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Oil Leak :(

plasx

Member
Joined
June 20, 2008
Messages
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City, State
Nashville, TN
Year, Model & Trim Level
1987 XL, 2008 Sport
Man, a new '08 Ranger with under 500 miles on it. And then, what all Ranger owners dread -- oil. Oil, appearing somewhere other than where it's supposed to be. It's not a leak, yet. More of a gathering, a shimmering, right at the bottom of the bellhousing. It also hasn't yet puddled on the ground. It might be coming from the inside the bellhousing; no "witness" trails from anywhere else.
Any ideas?
Rear main? Loose oil pan? Torque converter? Something not "seated-in?"
My last Ranger gave me 20 trouble-free years. This one goes to the dealership to be checked out in the A.M.
Any suggestions/stories welcome. Thanks for your time.
 



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Excuse my language, but take that **** back! If it's under 500 dollars, MAKE them service/fix it. Or replace it. If they won't, go to the next level. I'd start with a dealer, then regional manager, then district manager, work your way up. If it's really under 500 miles, make 'em fix it.
 






^second still under warranty not a big deal sucks that it only has 500 miles on it but with all the cars that are made a few will have problems.
 






Oil leak update. As totally expected, the dealership is in no rush to perform major surgery on my new Ranger, at least at this early stage. They want to wait until the first oil change, and then re-check it. The "leak" is so slight, just a slight gathering on the bottom of the bellhousing. No puddles, etc.
It's still a disappointment that after all these years, they still have the same 3.0 Litre leak problems.
Well, I've always loved the Rangers, and still do.
Maybe it will "heal" itself, or seat-in, anyway. Otherwise, a great vehicle, as were my other Ford trucks.
 






New Oil Leak Update

Who said miracles don't happen? Now, with barely more than 1,000 miles on my '08 Ranger, the slight oil leak has, well, appeared to have stopped. Either the rear main seal seated-in, the torque converter got tighter or divine intervention has occurred, but it appears to be okay.
Any ideas?
 






Oil Leak Update, Part IV.

Aaaarrrggh! Okay. It's back. A slight oil leak, gathering at the bottom inside of the cover plate of the bellhousing. It is oil, not transmission fluid. It does not appear to be coming from the visible part of the oil pan seal.
But, I've noticed a new twist. The leak only seems to happen when the air conditioning has been running. The area appears to stay dry when the A/C hasn't been used. Of course, the engine labors more with the A/C "on."
Any ideas? Thanks.
 






Go back to the dealership. MAKE them fix it. If not contact Ford directly for that area. Like Southwest, Southeast, North, whatever. You shouldnt have to worry about it. And if you do ANYTHING on it yourself they make pull some crap about warranty being voided.
 







But, I've noticed a new twist. The leak only seems to happen when the air conditioning has been running. The area appears to stay dry when the A/C hasn't been used. Of course, the engine labors more with the A/C "on."
Any ideas? Thanks.

Make sure that's not something as simple as water condensate from having the A/C running (maybe the drain hose from the evaporator box is out of position or missing). Once oil gets on something, it always stays "wet" (oily residue).
 






Oil Leak Update, Part V

The dealer put in a new rear main seal and assembly. Let's see if that takes care of the problem.
 






Keep a close eye on that as you get close to the expiration of the warranty. I once had a vehicle (not Ford) that went in at 1,500 miles under warranty for a rear main seal leak. This was in 1984, and the job would have been $1,200 then.

It then started to leak again at 32,000 miles, and of course the warranty ended at 30k. I traded it in on a 1987 Mazda B2000.
 






Rear main seal are really bad on these Rangers. I replaced mine with CNC seal every time I have to replace the clutch or if the transmission being lowered.
 






As last reported, the Ford dealer installed a new rear main seal in my 3.0 Vulcan. The dye test confirmed it was a faulty rear main -- the old seal was bad. No anaerobic sealant was used.
I'm glad to report that it appears to be a success, and there is currently no oil leak.
 






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