This article is about repairing oil leaks on a fleet customer's Ford Powerstroke powered E450 Van. This is a big job, on a diesel engine that is notorious for oil leaks, and on a vehicle that is difficult to work on. So you can understand why vehicle owners hesitate to get oil leaks repaired on their Powerstroke. Both the risk of the repair not solving the problem and the high cost, make many owners reluctant to get the job done. This is why you need to choose a diesel truck shop with experienced diesel technicians, who will guarantee their work!
Problem: Powerstroke diesel engine oil leaks are messy. Especially when the vehicle is a company truck that drips oil on a customer's driveway... Your company may do the best work in the area, but if your service truck leaves an oil leak mess behind, your company gets a bad reputation.
Ford Powerstroke diesels can have severe oil leak problems. The main oil leak sources are engine front crankshaft seal leaks, rear crankshaft seal leaks, valve cover oil leaks, turbo-charger oil line leaks, oil cooler oil seal leaks, engine bed-plate leaks, and oil pan gasket oil leaks. There are also many other seals and sensor leaks (see list below).
Fixing the numerous oil leaks on this vehicle required removing the engine. This is a large, expensive job but is required to fix many of the Powerstroke oil leaks. It will make your customers, and the environment, much happier!
Due to the complexity of diesel oil leak repair, you need a shop with experienced diesel repair technicians, and the proper equipment, to do the job correctly. Especially a large-box short-nose van with a diesel engine. This vehicle limits the type of shop that can perform the needed repairs.
State Street Auto Repair has the facilities and experience to perform Ford diesel oil leak repair in the Ann Arbor, MI area.
Diagnosis: With such a severe oil leak problem, with multiple oil leak sources, and the complicated job of gaining access to many of the sources of the leaks, finding ALL the leaks is a very challenging job! We have repaired many Ford Powerstroke oil leaks, and our diesel technicians know the common oil leak sources.
The vehicle was inspected, and leaks were found at the valve covers, front and rear crankshaft seals, oil pan gasket, and several oil lines, hoses, and wiring harness seals.
Often with so many oil leaks, it can be difficult to identify them all. And finding the correct source of the leak can make a huge difference in the cost to repair. Often we recommend identifying and eliminating the simple-to-repair, and less costly leaks first. Doing a total engine removal and reseal is a BIG job if it is unnecessary!
We often use an ultraviolet tracer dye and black-light to diagnose oil leaks. It helps pinpoint oil leaks when there are multiple difficult-to-find leaks. Oil leaks can travel when airflow at highway speeds pushes hot oil around the engine compartment.
We also recommend fixing potential well-known oil leak sources when the engine is removed. It is a good value considering the large amount of labor involved in removing the engine. Nothing is worse than having a new oil leak appear soon after this repair...
Repair: Because of the location of these oil leaks, the complete engine must be removed from the truck, the engine placed on a work stand, and the engine disassembled and repaired.
Getting started! First, we drain the cooling system, engine oil, and power steering fluid, and evacuate air-conditioning refrigerant. Makes a big mess!
The process of removing and installing the engine assembly requires the assistance of three technicians to maneuver the unit out of and into the vehicle. The entire procedure requires over 40 man hours to perform. Clearances are minimal and require a lot of climbing into and out of the cab and working under the vehicle to disconnect items and reconnect when reinstalling the engine.
Next, the front bumper, grill, radiator support, radiator, coolers, inter-cooler, and A/C condenser are removed.
Removing a diesel engine from a Ford E450 cube van is complicated and time-consuming. The entire front of the vehicle must be removed: hood, grill, bumper, headlights, radiator supports, radiator, inter-cooler, air-conditioner condenser, transmission cooler, power steering cooler, power steering hoses, air-conditioner hoses, coolant hoses, and radiator cooling fan. As well as, all electrical harnesses must be disconnected and removed, the air-conditioner refrigerant evacuated and recovered, and the cooling system drained. Once all these items are disconnected the engine can be removed.
A big messy engine bay with the engine removed. We clean the leaked oil from the engine bay and chassis.
Engine just removed from vehicle engine bay waiting to be bolted to engine stand. It is one oily mess...
Once on the work stand, the engine is disassembled, cleaned, and all leaking components inspected, repaired or replaced. Any parts, such as engine mounts, water pump, coolant hoses and lines, sensors, etc., are inspected, evaluated, and replaced if needed.
The engine is placed on an engine work stand to make disassembly, cleaning, and reassembly easier and faster. Each part removed is inspected and prepared for reuse or replacement.
Engine block and head surfaces are cleaned, de-greased and painted. All replacement parts are torqued to specifications, and wiring or plumbing is placed in their holders and looms.
The turbocharger was disassembled, cleaned, inspected, and resealed.
New filters for fuel, air, and oil systems are installed along with new fluids. The air-conditioning system is recharged and tested.
The vehicle is run and inspected for any leaks and test-drove to ensure everything is working correctly to ensure a quality repair was performed.
Common PowerStroke Oil Leaks
Below is a list of common Ford Powerstroke oil leaks. The only positive way to identify the source of engine oil leaks is with a dye additive and a black light inspection. We also recommend fixing all of the common Powerstroke oil leak sources. Experience has taught us that if it isn't leaking now, it will be soon...
- Bed plate seal (bottom half of the crankcase)
- CAC tube seals (inter-cooler pipes)
- CCV tubing (Crankcase Ventilation)
- Crankcase vent oil separator drain
- Crankshaft and camshaft sensor o-rings
- Front main crankshaft seal
- Glow plug harness seal
- High-pressure oil pump cover
- ICP sensor (Injection Control Pressure)
- Intake manifold
- Oil cooler gaskets and o-rings
- Oil dipstick o-ring
- Oil filter caps
- Oil pressure regulator valve o-ring
- Oil pressure sensor
- Rear main crankshaft seal
- Rocker Carrier
- Temp sensor
- Turbo oil return seals
If you have any questions or want to discuss your Ford Powerstroke oil leak problems, please contact State Street Auto Repair in Whitmore Lake, MI.