oil leaking from cranksahft behind pulley, how to replace seal!!!??

[dixie_boysles]

I was examining my engine yesterday to see if I missed any mud, and as I was looking, i seen what looked like oil leaking at bottom of engine right below crankshaft pulley.

the sway bar is in the way, but this is right above front suspension and right below crank on front of motor.

I know for sure its not the oil pan, it is clearly leaking from behind the crank pulley. It wasnt there 2,800 miles ago when I changed oil. Im not sure if the mud puddle I went through at the beach cause this. After discussing this with STL, sand may have gotten in there and tore the seal, but we are not sure. What we are sure about is that it is for sure leaking and i for sure is going to get fixed!

So now this leads to me asking...How in the hell do you replace the seal? I have a Haynes Manual, I'm not sure if it tells how. I know I am going to have to remove the cooling fan and schroud to make room. even so, its going to be a ***** to get to. from the bottom, the trans cooler hard lines are an obstacle.

So what do i do, just pull off the drive belt, remove above items, then remove pullet and harmonical balancer? how do i get to the seal and how does it come out? someone please help!!!

 

[Angie]

Hi, Are you 100% sure it is the front seal and not a loose oil pan bolt, nicked oil pan or any other spot with an oil leak and the oil looks like it is from the seal? If you can get under the front of the truck with the motor running check to see where the oil is coming from. and how much oil are you loseing? was it like that before?

back to how to. yes you will need to remove just about everything from the rad back to the block. I have never replaced one with the motor still in the vehicle, however, I am sure it can be done. I am not sure on the process of working on a newer vehicle like yours (2006)? after you get all the goodies pulled off IE rad, fan, belt(s) this will give you a good picture of what you are up against. the seal should be able to pry out with some work and take extreme care not to gouge the area, clean the hole and then tap in a new seal. See if you can recruit a friend who has done this job before. it will be a pain in the ass to do.

hope this helps

 

[dixie_boysles]

yeas as you can see in the pic, the oil is running down. The oil pan is the black thing below where u see oil. I am 99 perecent positive its comeing from the crank seal. It wasnt like that 2800 miles ago when I changed oil either. I may have my fiance's uncle do it, it is a certified mechanic who know his crap about Ford. I may have him fix it so I dont have to deal with the hassle. or I may do it for a learning experience

 

[Angie]

Hi, I wasn't aware that the black thing was the oilpan, I guessed that to be some sort of skid plate and I figured the part with the 2 plugs in it that has the oil running down was the oil pan. as i said I am not familiar with your year of motor, mine are early 90's. Looks like a pain in the ass either way. Good thing you have a wrench puller to do the job with you

cheers