oil leak 1990 F150
09-15-2015, 05:36 PM
#1
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oil leak 1990 F150
I recently bought a 1990 F150 4wd with the 302 motor in it. Theres a minor looking (to me anways) oil leak coming from behind the front tires, but centered in the truck. I just bought this thing and am mow stressing about the oil leak. What could this be? Is it major?
09-15-2015, 05:53 PM
#2
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It could be anything from the pcv valve to valve cover gaskets to the rear main seal to the oil pan.
Until someone diagnoses it, we can guess all day.
My '90 with the 5.8L was leaking oil like crazy and it turned out to be from 2 spots: 1. The oil sending unit and 2. The passenger side valve cover gasket. I had the shop take care of the sending unit and that cleaned up the manority of the leaking. The valve cover still leaks but about 2 drops after i drive it a ways and park it.
Until someone diagnoses it, we can guess all day.
My '90 with the 5.8L was leaking oil like crazy and it turned out to be from 2 spots: 1. The oil sending unit and 2. The passenger side valve cover gasket. I had the shop take care of the sending unit and that cleaned up the manority of the leaking. The valve cover still leaks but about 2 drops after i drive it a ways and park it.
09-15-2015, 06:28 PM
#3
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For what it's worth, make sure you're running a Motorcraft PCV in your truck. Aftermarket PCVs will give you problems such as an erratic idle and pushing oil into your air filter box and onto the ground.
09-15-2015, 09:44 PM
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09-16-2015, 11:22 AM
#6
It'll be fine if you don't let the oil run low.
Don't park on nice driveways.
You can try snugging up all the valve cover and oilpan bolts a little, that sometimes helps.
Take note of what was said in the other posts about the PCV valve (use a Motorcraft one).
If you don't have PCV - Positive Crankcase Ventilation _ you will have positive crankcase pressure which pushes oil out all over the place. Also causes the engine to burn oil because the pressure pushes it past the piston rings. Which is a waste of oil and also fouls your plugs and clogs your cats.
Don't park on nice driveways.
You can try snugging up all the valve cover and oilpan bolts a little, that sometimes helps.
Take note of what was said in the other posts about the PCV valve (use a Motorcraft one).
If you don't have PCV - Positive Crankcase Ventilation _ you will have positive crankcase pressure which pushes oil out all over the place. Also causes the engine to burn oil because the pressure pushes it past the piston rings. Which is a waste of oil and also fouls your plugs and clogs your cats.
09-16-2015, 12:26 PM
#7
Senior Member
Sure....just don't run it low on oil.
Based on your 7 posts to date on the forum, lack of diagnosing the source of the leak and others' guesses, I would say dive right into it. On a scale of 1 to 17, the fix should be about a 12.743.
Seriously ask yourself...
What's your mechanical ability?
Where's it leaking from?
Do you have the tools to perform the work?
Do you have the space to perform the work?
Do you have another mode of transportation while your truck is out of commission?
What's your time worth vs. paying a mechanic to do it?
People on the internet don't know what's wrong with your truck. We've laid out some ideas where it could be leaking from. Please investigate and report back to us.
Is there fresh oil towards the rear of your valve covers?
Is it dripping off the front cross member or is the oil dripping off the transmission?
Is the front of the motor near the oil pan dry?
What side is saturated with oil?
I'm sorry to sound like an ***** but we can't guess the problem on your truck. For me, it was worth paying a shop $150 to source the engine oil leaks and the transmission leak. From there, I was able to figure out a plan of attack on which project was within my ability and budget. In all, I didn't have the room or tools to remove the transmission so I paid a shop (mostly labor fees) to do the work for me. While they were under the truck, I paid to have the oil sending unit fixed. The shop also told me the valve cover was leaking but not bad....I weighed the cost vs. the severity of the leak and the leak won.
Based on your 7 posts to date on the forum, lack of diagnosing the source of the leak and others' guesses, I would say dive right into it. On a scale of 1 to 17, the fix should be about a 12.743.
Seriously ask yourself...
What's your mechanical ability?
Where's it leaking from?
Do you have the tools to perform the work?
Do you have the space to perform the work?
Do you have another mode of transportation while your truck is out of commission?
What's your time worth vs. paying a mechanic to do it?
People on the internet don't know what's wrong with your truck. We've laid out some ideas where it could be leaking from. Please investigate and report back to us.
Is there fresh oil towards the rear of your valve covers?
Is it dripping off the front cross member or is the oil dripping off the transmission?
Is the front of the motor near the oil pan dry?
What side is saturated with oil?
I'm sorry to sound like an ***** but we can't guess the problem on your truck. For me, it was worth paying a shop $150 to source the engine oil leaks and the transmission leak. From there, I was able to figure out a plan of attack on which project was within my ability and budget. In all, I didn't have the room or tools to remove the transmission so I paid a shop (mostly labor fees) to do the work for me. While they were under the truck, I paid to have the oil sending unit fixed. The shop also told me the valve cover was leaking but not bad....I weighed the cost vs. the severity of the leak and the leak won.
