Oil leak?

[MotorCity]

I understand it’s very hard to diagnose an oil leak over the Internet but maybe someone can point me into a direction as to where this oil leak may be coming from.

I bought the car yesterday, 04 with 125k miles. Owner said it leaked a little oil from the top of the engine but claimed it did not drip, he said you can just smell it burning when it leaks

Not the case after parking it 5 hours yesterday there was already drips on the driveway so this morning I start up the car and turn it off and it just started dripping a lot after doing that.

[camelgrundle]

Oil filter adapter gasket maybe.

[03Merc]

Oil filter housing gasket.


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[Comin' in Hot]

^^^^What they said

[BLACKMARAUDER04]

Very common problem. Replaced mine on Silver when I fixed her up.

[NorthShoreChiMM]

When doing the oil filter housing gasket I recommend "The Right Stuff" sealant. People swear by it and since doing my its dry as a bone.
Edit:Use it in a very thin coating in addition with your gasket. Smear it into the imperfections in the housing surface

[RF Overlord]

What they said^^^ but just for grins check the oil filter...may be loose.

[03Merc]

Make sure You clean it well, the gasket alone is good enough.
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[MotorCity]

Thanks guys, I’ll have to take it to a shop as I don’t work on my cars. I’m seeing maybe around $250.00 for this?

[03Merc]

Thanks guys, I’ll have to take it to a shop as I don’t work on my cars. I’m seeing maybe around $250.00 for this?



It shouldn't be anymore than that. Make sure they burp the coolant system correctly tho.


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[MotorCity]

Thanks for the tips, I just dropped it off to the shop. They may run some dye through it they said. There was a good amount of oil leaking when it was up on the lift but the majority of it was coming from the oil filter area I think even though the guy said it was hard to tell. I think he said he noticed a leak from the valve also. Guess I’m hoping it’s just the oil filter adapter gasket now

[Turbov6Bryan]

Yup. At least your going to get a oil change and coolant flush.

Make sure they use the same coolant the car currently has.

I would make sure they use a quality oil, not house brand Kendal. I would ask if they can use mobile 1. Walmart is the cheapest

[MotorCity]

Yup. At least your going to get a oil change and coolant flush.

Make sure they use the same coolant the car currently has.

I would make sure they use a quality oil, not house brand Kendal. I would ask if they can use mobile 1. Walmart is the cheapest


Yeah I usually buy Mobil 1 from Walmart for my other cars and take it to a gas station garage where I can watch them put it in.

Your not saying to recycle the same coolant that’s already in the car? Just to clarify you mean to have them put in fresh coolant of the same kind right? Lol sorry for sounding dumb. Guess I’ll have to find out what kind of coolant is in there

[Grimrepairman]

Motorcraft gold or Zerex G-05. Don't remember the exact chemistry, supposed to have better corrosion resistance for the aluminum parts.

[RF Overlord]

If it's an '04 it should have Motorcraft Gold (aka Zerex G-05). Make sure they don't put in some "universal" or "all makes" or DeathCool.

[loud2004marquis]

^^^+1on the Zerex G-05!^^^

You dont by chance go to the place on the corner of Square Lake and Woodward, do you?

[MotorCity]

^^^+1on the Zerex G-05!^^^

You dont by chance go to the place on the corner of Square Lake and Woodward, do you?

No, I took it in to a shop on 13 and orchard

They are replacing the oil filter adapter gasket right now for around 200.00.

They also quoted me 630.00 to replace the valve gaskets, serpentine belt and timing belt. They quoted me a little higher at first but they went down. They said it has a slight leak where it’s being flung around in the belt.

Do you guys think I should make this replacement? I’m debating on whether I want to sell or keep the car. I don’t wanna sell anyone a bad car at the same time. They said it wasn’t anything too serious. Thoughts?

[crownvic97]

No, I took it in to a shop on 13 and orchard

They are replacing the oil filter adapter gasket right now for around 200.00.

They also quoted me 630.00 to replace the valve gaskets, serpentine belt and timing belt. They quoted me a little higher at first but they went down. They said it has a slight leak where it’s being flung around in the belt.

Do you guys think I should make this replacement? I’m debating on whether I want to sell or keep the car. I don’t wanna sell anyone a bad car at the same time. They said it wasn’t anything too serious. Thoughts?

Considering your car doesn’t have a timing belt, I’d say no.

[MotorCity]

Considering your car doesn’t have a timing belt, I’d say no.

Lol I was looking that up too to see what they were talking about. They couldn’t of meant timing chain for that price?

[crownvic97]

Lol I was looking that up too to see what they were talking about. They couldn’t of meant timing chain for that price?

Perhaps, but it’s not really something that wears. The chain guides and tensioners yes, the actual chain, nope.

That would be a little bit of a red flag to me, see how they do on the oil filter housing gasket before agreeing to anything else is my honest opinion!

[MotorCity]

Drive belt tensioner maybe? That is seperate if a serpentine belt correct

[RubberCtyRauder]

timing chain, guides, tensioners are over $400 in parts alone and front cover needs to come off so not for $600. do they know how to burp the cooling system? there is a specific way on 4.6 dohc or air will be trapped and cause to run hot

[MotorCity]

timing chain, guides, tensioners are over $400 in parts alone and front cover needs to come off so not for $600. do they know how to burp the cooling system? there is a specific way on 4.6 dohc or air will be trapped and cause to run hot

I sure hope so but honestly I don’t think they know what their doing even though their a reputable shop.

I mentioned to them that I read that it will need to be burped and I told them I wanted the coolant to be refilled with the zerex G-05 and they said they will see how much coolant is lost first.

Do they have to drain the coolant to replace the oil filter adapter gasket?

[RubberCtyRauder]

yes, you better print tbis out and give to them

https://www.reischeperformance.com/refill.html

[MotorCity]

I just called them, they said it didn’t lose much coolant so does this mean they did something wrong or cut corners?

[blazen71]

If you want to get your car worked on by one of the best, travel 60 min. to this guy. Not sure if he'll do general maintenance though?
.
http://www.alternativeauto.com/

[RubberCtyRauder]

I just called them, they said it didn’t lose much coolant so does this mean they did something wrong or cut corners?

i have not needed to do the gasket repair, but tge cooling system has been opened so burping still needs done

[MotorCity]

Thanks everyone for the help. Had the oil filter adapter gasket replaced and no more leaks. This is why forums are great or else I’d be going in blind.

They did say that my valve cover gasket is leaking from one side but to replace both sides. I don’t think I can really see the oil but I’m not too good at looking for stuff like that but I can smell it and was told to replace the drive belt (serpentine belt) and tensioner.

By any chance is there anyone that works on cars in the West Bloomfield area that I can pay to do this? They wanted over 600.00, is that a fair price? I may go ahead and take it back to them or a different shop when I get the time. Really that’s why I wouldn’t mind a Mobil mechanic because of not having enough time to take it in. Work too much and drive a different vehicle.

[03Merc]

Thanks everyone for the help. Had the oil filter adapter gasket replaced and no more leaks. This is why forums are great or else I’d be going in blind.



They did say that my valve cover gasket is leaking from one side but to replace both sides. I don’t think I can really see the oil but I’m not too good at looking for stuff like that but I can smell it and was told to replace the drive belt (serpentine belt) and tensioner.



By any chance is there anyone that works on cars in the West Bloomfield area that I can pay to do this? They wanted over 600.00, is that a fair price? I may go ahead and take it back to them or a different shop when I get the time. Really that’s why I wouldn’t mind a Mobil mechanic because of not having enough time to take it in. Work too much and drive a different vehicle.



Tensioner and drive belt will cost You $60 max and You can do that Your damn self!


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[MotorCity]

Lol. I’ve never worked on cars really but I do have some tools now.

Gonna start YouTubing some videos.

Taking the valve cover off and removing what’s in the way to take the cover off and putting it all back together is beyond my expertise for sure though. Lol

The oil is also getting onto the belt and causing it to squeal And you can see some oil getting into the alternator so I should probably have everything fixed

[justbob]

The labor on the oil filter adaptor gasket was honestly a pretty good price. The part is $10 thru Felpro however. Still, I wouldn’t have done it any cheaper, probably more LOL

Now the other stuff..

Don’t walk, RUN!

WOW Ridiculous!


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[2mercs]

They made up on the labor discount with the $50 gasket. I think I paid $12 for my felpro that's still hanging above my toolbox. Not ready to make that mess changing it yet. The belt and tensioner could be changed in an hour taking it really slow. I'd definitely find a different shop.

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[MotorCity]

The labor on the oil filter adaptor gasket was honestly a pretty good price. The part is $10 thru Felpro however. Still, I wouldn’t have done it any cheaper, probably more LOL

Now the other stuff..

Don’t walk, RUN!

WOW Ridiculous!


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Yeah the price on the oil filter adapter gakset was cheaper than I expected. I had called one other shop before taking it in here and they said 250.00.

I just don’t know what a fair price is on the valve cover gasket on both sides should be. Although it’s leaking from one side would it make sense to change both sides or do I just do the leaking side?

[RF Overlord]

Driver's side cam cover is easy, passenger side usually needs the motor mount bolt pulled to allow the motor to drop down a bit.

If the other side is not leaking, don't bother doing anything now. There's no cost benefit to doing them at the same time.

And yeah, what justbob said. If they don't even know this motor doesn't have a timing belt, I wouldn't trust them to do anything more.

Our engine is the same as the Mach 1...if there's a local Mustang club, ask them for a recommendation.

[fastblackmerc]

Driver's side cam cover is easy, passenger side usually needs the motor mount bolt pulled to allow the motor to drop down a bit.

If the other side is not leaking, don't bother doing anything now. There's no cost benefit to doing them at the same time.

And yeah, what justbob said. If they don't even know this motor doesn't have a timing belt, I wouldn't trust them to do anything more.

Our engine is the same as the Mach 1...if there's a local Mustang club, ask them for a recommendation.
Need to raise UP the engine to get the passenger side cam cover off.

[RF Overlord]

I knew it was one way or the other...thanks, Jim.