out the crack while the sealant cures.

You need to clear the space all along the crack to work on it. Then clean it well(brake cleaner or a prep solvent as last step), and carefully smear Ultra Copper RTV along the crack, say an inch wide along the crack. Be sure the crack is not wet with oil when you apply the RTV. I'd make the RTV close to 1/8" thick, and let it cure for a good 8-12 hours. If it's applied well and cures, oil will not leak through it.

If you get anything into the pan during the process, flush it out with some fresh cheap oil, before refilling the engine with 5 quarts of new oil.

Don't spray any solvent up into the engine reciprocating assembly etc. I just suggested if the crack is next to the pan area with the drain plug, carefully you could displace a lot of the oil at the top side of the crack through the drain hole. Skip that idea if there is no access to the crack that way.

 

[C420sailor]

The 5.0 had aluminum pans? I figured it was sheet steel.

 

[Turdle]

Pan can be changed with motor in truck but I do not recommend it. Kinda hard to support weight of engine , which will need lifted about 2 inches and held suspended while your hands are inside oil pan doing work. ( attaching oil pump pickup with it's gasket which has to be dropped inside pan to remove the pan) among other things.

Some are steel, some are aluminum. You'll need a matching type as the pickup will be different for each.

OMG NOOOO!! can I drop my oil pan???

 

[CDW6212R]

The 5.0 had aluminum pans? I figured it was sheet steel.

If the pan is smooth on the outside, it's steel. The AL ones have a rough surface texture. Those changed during the 1998 model year. I believe two of my 98 pans are AL, and one is steel.

 

[Turdle]

If it looks dented and repaired it is most likely steel. Aluminum would break from an impact.

 

[CDW6212R]

Yeah, it sounds like more was involved to damage the pan, such as an impact with the ground, or installing the engine etc.

 

[C420sailor]

Yeah, it must be steel then.

I’m going to pull the diff and clean it up and see if this is repairable. I'm rebuilding the front steering/suspension anyway.

I’d TIG it shut if I knew I wouldn’t blow myself up.

My guess, based on the dent location and shape, was that the engine was dropped when reinstalled and it impacted the pumpkin.

 

[Gary Crist]

2 tips. JB weld on a clean surface will do the trick.
Clean with Brake clean (red can) sand spray again.
Mix epoxy make sure no oil residue and apply.

I had a client hit a pot hole in New Mexico and had to use a Brillo pad
for filler before the JB sealer! Never leaked a drop of oil for years.

A 4X4 post across the fenders with 2 blankets and a chain will support
even a 392 Hemi.

 

[Thomas Thayil]

I dropped the oil pan on my 4.0 and I believe I did not have to remove steering rack or exhaust.
It can be a PITA if you have to drop the front diff. It's quite heavy and not easy to handle, but should be doable. I would start with exhaust and see if you can wiggle the oil pan off. If not, remove whatever else is in the way and wiggle it some more.

 

[Thomas Thayil]

Send me your email and I can forward you a pdf of ford manual for that pan


 

[C420sailor]

Thanks Thomas, I have a copy and I was just reading through it. Looks like cat, steering rack, diff, lift engine a few inches.

Hopefully I’ll have the diff out tomorrow or Thursday, and I’ll chip the epoxy away to see how bad the damage is. If it’s small, I’ll repair. If it’s extensive, I’ll have to pull the pan.

 

[CDW6212R]

I'd repair it unless the pan is warped at the block rail. R&Ring the pan is way too much trouble, only worth it for a pristine restoration. I'd use RTV, it will easily seal to the pan if it's perfectly clean. Anything else has to rely on rigidity, no pan twisting at all(which it should never do anyway). So a hard sealant material may let go over time, I doubt RTV(Ultra) ever will.

Here's another example I forgot about; I sealed up a pair of valve covers long ago, in about 1995. That was a mild 351W, in an 86 Crown Vic, tall aftermarket VC's would not fit, one was under the firewall/wiper box.

I had a steel sales place cut and reweld two pairs of OEM steel VC's, I needed about a 1/2" for roller rockers. They had a large horizontal band saw, I thought they could make a slow straight cut of all four, and weld two pairs of them back together. They failed miserably, they cut them with a sawzall, and then used acetylene torch to weld them. The horrible welds leaked in many places. I spent an hour on each grinding welds to get down to the seam area and prepare them for RTV. I used Ultra Copper on the inside, about one tube for the pair. I had no leaks when it was done, painted outside and looked fairly good given the bad welding. I'll never do that again, but I learned how good RTV can be.

 

[C420sailor]

Ultra black it is! Assuming it isn’t a crater of a hole...

I think you’re right about flexibility being important. I bet years of heat cycling the oil pan made the stiff epoxy crack.