Oil leak near oil fill cap

[javon7065]

Hey everyone. I noticed an oil burning smell coming into the cabin yesterday. Taking a look underneath I saw dripping off the frame and pooling on the ground (first pic) Popping the hood I found the culprit area I believe (second pic) Seems to be coming from the area from the sensor that is a few inches to the left of the oil filler cap. Any ideas? Much appreciate any advice. Hopefully not serious.

 

[BradM]

I think what you're seeing is oil coming from the connection of the charge pipe to the throttle body. It is common for our charge pipes to contain oil and the leak you show looks like what I see typically see on both of my 3.5 EBs. Pull off the charge pipe at the throttle body and take a look.

 

[javon7065]

I think what you're seeing is oil coming from the connection of the charge pipe to the throttle body. It is common for our charge pipes to contain oil and the leak you show looks like what I see typically see on both of my 3.5 EBs. Pull off the charge pipe at the throttle body and take a look.

Thanks so much for your reply. Is the charge pipe right above the area that I circled? Sorry but I am new to this stuff. Am trying to find a site with an engine diagram.

 

[BradM]

No problem. Yes, it's the pipe that goes to your intake. It has a hose clamp around it. You can also just feel around underneath the connection and see if there is oil there.

 

[javon7065]

No problem. Yes, it's the pipe that goes to your intake. It has a hose clamp around it. You can also just feel around underneath the connection and see if there is oil there.

Since it was already dark out, I decided to just feel around the area you described and sure enough there was oil around the area that is circled in the picture. So does this mean there’s a crack in the pipe perhaps? Nothing felt loose. Is the next step to loosen the clamp and take off the charge pipe to inspect for a crack?

 

[BradM]

The coupler could just be loose or the intake pipe may have a small leak (usually from under the black plastic ring). I would pull it off, clean the area up, and reconnect it. Then watch for oil. Weaping a little oil over a long period of time is annoying but does not effect performance. If it were a larger leak, then you could be loosing boost.

 

[javon7065]

The coupler could just be loose or the intake pipe may have a small leak (usually from under the black plastic ring). I would pull it off, clean the area up, and reconnect it. Then watch for oil. Weaping a little oil over a long period of time is annoying but does not effect performance. If it were a larger leak, then you could be loosing boost.

Thanks so much for your reply. I will do that. I agree I would not be concerned about a little oil but this appears to be a big leak. I had the water pump and timing chain replaced recently so perhaps something cracked while removing or reinstalling these parts.

 

[javon7065]

The coupler could just be loose or the intake pipe may have a small leak (usually from under the black plastic ring). I would pull it off, clean the area up, and reconnect it. Then watch for oil. Weaping a little oil over a long period of time is annoying but does not effect performance. If it were a larger leak, then you could be loosing boost.

So I loosened the screw on the metal clamp all the way. Was pulling with both hands, but the hose would not budge. Just lost the lights. I’ll try again tomorrow. Is there anything else holding it on there?

 

[BradM]

Nope.

 

[javon7065]

I was unable to remove the charge pipe so I just tightened it back up and drove a bit today to see if it was still gonna leak. Surprisingly it didn’t seem to leak anymore. However, the oil burning smell is still coming into the cabin. I guess I’m just smelling the oil that leaked out prior burning off. Can anyone recommend a degreaser to use to clean up the oil? I wouldn’t care if the smell wasn’t coming in the cabin, but it makes me nauseous.

 

[kryptto]

To get that intake pipe off you might want to use a little WD40 around the hose connection to the throttle body. Use a rag and dont over do it. It will penetrate the connection between the hose and its seat. Just an idea, it is good to clean those pipes out, anc check that weird looking horn on that same pipe. Its called the noise maker, it can be removed to allow access to the intake piping. It would be best to take apart those hoses and clean them out. The oil does make its way down and into the inter cooler. which then can cause other issues.

 

[javon7065]

To get that intake pipe off you might want to use a little WD40 around the hose connection to the throttle body. Use a rag and dont over do it. It will penetrate the connection between the hose and its seat. Just an idea, it is good to clean those pipes out, anc check that weird looking horn on that same pipe. Its called the noise maker, it can be removed to allow access to the intake piping. It would be best to take apart those hoses and clean them out. The oil does make its way down and into the inter cooler. which then can cause other issues.

View attachment 92272

Ok, thanks for the advice. So the arrows are pointing to the noise maker right?

 

[kryptto]

Ok, thanks for the advice. So the arrows are pointing to the noise maker right?

yup, its just that, a fart machine for the air passing thru that intake pipe, and tbh - I dont know anyone who says - yippee - my car is a beast. it can develop a leak on its own from that connection. You can replace that whole pipe, and get one that is from the police interceptor and that stupid horn is removed.

 

[javon7065]

yup, its just that, a fart machine for the air passing thru that intake pipe, and tbh - I dont know anyone who says - yippee - my car is a beast. it can develop a leak on its own from that connection. You can replace that whole pipe, and get one that is from the police interceptor and that stupid horn is removed.

OK, I was wondering what that thing was. It doesn’t connect to anything on the other end. It’s supposed to make noise?

 

[kryptto]

OK, I was wondering what that thing was. It doesn’t connect to anything on the other end. It’s supposed to make noise?

Yus... Noise...

 

[Junkyard_Mad-Scientist]

I too have developed a leak in a similar area, appears to be oil, opposite side near the plastic housing on the charge pipe, I believe it may be costing me a little boost (high end rpms flutter a little). its good to mention to remove the noisemaker BEFORE trying to take off the charge pipe, I broke the mounting arm on my noise maker by ripping it off without knowing what it was or how it was secured, could be whats giving you some issues removing it. to have a consistent smell of burning oil coming into the cabin does not mean its a large leak but it seems to be consistent. if the only source of oil is at the throttle body I would also consider a few things to bring down the amount of oil in your intake system. Drain the Intercooler, install a catch can, and while its somewhat controversial, the VTA (vent to atmosphere) mod for the blow off valves may help as well. all of these will help limit the oil reaching the intake but it will not prevent it.

as @kryptto said, the noise maker is of zero use and can and will eventually leak so it is best practice to remove it, either by replacing it with a new or used Police Taurus charge pipe or the Explorer sport charge pipe, I believe someone said the MKS also does not use one but they are harder to find anyway. a couple other options include going with an aftermarket charge tube or plugging the noise maker hole. There have been a few methods done on here including a freeze plug and a rubber cap with a hose clamp, I am working on a plug that will use the factory clip and can be drilled for a boost gauge, first test went okay but its still being tested so its not ready just yet. just a few things to consider

 

[Junkyard_Mad-Scientist]

Here is a little throw together anatomy of the intake system for our cars


and for comparison here is a Taurus Police Interceptor (PI) engine bay for comparison, note the lack of noise maker on the charge pipe

 

[javon7065]

Here is a little throw together anatomy of the intake system for our cars
View attachment 92280

and for comparison here is a Taurus Police Interceptor (PI) engine bay for comparison, note the lack of noise maker on the charge pipe
View attachment 92279

This is phenomenal. Thank you so much for this. It really helps me learn about what’s under the hood. The last time I ever tinkered with a motor was 30 years ago when I had a 1976 Oldsmobile cutlass S with the rocket V8. there was so much room and everything was so much simpler andso easy to see. Is there any type of documentation that has a similar notations like you provided? if you’re interested I’d pay you to do a more detailed labeling of the motor. I meant to ask this earlier, but what is that sensor that’s right underneath the charge pipe and to the left of the oil fill cap?

 

[kryptto]

Not like that but this is helpful:

Thread 'Publicly Available Taurus Gen4 Ford Service Manual' https://shoforum.com/threads/publicly-available-taurus-gen4-ford-service-manual.146846/

 

[Junkyard_Mad-Scientist]

I hear you on the culture shock of engine bays. My first truck was an 85 bronco with a straight 6, second truck was a 79 F100 with a 400 swapped in it. I could crawl in and take a nap next to either engine and they had a total of 6 wires going to them.

It's a bummer there isn't a Haynes manual for these cars, only the naturally aspirated cars. But if you are a visual learner I can try and put together some maps of the engine bay, point out some key pieces. I'm by no means an expert but I don't mind helping out, and unless you want a full color hard cover book with a short biography about me on the sleeve I'm not worried about compensation. This is what these forms are for.

As for the sensor to the left of the cap mounted to the valve cover, im not sure but I believe it's the cam position sensor.