Ugh.....Oil leak

Disclaimer: Links on this page pointing to Amazon, eBay and other sites may include affiliate code. If you click them and make a purchase, we may earn a small commission.

costnsg

Full Access Member
Joined
Nov 26, 2016
Posts
167
Reaction score
45
Add one more leaking oil pan to the list...mine. I've known it was leaking slightly for a while now. I had a piece of cardboard under it in the garage and never actually saw a drop of oil on it, but I could see it on the oil pan and on the bolts that secure the pan.

I put it in the shop yesterday morning and they had a new pan installed by the end of the day. Unfortunately, they didn't do a good job keeping the new pan clean and there was oil on it when I picked it up. I plan to spray it good with a can of gunscrubber which I know will take off the residual oil and continue to monitor for further leakage.

The invoice (zero balance) shows they added oil dye, test drove it, verified the leak, then installed a new pan with TA357 sealant. I talked to the shop foreman when I picked it up and he told me they changed the oil. I don't see that on the invoice, but the oil on the dipstick is a little different color than what I use and it's slightly overfilled. They did not, however, change the filter. The invoice also states they removed the front differential assembly and front sway bar before removing the oil plan. i didn't expect to see that.

I asked the foreman if the new oil pan was any different from the original and he didn't seem to think so. He told me Ford does not consider the pan to be reusable and it is replaced anytime it's removed. He also confirmed it's an ongoing problem, made a negative comment about the plastic pans, and mentioned they replaced a total of three that one day.

I hope this problem is resolved in my case, but time will tell.
 

smurfslayer

Be vewwy, vewwy quiet. We’re hunting sasquatch77
Joined
Dec 16, 2016
Posts
17,689
Reaction score
27,295
Add one more leaking oil pan to the list...mine. I've known it was leaking slightly for a while now. I had a piece of cardboard under it in the garage and never actually saw a drop of oil on it, but I could see it on the oil pan and on the bolts that secure the pan.

I put it in the shop yesterday morning and they had a new pan installed by the end of the day. Unfortunately, they didn't do a good job keeping the new pan clean and there was oil on it when I picked it up. I plan to spray it good with a can of gunscrubber which I know will take off the residual oil and continue to monitor for further leakage.

The invoice (zero balance) shows they added oil dye, test drove it, verified the leak, then installed a new pan with TA357 sealant. I talked to the shop foreman when I picked it up and he told me they changed the oil. I don't see that on the invoice, but the oil on the dipstick is a little different color than what I use and it's slightly overfilled. They did not, however, change the filter. The invoice also states they removed the front differential assembly and front sway bar before removing the oil plan. i didn't expect to see that.

I asked the foreman if the new oil pan was any different from the original and he didn't seem to think so. He told me Ford does not consider the pan to be reusable and it is replaced anytime it's removed. He also confirmed it's an ongoing problem, made a negative comment about the plastic pans, and mentioned they replaced a total of three that one day.

I hope this problem is resolved in my case, but time will tell.

I’m not sure I’d hit it with gun scrubber. That is some great stuff for removing oil. ALL of it. but, it’s fairly caustic and I’m not sure it will be very friendly to plastic. I don’t have a can handy to check but before you hose it down, make sure you don’t end up ******** up the new part.
 

matt33

Full Access Member
Joined
Jun 23, 2011
Posts
246
Reaction score
133
Location
NE PA
I’m not sure I’d hit it with gun scrubber. That is some great stuff for removing oil. ALL of it. but, it’s fairly caustic and I’m not sure it will be very friendly to plastic. I don’t have a can handy to check but before you hose it down, make sure you don’t end up ******** up the new part.

+1. I screwed up a plastic container that I sprayed with Gunscrubber several years ago. Lesson learned.
 

costnsg

Full Access Member
Joined
Nov 26, 2016
Posts
167
Reaction score
45
Thanks for the feedback about the cleaning with gunscrubber. I'll rethink how to clean the oil, but I have to remove it some way in order to tell if my leak is fixed or not, and then to monitor for future.

I've tried gunk in the past, but I hated having to follow up with the water. Even then I wasn't satisfied with the results. In this case I won't have good access without removing the skid plates. which I'd prefer not to do.
 

costnsg

Full Access Member
Joined
Nov 26, 2016
Posts
167
Reaction score
45
I have a couple of different gun cleaners on my shelf so I did a little checking. The Gunscrubber Synthetic Safe contains Hexane, Isopropyl Alcohol, and CO2. The other product I have has some nastier stuff. I then did some checking on compatibility with plastics (of which there are many varieties) and the gunscrubber components. I concluded that the plastic that would be required to withstand continuous immersion in hot engine oil will not be harmed by a wash down with Gunscrubber Synthetic Safe.

It was relatively easy to do an adequate cleaning job by spraying the pan with the Gunscrubber using the straw that comes on the can. That allowed me to spray though the small openings without removing the skid plates (I'm basically lazy). So now the pan is relatively clean and dry. Now we'll see if it stays that way, or at least not oily.

I still think it should have been cleaned up before it left the shop, but it just wasn't done.
 

bailer

Full Access Member
Joined
Feb 13, 2017
Posts
219
Reaction score
103
Location
Saskatoon, Canada
I noticed my 2017 Raptor with 6000 miles has developed the pan leak.

Disappointed, but really just hope they put a decent tech on the job. I hate having things messed up by careless work.
 

mwright4679

Full Access Member
Joined
Sep 6, 2012
Posts
579
Reaction score
120
Location
Syracuse NY area
Well dropped my 17 off yesterday for oil leak round 2. Just got a cal problem is with the oil pan.

Maybe Ford will change the material as a recall if enough of these happen
 

costnsg

Full Access Member
Joined
Nov 26, 2016
Posts
167
Reaction score
45
Well dropped my 17 off yesterday for oil leak round 2. Just got a cal problem is with the oil pan.

Maybe Ford will change the material as a recall if enough of these happen

That's what I'm concerned about after having mine addressed. Hope you get a better outcome on the second round. Let us know if you learn anything new about how Ford is approaching the repair, like something other that putting on a new pan just like the original one.
 
Top