My new to me 01 f150 w/5.4L engine and 147K miles came with a small oil leak. The PO thought it was the oil filter adapter gasket leaking and ignored it as it was not real bad and did not increase the oil consumption. I see these trucks can leak oil from lurking/researching here on the issue. I opted to have the local dealer do my first oil change for me ($33 bucks with MC oil and filter) and they looked for the oil leak source for me yesterday.

The mechanic thought it was the front crank seal ($190 estimate to fix), but the service manager thought maybe it was seeping from the timing cover ($780+ with new timing chain tensioners/guides). They said it was such a mess of oil everywhere, it was difficult to really tell the leak source. They put some UV dye into the oil and said to return in a week and they would look again with a UV light to try and see the leak better. They agreed it would be good to spray the lower front engine with engine cleaner to clean it up so they could see the fresh leaking oil location easier.

Today I sprayed CRC engine cleaner at the car wash and cleaned up a mess of old oil and dirt. I was stoked to have the truck start right up and not misfire after my first carwash episode which resulted in a full tune plug change from water fouling the COPs, lol.

The leak is probably leaking about 6 drops a day or so from measuring it with some cardboard the night before, so not a huge amount, just a couple of inch mess on the driveway kind of leak.

Any input on this issue? Should I just ignore it and use my power washer to clean the driveway? or mess with fixing a leak the PO ignored for a couple of years? I will let you guys know what the dealer mechanics think the leak is from when I get back to them. If it is the timing cover, any chance I can access the bolts and just snug them up or would I have to pull the covers and replace and reseal the gaskets after removing the fan, radiator, etc. I want to keep the truck a while and am worried it may worsen or damage something else. Any words of wisdom appreciated. Thanks all

 

If you really want to keep it...then it might be better to fix it regardless of what is leaking....if it turns out to be the timing chain cover, then you get new stuff that should take you well over the 200-250k mile mark.

If this truck gets used "occasionally"...for odd jobs and what not, not serious towing or heavy daily use...then maybe you can let it go for a while until you can save up some funds to get it repaired. Just keep a close eye on the oil level

 

thanks for the tips enricher. I got a good look at it today after yesterdays car wash, on jacks w/lights and the leak is without doubt coming off the oil filter adapter. It looked like maybe it was leaking from the threads of the oil sensor located on the rear of the adapter, but it was snug when I got a crows foot wrench on some extensions to it. The PO told me he thought it was the oil adapter leaking, a known issue for these trucks. He was a mechanic and very honest about the truck. It was really the only thing wrong with the truck when I bought it, so I will fix it for sure. I will be using the truck to tow trailers weighing 1-2 tons soon.

I also got the tires rotated and the starter looked really ancient. I might pick up a starter from a bone yard and keep it under the back seat for when that day comes and I am out on some desert road in the middle of nowhere.

I will do some research on the fix, seems like I remember reading it was a 3 hour fix and the tricky part was moving and working around the power steering pump?? Anyone have some good links or recommendations on replacing the adapter gasket(s)? Thanks to all, I really like the truck and this site is really wonderful for info and nice folks.

 

You have to remove the PS pump. Have to remove the pully thats the hard part of that.. Sford starters last along long time. Just because it looks old dont mean it can get allot older..

 

Thanks jethat, If it looks too tuff for me, I can take it to a good mechanic in town in know or back to the dealer for $89/hour. I will get some quotes tomorrow and do some more reading on it tonight. Do the starters make some complaints before they croak, or are they like the jap ones that just die a quick and sudden death? Good to know the starters are well made and reliable. I just worry about getting stuck on a river trip shuttle somewhere out west with friends and gear and tight permit logistics. When I did the grand canyon 2 years ago, charlie's alternator died during the shuttle and the shuttle drivers jumped it continually till they got to the take out and left the truck for us with a dead battery out on a dirt road with 100 temps. But, you are right about Charlie's started, it died a couple of weeks after we got home, with 197K on the odo.

 

My mechanic in town said he had done several of the oil filter adapters in the past and looked up the shop rate to be 2 1/2 hours of work. I set up an appointment next Tuesday to replace the gasket for me. I picked up a part from Ford today and they mentioned the easiest way to access the adapter is to remove the driver's side front wheel and then remove the inner wheel well to get direct access to the filter adapter. Thanks all.