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Oil Leak on an '05 Excursion

4K views 21 replies 4 participants last post by  dillon134 
#1 ·
My wifes X has an oil leak that I can't isolate. Seems to be coming from area near the starter. Hope it's not oil cooler gasket but assume that if it had disintegrated I would have seen pieces of it end up clogging my IPR. Maybe that is the next shoe to drop :(

I replaced the HPOP two years ago so maybe it is then HPOP Cover gasket. Just can't be sure from visual inspection.

I've heard about oil dye being used to help isolate leak. Anybody have any thoughts/experience with this? The leak is not too bad but always looks worse after rain hits the driveway where it has been leaking and makes it seem like a massive leak due to the petroleum circle rainbow visible due to the rain washout.

Thanks.
 
#2 ·
Also check your turbo feed and drainback tubes. There was a parts change on one of them due to leaks.
 
#4 ·
Update: I've ordered some Tracer Leak Detection Dye, a UV flashlight and some yellow goggles. They get good reviews on helping to isolate leaks (Oil, Differential, Transmission, etc). I read a review where a guy said that, after the dye treatment, the leak showed up like it had been marked with a highlighter.

We'll see.
 
#8 · (Edited)
Update: I've ordered some Tracer Leak Detection Dye, a UV flashlight and some yellow goggles. They get good reviews on helping to isolate leaks (Oil, Differential, Transmission, etc). I read a review where a guy said that, after the dye treatment, the leak showed up like it had been marked with a highlighter.
I have used UV tracer dye my entire career and I absolutely recommend its use for finding leaks. I have a few tips to assist you.


  1. When used on diesel engines the dye is less visible with dirty oil. Start with an oil change if it has not been serviced recently.
  2. On a 6.0L diesel you will need to use 3 ounces of dye. Every brand I have ever used directs you to use one 1oz bottle for every 5 quarts of engine oil. Do read the instructions and use the correct amount of dye to be sure to use the correct amount.
  3. Do not just pour the dye directly into the engine oil fill as it will take a long time for the dye mix with the oil before it is visible. Pour some oil out of a new bottle of clean engine oil and add the dye to the bottle, shake the bottle to thoroughly mix the dye and then add the oil to the crankcase.
  4. If the oil leak is heavy, meaning it drips frequently while sitting there idling, don't wait too long to begin looking with your UV lamp. It is best to find the leak before it migrates all over. If the opposite is true, you may want to drive the vehicle a little to get it to leak which is common for pressure related leaks.
The most common question I am asked is "will the dye harm my engine or my injectors?" The answer is no and you can change the oil at the next service interval.



Good Luck with your hunt! :thumbsup:
 
#5 ·
Keep us updated on how that stuff works and what you find!
 
#7 ·
The attached pic above is of a piece of plywood that I placed under the engine just after my wife returned from some errands. The plywood was clean before it was put in place. Based on what I see, it seems that the oil is either leaking up high and pooling on the top of the motor, thereby making it leak/drain from multiple spots up top, or, the leak is hitting the frame rail or something else which distributes the oil drops around. I doubt that I have 5-10 separate oil leaks, or I hope.
 
#10 ·
I assume the dye works with fully synthetic oil.
Yes. The "oil" dye works with ANY petroleum based lubricant in the vehicle. Any engine oil, power steering and any transmission that uses ATF. Of course, you should always read the documentation for the product you are using to be sure.
 
#11 ·
I should have mentioned that the truck is throwing a P0674 and P0675 so I'm now wondering if an oil leak can originate from the Glow Plug Harness, or from specific glow plug cavaties?

Again, I hope the dye will help me isolate the leak but I figured I should include the above data points as well.
 
#12 ·
Glow plug harness leaks are somewhat common especially on earlier model year 6.0L trucks. However those are usually pretty easy to spot.
 
#13 ·
Ok, the dye and accessories arrived today so i changed the oil and added the dye to a few of the 1 gallon containers of new oil. I gave them a good shake (thanks Ford Doc) and added it to the engine. I'll try to isolate the leak over the weekend and report back.

The dye actually makes the oil (after a good shake for mixing) look like the green slime from Ghostbusters ;)

I would certainly prefer not to have a leak but i must say that I felt a little bit like a mad scientist with the mixing of liquids.
 
#14 ·
After taking the Excursion to dinner snd back home, i got too anxious to wait until tomorrow afternoon and just now looked under the motor with UV Flashlight and Yellow Glasses. The entire bottom of the bell housing is sopping wet with glow-in the dark motor oil. I'm not seeing any fresh new oil in the valley of the motor beneath the turbo so I don't think I have an issue in that area.

It doesn't appear to be an oil pain gasket leak and now I'm beginning to worry about a rear main seal leak or a bed plate gasket leak. I am hoping that I learn that it is something easier to fix but I'm not holding my breath.

I'm not equipped, time-wise and patience-wise, to pull the engine on my own so I am praying that it isn't the bed plate gasket.
 
#15 ·
Un-disturbed Bed Plate gaskets don't typically leak bad enough to drip this severely. What I mean by un-disturbed will also apply to your rear engine cover... I'll get to that. The joints of the engine where the bed plate spaghetti gaskets meet the front and rear engine covers are sealed with that nice strong gray silicone sealant. When removing the rear cover for example, if that silicone is not cut with a sharp knife just as the cover is broken free and before it is pulled away, it will pull on the bed plate gasket, stretching it far into the gasket channerl which makes it no longer seal The seal can be pushed back into the bedplate if not pulled out too far but it will never effectively seal again.

This scenario also applies to the rear engine cover with relation to the high pressure oil pump cover on top of the engine. A much more common repair than removing a front or rear engine cover. If a technician does not use the same cutting technique on the HPOP cover where it is sealed with silicone to the rear cover to engine block joint the rear engine cover gasket will be pulled and stretched. The leak that is caused by this actually travels down the gasket channel machined into the rear cover and shows up at the lower rear of the engine on either side.

Either scenario requires some some degree of time consuming access to reseal. A bed plate seal requires removal of the engine to be done properly. At that point a total engine reseal is in order.

With your UV Lamp and glasses, follow the bed plate seam toward the front of the engine. Pay close attention to the front of the block behind the power steering pump and the AC compressor as the camshaft position and crankshaft position sensors are located there. The o-rings on those sensors are also a common pattern failure and can leak a lot of oil sometimes. The oil runs down the bed plate seam or oil pan seam and ends up at the rear of the engine.
 
#16 ·
Thanks as always Ford Doc. So, I think I may have been mistaken about the leak not coming from the top. I'll try to explain.

I used the lamp and glasses last night because I read that it works best (makes sense) to look for these leaks, highlighted for fluorescent coloring, in the dark. The thing is that I saw a lot of things that were glowing and I'm pretty sure not all of it was due to leaking oil. Last year I had a tear in my OC to EGR Cooler Hose and it was obviously pooling in the valley of the motor where the HPOP cover is. It was tough, but I was able to replace the little hose without removing the turbo. I am 100% sure that I resolved that problem as I see no evidence of coolant leaking anymore and my degas bottle level has remained constant for over a year now. The problem is that it seems like coolant splatter/residue also glows when observed via the UV light and glasses.

When I checked this area last night, I did see that the valley was clearly highlighted/glowing from a leak but it seems like it was dry so I just attributed it to the previous coolant hose leak. Now, I'm not so sure. I am seeing glowing liquid residue in that area and then I can follow the trail, on both sides of the motor (drivers and passenger) all the way down to the oil pan, bell housing and then even splattered on the transmission pan.

I don't think that my turbo drain back tube is leaking because the part of it that I can see that goes into the turbo is clean, no oil leak. Without removing the turbo I can't see the part of the drain back tube that goes into the HPOP cavity, so I can't be certain if there is a leak there associated with the O-ring. What I am thinking is that the leak may be from the left (passenger side) rear-most HPOP Cover bolt. Two years ago I had to install a new HPOP and I did it without removing the intake. You can get all the bolts off of the cover easily with the exception of the left rear one (and the one next to it also). Those bolts are under the EGR Cooler and there isn't much room to get an wrench on it. Then you have to leave the loosened bolts in the cover and carefully twist the cover off without dropping a bolt into the bottom of the motor. My point in sharing this is that I remember it was also hard to get a good torque on those cover bolts after the HPOP installation. Maybe my leak is in that spot and the glowing dried liquid residue is in fact from the oil leak and not left over from my previous coolant leak.

Sorry for the long post but this thread may also help someone else so I want to be as thorough as possible.

Thanks.
 
#17 ·
Dillon: I bought a set of swivel head ratcheting wrenches from Craftsman to reach those bolts. They work really well, went all the way down to 8mm and were relatively inexpensive. Better get some before Sears sells Craftsman!
 
#18 ·
Thanks man. I'll look into getting a set. I would have guessed that the ratcheting head itself was too thick to fit under the EGR Cooler, even for an 8mm wrench. If it fits then that is an awesome solution.

I may just take the truck to Ford and let them find the oil leak, and then I'll fix it. I see evidence of the leak with the UV Glasses and Flashlight but I can't locate the source. It is looking more and more like it is on top and likely something related to the Oil Cooler, or HPOP cover.
 
#19 ·
Well, I took my inspection camera today and focused on the top of the motor. The leak definitely is in that area so I guess that is better than having to worry about a Bed Plate or a Main Seal leak.

It looks like the IPR valve and the turbo drain tube is ok. It has to either be the oil cooler gasket or maybe the HPOP cover gasket. I may just deal with the leak until the weather warms up. I'll post my findings when I get to it, probably in April. Thanks again to all who have contributed to this thread.
 
#20 ·
Ok guys. I need some advice. I've explained my leak situation and the fact that it is clearly coming from the top of the motor somewhere. At this point I cannot isolate the leak and am thinking about taking it to Ford and paying them to find it for me, and then I'll fix it.

The question I have is, how many different places could it be leaking from up top for the oil to end up pooling in the valley of the motor? The turbo drain tube shows no signs of leaks at the turbo or at the HPOP Cover. The feed tube appears to be clean as well. Could there be a small crack in the oil filter housing? I hate to pay them to find it if it makes better sense for me to just tear it down and inspect the HPOP Cover gasket and OC gasket. I'd prefer to avoid having to do that again so I need to understand what I might be missing. Have i missed any possible leak spots up top to inspect?

1) Turbo Drain Tube
2) Turbo Feed Tube
3) Oil Pressure Sensor
4) Oil Filter Housing
5) HPOP Cover
6) Oil Cooler
 
#21 ·
Add to the list:

7) Rocker covers on the valley side

8) Injector harness pass thru ports.
 
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