[Joe0816]

I have an oil leak on my 01. I had one, saw the pedestal and replaced it with non-ebpv and there is still a good sized leak. It is not from the pedestal though, and there is no oil in the valley. I spoke with a diesel tech who said the opposite of what everyone says, he said he replaced about 10 leaking rear mains on 7.3s within a few years, that its probably my problem. Is there any other possible places it would be leaking? Or how to check the rear main without actually pulling the trans? Any help is greatly appreciated.

 

[nine6stroker]

How does the dipstick tube o-ring look? Mine never leaked much, until one night the o-ring finally swelled too much and let loose. Then it was almost a steady stream of oil from the oil pan.

 

[Joe0816]

If you can hang on for 10 minutes ill go check it out now thanks for the fast reply

 

[nine6stroker]

My leak was bad enough it was a steady drip of oil from the o-ring with the engine running, even when the engine was cold. You'll probably have to run it to see if it's leaking from there.

 

[Joe0816]

Well that is one spot where it is leaking oil from but its not the entire problem, there is oil dripping from the hole on the flywheel cover and even on trans pan a little.

 

[nine6stroker]

It could be leaking from the pan a little too. My drips from the flywheel cover as well, and still leaks from the dipstick o-ring a little (I think the pieces are slightly warped, so the o-ring isn't sealing). You might be able to take the flywheel cover off and get a better look.

 

[Joe0816]

will do, and actually the pan has been replaced not to long ago.

 

[nine6stroker]

Well hopefully it was properly sealed up then! I haven't dealt with my oil leaks yet, mainly because they're not bad enough to justify removing the trans and possibly the motor to fix them.

 

[Joe0816]

Any idea what exactly I should be looking for? the cover is off, and I am scared that the pan is the problem. One thing is for sure, whatever it is, is not all the way around the pan, just in the back

 

[Joe0816]

Well i took it to Ford, the diesel mechanic there is great. He said the oil cooler is leaking. I can't see that being what is making this much of a mess. Especially at the flywheel cover. I'm sure it leaks a little because of the mileage, but I just can't see it being that. FYI they called me and said Ford doesn't sell the whole unit anymore and you would have to piece it together totalling over 1000 without tax including labor. Well I have 3 here so ill try them. Has anyone ever had the oil cooler leak and it go on to the flywheel cover? Also, I was told that I have to watch for pitting near o rings. Would it hurt to put some RTV on the orings to ensure seal?

 

[schlutzer]

Okay whoa.

Oil cooler leaks are almost always the O-rings becoming brittle and breaking. This is a 100$ fix to do yourself, very easy to do. You do not have to replace the oil cooler unless it's rusted out.

But no, your oil cooler leak is not going to show up there, it'll leak either on the axle or right on the ground.

If the flywheel cover and rearmost portion of the oil pan are wet you need to look up to the valley on the engine. 99% of the time oil there is one of three leaks, pedestal o rings, HPOP leak, or EBPV leak. All afternoon fixes and you could likely fix all three for less than 200$. I guess EBPV is off the list

To find these leaks shine a light or stick your hand under the turbo and HPOP, then go from there.

The rear main is a seal and any seal can leak, but it's very rare for it to leak.

Also are you 100% sure it's oil, not oily fuel? Fuel will dry in the warm valley in a fairly short time, but not so much as it runs down the engine and transmission out the drain hole in the back of the valley. Since you said you had an oil leak previously, fuel could be picking up a lot of oil and hard to tell the difference at a glance

 

[Joe0816]

Okay whoa.

Oil cooler leaks are almost always the O-rings becoming brittle and breaking. This is a 100$ fix to do yourself, very easy to do. You do not have to replace the oil cooler unless it's rusted out.

But no, your oil cooler leak is not going to show up there, it'll leak either on the axle or right on the ground.

If the flywheel cover and rearmost portion of the oil pan are wet you need to look up to the valley on the engine. 99% of the time oil there is one of three leaks, pedestal o rings, HPOP leak, or EBPV leak. All afternoon fixes and you could likely fix all three for less than 200$. I guess EBPV is off the list

To find these leaks shine a light or stick your hand under the turbo and HPOP, then go from there.

The rear main is a seal and any seal can leak, but it's very rare for it to leak.

Also are you 100% sure it's oil, not oily fuel? Fuel will dry in the warm valley in a fairly short time, but not so much as it runs down the engine and transmission out the drain hole in the back of the valley. Since you said you had an oil leak previously, fuel could be picking up a lot of oil and hard to tell the difference at a glance

I know for o rings is cheap, but the parts guy told me its VERY common for them to be so pitted it wont seal good, which is why I asked about a little RTV. I get lake effect from lake erie, a lot of beet juice and salt is on the roads. There is a small puddle of oil near back, not quite under the pedestal. I did the EPBV, and replaced pedestal and O rings. I know its possible for them not to have sealed right, but Im pretty sure its not that. Another thing is, a buddy of mine who has a fleet of 7.3s had 5 of the rear mains go, which is actually what the problem was, so I'm not ruling that out just yet. And I'm 100% positive it is not fuel, I tasted it, and it was oil. I felt near the oil rail plug on passenger side and cant feel any oil leaking either. It is not the HPOP, as there is no oil near front of engine. The driver side fitting has little residue on it, but after cleaning, it is defiantly not it either. It does look sort of wet along the bottom side of driver side intake plenulum.

 

[schlutzer]

I'm also in Ontario trust me I know the rust. The oil coolers very rarely actually rot away. And if your buddy has replaced 5 rest main seals he is one of the very few.
Absolutely no RTV on the oil cooler if that gets into the oil system you might as well kiss your engine goodbye.

You said there is a puddle in the valley, clean it and try again. There is a drain the the back of the valley that will shoe oil exactly ad you discribe

 

[harness00]

hpop oil galley plug if theres oil on the side of the bell housing

 

[Joe0816]

hpop oil galley plug if theres oil on the side of the bell housing

are you talking about the oil rail plugs with the half inch female end on it? The oil I was talking about is in the inside of the bell housing, well hell, im sure theres some on the outside, too.

 

[Jlovette]

Did you fix the problem yet? I'm curious cause I thought I had a major oil leak. I had a large puddle in the valley which In turn caused it to run down the rear of the engine. Yesterday I took it to the shop and they cleaned it all up and told me it was the (wanna make sure I get the wording right) fuel bowl drain valve? It was replaced and they said I shouldn't have any more problems. Hope that fixed it.

 

[blue99stroker]

should have fixed it, diesel leaks out cleans old oil and looks like oil when it makes it down the back of the block.

 

[Joe0816]

Mine isn't in the valley, theres a small puddle towards the back. I replaced the pedestal and o rings and all. Is it possible that the intake plenulum rtv seal in leaking? Because on the lower side of the plenulum has oil on it and I wonder if it runs to the back of the head and falls off.

 

[Sloburn]

Hey guys I'd like to join the oil leak club, I got nice stain in my driveway. I have a 2003 7.3 4x4 dually with drip coming off the back side favoring the starter side. Checked dip stick the other day and it looked pretty dry. Just had my tranny rebuilt should have asked mechanic to check for me. Sounds like I'm in the same boat.

 

[Joe0816]

Well the same goes for you, check the valley. I have a to find my damn leak, but its way to cold right now, besides, im driving my winter beater.