Drake writes:
Sajeev,
I have a 2007 Fusion with the 3.0 Duratec V6, with 83,000 miles on it. I have owned it since new and 90% of the miles are long highway drives. I have recently discovered that there is an engine oil leak. I have put the engine oil dye from Ford in it to try to pin point where the leak is coming from. It is a small leak, takes a while to get noticed (when the oil finally makes it’s way to the exhaust and smokes a bit).
Local Ford dealer does not have a clue, I have called other larger dealers in the area and had them check for service bulletins and asked if anyone has come across a similar problem and what it may be. No luck. Best that I and a couple of very good mechanic friends can figure is that a head gasket might be leaking.
So, I have traversed the Internet looking for and information about this problem when I came across one of your articles. Thanks!
Sajeev Answers:
While I appreciate your searching found our corner of the autoblogosphere (woot!) this is one time where the “been there, done that” crowd in a Fusion-specific forum would help. This automotive dilemma is tough to “armchair” an analysis: visual inspection is needed. I could go for a Fusion in my garage right now, to see where the usual suspects (pertaining to oil leaks) live relative to your car’s exhaust system.
But I doubt it’s the head gasket. If it was, you’d notice more than a few dabs of oil burning on the exhaust: the head gasket material around oil passages isn’t (normally) close to the end of the engine block, that’s usually reserved for the cylinder walls. Therefore, a spewing head gasket is more likely to lose compression and/or burn oil. Which would be far more annoying. Best and Brightest, am I off base?
I blame the rear main seal. This little part is a rather huge PITA to set right, there’s a transmission/transaxle blocking access. More to the point, I’ve seen many cars at this mileage suffer from this condition. Plus, front-wheel drive platforms with two banks of cylinders (i.e. a V6 engine) must route the exhaust in “compromising” positions around an engine and transmission, a leaky rear main can easily drip over an exhaust pipe, move back (at highway speeds) to the pup-cats (the first set of catalytic converters) and disappear into a puff of smoke. And you’ll never see the dye, either.
My advice? Have a look around the transmission’s bellhousing for the “dye”, and just deal with it. Rear main seal leaks are normally trivial, not worth the effort of fixing until transmission needs refreshing. You know, if you choose to not pull a Mike Rowe, preferring to not “swap your ride for (another) Fusion.” to keep your ride for that long.
Send your queries to mehta@ttac.com. Spare no details and ask for a speedy resolution if you’re in a hurry.
Drake I caution you against taking our advice as the gospel, but I too would look at the rear main. I have seen one or two late model Fords with this engine (ie. Escape) that have had the beginning of a rear main leak.
Any possibility you can get it up on a lift?
I’d suspect the rear main seal, also, but be sure to check things like sensor fittings, valve cover gaskets, PCV fittings, etc – anything that is part of the oil system.
And to state the obvious, I think it’s a shame for a 3-year-old car with 83k on it to be leaking oil already. It’s just this sort of thing that killed the Big 3 in the 70s and 80s.
Another vote for rear main seal. Wife used to drive a 2001 Taurus with this engine and we had the rear seal start leaking around 80k miles. It too leaked oil onto the exhaust parts and would smoke and smell. In the Taurus it was a pain doing it yourself as the engine compartment is pretty cramped and I had to take the passenger tire off and remove the plastic inner fender trim to be able to have good access to work on it. But I give it a 95% chance this is your problem.
Also check that the dipstick tube is seated properly – it could have worked loose from the block
It is certainly possible for head gaskets to be a source of oil leaks; Neons were notorious for this.
You might check the intake manifold gasket; older pushrod Ford V8s often leaked oil here and the Vulcan is of a similar construction.
Definitely the rear main seal…my 1998 TL (3.2l V6 longitudinally mounted) leaks around this area, the leak is very small and really only occurs in cold weather (seals contract). Not really worth dealing with or spending the money on. Just a quick wipe on the garage floor when I sweep.
What surprises me is that the dealer didn’t find this leak and want to charge the $500+ to fix!
How much is it leaking?
Maybe you don’t really need to care about this.
Oil leaks are something you can live with if small. Just check your oil regularly and top it off when needed. Not worth the trouble to repair if it’s just a drop here and there. I have had good success with AutoRx myself, a seal reconditioner which doesn’t swell the seals like most leak stop additives. It gets good reviews on bobistheoilguy.com. It takes a while to see results, but helped with some small oil leaks on my older car.
Time for Valvoline High Mileage! (I’m being only slightly facetious, that oil cured the leaks in my Olds 307V8 when it got a little drippy around the 100,000 mile mark.)
Got to ask, have you been using conventional, synthetic, or switching around? Some of the B&B swear that messing around with the blend that’s being used can cause leaks. Ever had an “engine flush?”
“Therefore, a spewing head gasket is more likely to lose compression and/or burn oil. Which would be far more annoying. Best and Brightest, am I off base?”
Based on my experience with the Kings of Blown Gaskets, Neons, you’re more likely to see burning coolant and clouds of white smoke with a failed head gasket, along with a milky residue around your oil cap. Coolant in your oil and oil in your coolant; not nearly as delicious a mixture as chocolate and peanut butter. Either way, it isn’t something you don’t notice.
I’ll throw another one on the pile of “is it significant enough for you to care?” I know you don’t want to be That Guy driving down Main Street looking like he’s burning liquid Smurf, but a pinhole oil leak is going to cause less loss than an old RX-7 will in peak shape.
Oil is cheaper than labor, The mechanic is just as likely to make the problem worse or make another problem happen while fixing this one. What’s even worse is that it’ll start leaking again after you see another 80,000 miles on that repair. Buy oil when you see a sale, Keep a cakepan under the leak. Pour it back in.
If this is the worst problem you’re having with a car of that mileage, you’re fortunate!
Same engine (more or less) I believe in my ’03 Mazda 6 (3.0 V6, VVT, Standard tran). Same problem. Minor oil leak that burns off on the exhaust. It’s so minor that I don’t even get spots on the garage floor. Just turned over 90,000 miles.
Search the forums on mazda6club.com for “oil leak 6s”. A bunch of folks in there have had problems of various diagnoses and severity.
My only action, other than keeping eye on the oil level, is to sometimes turn off my interior fan if I’ve been really hitting it on the highway, then have to sit at a light for a while. Oh, my old mechanic did tell me that there was a very (very very) minor chance of a fire. When I asked him what I should do if the car actually caught on fire, he said “Get out, shut the door and start walking.”
It’s ridiculous that a car this new is having oil leaking issues.
The best way to find these is to use the UV dye and light. Usually though, it makes no sense to put on new seals on unless it’s something really simple. I would just live with it unless it’s a major leak.
I actually have had good luck with the “snake-oil” stop leaks. It usually doesn’t completely stop it, but it makes a noticeable improvement.
Duratec V6 engines are noted for leaky rear main seal leaks when the miles pile on. As others have stated the oil drips on the exhaust and burns away so that no leaks are detected on the driveway. Are you using synthetic or sythetic blend oil by chance? Many Fords are using the 5W-20 oil which I think is too thin on a higher mileage engine and the sythetics leak past any seal imperfections quicker than dino oil. Just something to consider.
This seems unusual for a Ford Duratec V6 as my experience with four over the last ten years (two over 150k each) has been that they are very tight. Previous reply may have a good point as I’ve experience increased leakage by changing over to synthetic. However, I do agree that if it does turn out to be the rear main, the best fix is a piece of plywood on the garage floor.
Howdy! Based on my daily experience with these engines(29-yr Mazda Master Tech/Shop Foreman) I can tell you the rear main seal is RARELY the problem. Even at that, the exhaust is routed near the right side of the engine, not at the left in the area of the rear seal. Ive had ONE rear seal–along with other seals that were leaking because of sludge and lack of owner maintenance.
The most common leak is the oil pan gasket, followed by the front crankshaft seal, then the deterioration of the sealant between the front timing cover and the block and front of the heads. I rarely see leaking valve cover gaskets, never see leaking head gaskets, but often see stripped engine oil pan drain plug threads.
The oil pan, front seal, and timing cover leaks will drip onto the exhaust as it runs under the right side of the pan and cause the odor and smoke. Oil filters not properly tightened can leak as well.
I agree with dolo54, Educator(of teachers)Dan, and crosley, that it might be time for high-mileage oils, or snake oil, that contain seal conditioner. I have a 1993 Firebird Formula LT1 that developed an intake manifold seal leak at about 120K. Oil was running down the back of the motor onto the flywheel cover. I used some Lucas Engine Oil Stop Leak for a couple of oil changes:
http://www.lucasoil.com/products/display_products.sd?iid=83&catid=7&loc=show
I was running 5W30 Valvoline synthetic, and now I run 10W40 Valvoline high mileage synthetic blend, and the leak has stopped. I do know exactly what the problem is, and at some point, I’ll need to do a proper fix to the gasket. I do get a little less mileage running the thicker oil. The vehicle has 155K on it now.
I would try something like this before tearing anything apart.
Thanks for the replies to my dilema! Here is what I have found out
We have ruled out the rear main seal leaking. And the head gasket is fine (!!!). My worst fears have been quelled. After a bunch of a elimination process we think we have found the problem. There is a spacer or extension that is between the block and oil pan. That spacer or extension is where it appears to be leaking from. And it is getting worse.
The oil pan looks to be fairly easy to remove but we can’t see all of the spacer deal and so I pose the question: anyone had to remove this part? Or how much is envolved in removing it? I cannot find a decent schematic or picture of the engine that shows this part. For the record the spacer is sealed with silicone.
By the way I did have 5W-30 in the engine just before this oil change. I had heard that changing the oil from what is recommended is not such a good idea and may have caused the engine to start leaking. I personally think maybe the Mobile 1 full synthetic oil I ran for a while might have caused the PCV to start sticking which in turn caused the engine to find a weak link to relieve the crank case pressure. Probably way off base but I think this is what started the whole mess. I do agree that running a slightly heavier oil when the miles rack up is no sin either. We changed the oil and filter this past Monday evening (Motorcraft 5W-20 syn blend) to get back to the starting block and rule out everything possible. PCV has been replaced as well.
Any help would be great! Thanks!