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oil leak from around exhaust manifold?

D

dvmeter

CEG'er
Joined
Oct 14, 2008
Messages
56
Location
Louisville, KY
I have recently discovered that i have one or more oil leaks, it's running down all over my oil pan and on my exhaust y-pipe making it smell like its burning oil and when the car is on I can see a faint smoke rolling off the y-pipe from under the car where the oil is draining down onto it and burning off.

I've only lost about 1 quart over the past 4,000 miles. But i got it up on a friends lift today to try and find out where its coming from and i cant really tell. I dont have any pics, but what I saw was a steady, wet, line of oil on the firewall side of the engine, all the way back around the last exhaust manifold primary. It looks like its running out of the exhaust manifold where it bolts to the head, or possibly even the head gasket. My question is...is that possible? I wouldnt think oil would be coming out of a blown head gasket, but rather coolant, but I dont have a coolant issue. Or why would it be coming out of the exhaust manifold, I dont have any smoke coming out the exhaust, so its not like the engine is burning a bunch of it up. Could it be something up higher like the valve covers leaking and running down, so that it looks like its coming out of where the exhaust bolts to the head or where the head meets the block? Thanks for any help you all can give.
 
So is it on the passenger side firewall, behind the alternator? If so check your cranksaft dampener puller seal. If it is the dampener seal. you will need to replace the pulley, bolt and the seal together. The Pulley has a rubber dampener in it. It torques and throws the pulley out of balance tearing up the seal. It can be replaced pretty easy from the right wheel well. U will need a puller. When replacing do not hammer the pulley back on, but rather use a bolt to start it.
 
hey thanks for the replies. based on those links and what I saw...one of my problems is a blown head gasket. The oil is coming down from the side closest to the drivers side, which is exactly what was happening in those previous threads.

BUT, I also have oil coming down the passenger side and get this, when the car is running and I'm looking at my damper pulley...it wobbles like its crooked. I'm guessing its not supposed to do that? Suggesting that that seal has gone bad too, like "Kevinm" said?
 
Nope it's not, and once you replace it, you will feel it running smoother. BTW replace it as quickly as you can. Oil in the alternator will kill the alternator.
 
I'm confused. Does a new damper/crank pulley come with the new seal built into it? So I could buy something like the dual mass damper from BAT and get the new bolt as well, and just switch dampers? Or do I have to take my current damper off and then replace some seal behind that? thanks again for the help.
 
You need to buy four parts, the dampner pulley, the bolt, serpentine belt, and the seal. The serpentine belt is optional but since you have to take it off anyway, it's probably full of oil, nows the time. The seal rides on a machined polished surface thats on the back side of the pulley dampner. As one said, the seal gets driven into the timing cover after the pulley is off. I also recommend you use gasket rtv or there alike and coat the metal outer sruface of the seal prior to install. Coat the surface that mates with the timing cover. Before pulling the seal out, visually see how far you need to drive it in. One other thing you may have to buy a longer bolt to get the pully started to the crank. I have found the new bolt is a tad too short to catch a thread when trying to compress the pulley on the shaft. By no means hammer the pulley on the crank to get it started. This could cause microscopic stressing of the super hardend crank. Major issues down the road!

Actually not a bad job!

As far as the BAT dual mass, I am not so sure it's necessary based on cost. Ford OEM is cheaper it runs around $50 to $60 on the internet, Ford dealer close to $80, compared to the BAT daul mass. Personel choice here.
 
thanks again for the replies. you all are awesome. I was also thinking that I probably dont need the DMD for my intentions/driving style, its nice to see that a OEM one will sell for a ~1/3 of the cost of the DMD. So I started searching and the only place I've found with an OEM damper is NAPA, I assume that's fine. but as for the seal, I can't find that just by itself. I think NAPA sells it in their "Crankshaft Front seal Set: Item Number# FPG TCS45967" which they say needs a new oil pan gasket, I guess that's for if you repalce the crankshaft main front seal, and not the little one i need to replace? I really cant tell from that picture if that kit has the seal I need or not. It sounds like it should, but if someone could confirm this for me or tell me where i can buy just that seal I need; then I would GREATLY appreciate it.
 
Go here and order; #30 & 15. Call them for the bolt.

http://www.discountfordpartsaty2kford.com/

FMP050.gif
 
ok...though I knew what I was looking at but i got another question: do you have to remove the front cover to do this? if not then where is this seal located? I have a friend that re-gasketed his engine and had a hell of a time replacing the seal in the front cover, which he did so from the back side. Which should be #14 on that diagram posted by "kevinm" correct? So where does #15 go? Do i really just pull the dampener and the seal is inside the dampener or behind where it was mounted and you just switch it out and dont touch the front cover? thanks again.
 
Go back and re-read my instructions. Once you pull the dampener, not crank, the seal is pressed into the cover, and is accessible once the dampener is removed. As I said the seal rides on a polished surface of the dampener pulley. Once the dampener pully is removed, the seal pops right off the cover. U can use a screw driver to pop the seal out, just don't use the crank as a fulcrum, U do not want to scatch the machineed surface of the crank. U really don't need a seal puller since you are not going to reuse it. Make sure u use RTV around the metal outside surface of the seal that mates with the timing cover. I also put some rtv on the inside of the pulley keyway thin coat. This will keep any oil seepage from occuring.

Look at it this way. Once you pull the dampener, you will see the end of the cranksahft with a thread hole for the bolt, and the the timing cover around the crank. Where the crank protrudes through the cover is the seal location. U do not have to pull the cover or crank etc. Just the pulley and seal.

The diagram is misleading, the cover #14 is on the passenger side so is the pulley reverse the crank pic around. The diagam shows the flywheel on the timing cover side, not correct. The cover #14 has a large hole in it towards the bottom. the pulley actually goes in front of it, the seal #15 goes into the large hole in the cover.
 
oh gosh i know. they were all cracked/busted after i took them out. i thought bricks/concrete had good load stress but not these ones!! and i have since bought a set of jackstands and lift which do work phenomenally better.

and how hard is it to replace the oil pan gasket? i mean i like the smell of burning oil and all, but not all the time.
 
the picture that svtdood posted and circled.. Well im now starting to notice oil on the same place (the white grid looking thing).. its not as bad as that pic but leaking oil is never good, so im just wondering if the damper/pulley thing is the cause of that?

and if so where can I look to get a visual inspection of the wobbly dampener pully? My serp belt is going bad as well, as stupid as this sounds, would that be a cause of any of this trouble? Also how much of a pain int he ass is this to change? dampener pully thingamabob?
 
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