another question, just getting around to really going over this truck.


I have a leaky oil pan, it appears that it is rusted in some areas and I think that the oil is seeping out of one of the rust spots on the pan. I'm not exactly sure how an oil pan rusts out, being that it is filled with oil. It's definitely not leaking from the gasket.

I originally thought that the oil was coming from the bolt, so i bought a new bolt with the washer and put that on today and cleaned off the oil pan. The leak appears to be coming from just above and a little to the left of the bolt.

Is there any way to fix this without replacing the oil pan? I'm not really that mechanically inclined how much will it cost to have a shop put on a pan if there is no other way to fix it. It's just a small leak and i can live with it i guess, but it's making a mess on the road where i park it. It's a 93 f150, 5.0 liter, 4x4.

 

The oil pans in your model year as well as a few others (like mine) are famous for rusting out. I'm not sure on your model, but on mine replacement involves jacking the engine to clear a cross support, I had no time to mess with it when I bought the truck, so I worked out the replacement at the time of purchase at half price, cost me about $300 or so I think.

I've read about people who've tried JB Weld etc, but my thinking is if it's swiss cheese in one area, more are on the way so better to just replace it and be done with it.

FYI, it's rusting because Ford used cheap steel and even cheaper coatings on it from what I've read.

 

Yup, motor has to come up a few inches and the pan replaced. Might as well do the oil pump while your down there too.

Adrianspeeder

 

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You will have to remove the upper intake for firewall clearance when jacking the engine. Otherwise, it wont jack up far enough. Also, when you do it, go ahead and invest in a one peice rubber Fel-Pro gasket. You will be happy you did.

 

They didn't have to remove the intake on mine, so you might want to check on that, no sense taking things of if you dont have to.

 

Do you have a 92-96 4x4 with a 302?

 

No I have a 95 with a 5.8, but I seriously doubt there's all that much difference in the procedure.

 

If you're going to be using the truck often or as a daily driver you should just replace the pan. Since you're not really into mechanics, you should probably just get a dealer to do it since as others have said requires jacking the motor up. Easily run you a couple hundred.

But if it's a secondary vehicle, you could try a "mickey mouse" fix and just slop j-b weld on it, which will plug that leak, but it's a matter of time until oil pops through another rust spot. Ford was not known for using quality steel on trucks of that era, rust was a given.

 

Thats the way to be encouraging and have initiative.

Jacking the motor up really isnt that big of a deal, nor is removing the intake. Both can be done easily with a Haynes/Chiltons manual, something you should have already.

 

He said he really wasn't mechanically inclined, so jacking a motor probably seems pretty intimidating, and not everybody has the time to screw around with stuff like that. I don't see a sticker on the motor saying "unbolt here" and "jack here" with prominent yellow arrows, so it's not easy in my book. I'll work on things all day long as long as it's not a hassle. Fine, I'm lazy, whatever. I guess if you're a "saturday mechanic" type of person then I guess give it a shot, you can't really screw anything up and you can save some money but if you don't know what you're doing the frustration results in the old "i shoulda just taken it to the shop" and saved yourself the trouble for the extra money.

Whatever, if you feel comfortable removing intakes and moving the engine then go ahead. If you said "huh?" at "jack the motor" then bring it to the shop.

Just trying to give some realistic advice here. I'd have an inch of duck tape around the oil pan and a gallon of jb weld slapped on it before I'd go to the trouble of moving the motor and actually replacing it.

 

According to the Ford mechanic who replaced my pan, you should not have to remove your intake manifold. I can email you the procedure he gave me if you want.

As for duct tape and JB Weld, the problem is, the leak is due to rust. Once the pan is rusted enough to start seeping oil, it's getting to the point where it may just start losing big chunks. Obviously you don't want a big hole in your oil pan going down the highway or the repair bill is going to be a lot bigger.

A dealer is going to nail you about $600 for the repair, almost $200 of that is for the pan. You can get the pan cheaper from a couple of places and find a local garage who might do the labor cheaper though.

 

I'm not really into jacking up the motor. I can handle basic maintenance like air filters, oil changes, spark plugs, etc. Just little stuff. Jacking up the motor is definitely beyond my mechanical ability and know how. I was hoping it would clear that cross member, it looked like an easy fix until you guys told me what all was involved.

It's not leaking badly yet but I do think it may get worse. I took it to a shop and got a quote they want about $500 for labor they said i can bring my own pan and gasket they will do the rest, i may get a new oil pump while they are tearing it apart. I think I can get a pan for about $100 and $10 for a gasket. So yeah it's right at about $600. I don't have the money right now, So I am going to try the jb weld and see what happens. The rust is pretty much just in one or two areas to the left and above the drain bolt. The rest of the pan appears to be in good shape. I will probably get it fixed in the spring. Do you think I can wait that long?

It's definitely not a daily driver. It's pretty much just a toy. I didn't pay much for it and I really only want it for winter time so I can get around in the snow, and for hauling things when I need to. My car just isn't good at either of those tasks. I appreciate all the info you guys are giving me, thanks for the help with this thing. It seems like it may get expensive keeping it alive.

 

I dont doubt that the intake didn't have to come off when yours was done. You know more about the 5.8 than I do. All I can tell you is that with a 5.0 SOMETHING is different and the intake has to come off becuase of firewall clearance when you jack the motor. As soon as I find what it is I will get back to you with it. I had to do it with mine and everyone else I know of with a 5.0 EFI motor has had to also.

You are right about the price. Ford qouted me alsmot $600 to replace the oil pan, but I did it myself for roughly $150, using all high grade parts and oil.

How much does the truck leak? When I added my expense of oil up over a year, a $3 quart of oil once a well will only cost you $156 in a year. Beats the heck out of $600 to get it fixed.

 

It doesn't leak enough to notice any difference on the dipstick and it's been about 2 or 3 weeks since i've noticed it leaking. Really all it's doing is making a mess on the road in front of my house as the oil slowly leaks out.

I'll figure something out, for now i'm going with jb weld to see how that works, if that doesn't work i'll probably just let it leak until spring and then look into getting it replaced. I want to make sure the rest of the truck isn't going to break before i drop $600 to fix a slightly leaky oil pan.