Little Oil Drip

[Exp_Steve]

Got a little oil drip in front of the car. Not exactly sure where, but it's up front center for sure. Not a bad leak, as my oil level remains in the norm. Just wondering if any of you have had leaks with 2003 V8 engines? 130k miles.

 

[Exproblems]

Got a little oil drip in front of the car. Not exactly sure where, but it's up front center for sure. Not a bad leak, as my oil level remains in the norm. Just wondering if any of you have had leaks with 2003 V8 engines? 130k miles.

I don't have the V-8 as you, but there are numerous places that can leak oil on the car in the area you desribe. Lots of gaskets and seals on the motor or front axle/diff. The oil leak could be in the axle and not the motor or vice-versa, so you'll have to get under it and pin point where the oil drip is coming from. If you can post up a photo of it it would help people in here to identify what gasket or seal is leaking. At 130k in miles, any seal or gasket could start to leak with that kind of age on it..

 

[Exp_Steve]

I don't have the V-8 as you, but there are numerous places that can leak oil on the car in the area you desribe. Lots of gaskets and seals on the motor or front axle/diff. The oil leak could be in the axle and not the motor or vice-versa, so you'll have to get under it and pin point where the oil drip is coming from. If you can post up a photo of it it would help people in here to identify what gasket or seal is leaking. At 130k in miles, any seal or gasket could start to leak with that kind of age on it..

Thanks. I might take it in to a buddy of mine and have him steam clean the bottom so I can get a better look at where it's coming from. Might be the front end. It's been making noise lately that sounded like the 4WD was engaging. Mainly in slow turns.

 

[Exproblems]

Thanks. I might take it in to a buddy of mine and have him steam clean the bottom so I can get a better look at where it's coming from. Might be the front end. It's been making noise lately that sounded like the 4WD was engaging. Mainly in slow turns.

There are axle seals on these vehicles that can leak gear oil. The bad axle seal I had was the front passenger side one and it dripped slowly from the axle seperation point where the seal is located. I found it during my inspection of the vehicle during the buying period of my Explorer and the tranny shop that repaired the axle seal charged the dealership $107.00 parts and labor for the job. I'm not 100% sure, but I think the axle seal costs around $10-$15. If your 4x4 is engaging, it could be due to un-even treaded tires or sizes. Maybe give them a check. With auto 4x4, all 4 tires need to have nearly the same tread wear and be of the exact same size for the system to work properly. With a badly worn tire or wrong size tire, the system thinks it senses wheel slippage and tries to engage the 4x4 system. Just in case you didn't know this.