Possibly leaking gasket

[rusty70f100]

I just put a new lower intake manifold gasket on my 2.9L to fix a massive oil leak, so it's nickname wouldn't be the "Exxon Valdez" any more. Anyway, when I had the machine shop clean up the lower intake manifold, the media/bead blasted it. It appeared to have pitted it in places, one of them being around the coolant ports. I put it all together with plenty of RTV, and it runs fine. But I'm worried that it might be leaking coolant into the oil.

How can I tell?

 

['99 EB Explorer]

Pull your dipstick....if it's white milky in texture and color...then you have coolant in the oil. That's the fastest way to tell. Also make sure you keep an eye on it when it's oil change time if you suspect that it could be a problem in the future.

 

[rusty70f100]

Well it's not doing that. The oil looks dark brown but clear.

What it is doing, however, is getting a lot of moisture on the inside of the oil filler cap. It's only been a day since I put the new gasket on.

I drove it on a 10 mile trip, 5 miles both ways, and it seemed to do fine.

Maybe it got some condensation in the crankcase during the week it was apart? I was unable to work on it a few days due to rain.

 

['99 EB Explorer]

Yeah, sounds more like condensation now that you put it that way. Shouldn't be anything to worry about.

 

[rusty70f100]

Yep. I just took another few short trips, and now the bottom of the oil filler cap is nice and dry like it always was.

The problem is, that there's still oil dripping off the bottom of the oil filter! The valve cover leaks were taken care of at the same time I did the lower intake, so it doesn't stink any more, but it looks like it shall remain the Exxon Valdez. Where else could it be leaking to where it would flow down and drip off the bottom of the oil filter?

 

[kevinsranger]

Yep. I just took another few short trips, and now the bottom of the oil filler cap is nice and dry like it always was.

The problem is, that there's still oil dripping off the bottom of the oil filter! The valve cover leaks were taken care of at the same time I did the lower intake, so it doesn't stink any more, but it looks like it shall remain the Exxon Valdez. Where else could it be leaking to where it would flow down and drip off the bottom of the oil filter?

i don't know much about your engine, but my 4.0's oil filter housing itself is leaking, you may want to check that out

 

['99 EB Explorer]

Get under the truck and see if the filter is coming loose. Also, when an oil filter is installed, you're supposed to use a dab of oil to lubricate the gasket or it won't seal properly.

There's always the problem with a "double gasket" on your filter where the gasket from the old filter stays stuck to the mount and nobody notices..hence 2 gaskets once you try putting the new one on, but the oil would be pouring out by the buckets if that was the case.

 

[rusty70f100]

Way ahead of you. I just changed the oil about 1/2 hour ago. The old filter gasket did stick to the adapter, but I always check for that so I removed it. I always lubricate it with new oil as well.

It's not my first time working on a car, but it's always good to get a second opinion and ideas.

I have not checked if the adapter is loose. If it is, it looks like it's hard to get at. How does one check it, or even get a wrench on it? Mine is wedged right up next to the exhaust manifold.

 

[4.0B2]

the oil filter adapter is probably the enemy here, it usually is on these motors.... mine was lose and i had to cut it off basically. good thing i had two blocks... but yeah, they are known for leaking there... it sucks!