5.4 Oil Leak and Hard Shifting
 

I have two problems and I'm hoping for some prelim info before going to the shop. I have a 2005 XLT Supercrew 4x4. 137K miles now. Going for a ride-a-long with mech at the dealership on Monday.


Prob 1: Hard shifting or hesitation when shifting down when in overdrive. When I'm at 1250-1500 rpms and ease on the gas the truck jumps/hesitates significantly when it goes to shift down. If I get on the gas even moderately the truck shifts smoothly and it gets smoother the harder I get on the gas. Has now even started with cruise on.

Prob 2: After getting home today and moving my truck I notice oil on the driveway. I'm running Mobile 1 full Synthetic. The oil seems to be coming down from the area directly above the oil drain plug. Not too much yet, but has me worried! I can see some oil has 'baked on' and I had a spot about 2in in diameter on the driveway. That was at 5 hours ago and no further leaking has occurred since the truck has not been running. This does look like it began today. Oil pressure guage is showing good.

Any help is GREATLY appreciated! Thank you!

Larry

1. Overdue for a tuneup. That's a low grade misfire. Discuss the dealership's policy on broken spark plugs before you let them change them.

2. The whole area needs to be cleaned, then you look for fresh oil and follow it back to the origin.