2018 Mustang GT oil leak

[FISHTAIL]

So while poking around the car trying to find the source of the rattle everyone is looking at in the other thread...I found something else fun. My car is leaking oil. There are a few drip lines running down the back of the oil pan past either side of the drain plug. I haven't jacked it up to look yet, but I'm assuming it's the pan gasket, and hopefully not the rear main. 1050 miles on this car...not the best start.

Anyone else run into a leak problem with these plastic oil pans yet?

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[FISHTAIL]

So I crawled under to have a look today. At least two spots are weeping. The rear most bolt on the drivers side (not the one near the rear main, the last one on that side of the pan) and one of the bolts on the back side of the pan near the trans has a leak over it. There was some accumulated oil on the plug too, so i can't tell if it's also leaking, or if it's just collecting the oil from above. *sigh*.

 

[FISHTAIL]

Since I wasn't able to call today, I'm curious. What is the R&I procedure on the pans for these cars? Anyone happen to have it? Are they one time use only like some of the ecoboost pans? And I'm guessing they need to drop the K-member as part of this procedure.

 

[DickR]

Since I wasn't able to call today, I'm curious. What is the R&I procedure on the pans for these cars? Anyone happen to have it? Are they one time use only like some of the ecoboost pans? And I'm guessing they need to drop the K-member as part of this procedure.

See attached. Lots of work.

 

[FISHTAIL]

See attached. Lots of work.

Yeesh. That's what I figured though, I was looking at it last night cleaning the pan off and figured it would require dropping the subframe to replace it. What a pita. Not super excited about and R&R of the front subframe assembly on a brand new car, but not much else to be done about it.

I checked the pan again this morning after cleaning it off last night, and it's covered in oil again, so the leak is pretty steady. Thanks for posting that, I had seen some of the F-150 eco engines required replacement of the pan, so I was concerned I might be looking at a long lead time on that.

 

[Rippermac]

Why aren't you covered under warranty? Just curious.

 

[FISHTAIL]

Why aren't you covered under warranty? Just curious.

Oh it is, I've only had the car 3 weeks. I just discovered the leak while looking for a rattle that's being discussed in another thread on this board. I'm glad I spotted it though, I wouldn't have been keeping a close watch on my oil level otherwise.

I just wanted to see what was involved with this repair, because if it was going to sit at the shop for 30 days while they waited for some oil pan to get pulled off the assembly line I wanted to have a heads up. I also was curious to see what the procedure was so I would know what to check when I got it back (ie, missing dust guards, push pins, etc) and make sure my front suspension isn't jacked.

I haven't had great luck with dealership warranty work in the past, and generally speaking I do all my own repair work..so I don't like other people taking my car apart. At least now I know what they'll be doing.

 

[Cobra Jet]

I know you’re looking from underneath but check the following too:

Valve covers and where heads meet block on both sides

Oil pressure sensor that is screwed into block - not sure where it is on the GT 5.0, but some of the early EB’s (2015-2016) were coming with loose oil sensors, which allowed oil to seep last the threads and deeper out onto the block/oil pan.

Loose oil filter - again, some folks with 2015-2016’s that had minor oil leaks found out that the oil filter was not 100% secure.

Top side - Check your PCV system as well and whole looking from top down, feel around the back of the engine if you can for any moisture.

I would try to see if any of the oil pan bolts are loose, torque those you can get to and see if the leak subsides.

Other than the above, if you have the MT82 trans, and the leak is only at the back of the engine area, the leak could be a rear main seal if all else noted above checks out... and if it’s the RMS, that requires removal of the trans to fix.

 

[FISHTAIL]

I know you’re looking from underneath but check the following too:

Valve covers and where heads meet block on both sides

Oil pressure sensor that is screwed into block - not sure where it is on the GT 5.0, but some of the early EB’s (2015-2016) were coming with loose oil sensors, which allowed oil to seep last the threads and deeper out onto the block/oil pan.

Loose oil filter - again, some folks with 2015-2016’s that had minor oil leaks found out that the oil filter was not 100% secure.

Top side - Check your PCV system as well and whole looking from top down, feel around the back of the engine if you can for any moisture.

I would try to see if any of the oil pan bolts are loose, torque those you can get to and see if the leak subsides.

Other than the above, if you have the MT82 trans, and the leak is only at the back of the engine area, the leak could be a rear main seal if all else noted above checks out... and if it’s the RMS, that requires removal of the trans to fix.

Yeah I checked around below. Everything is bone dry until you get to the pan, at which point one of the bolts was saturated and the area above it was dry. So that bolt is leaking for certain. I didn't check torque on it, but I doubt that would stop the leak now if the leak path has already been established. The gasket/sealant has probably failed in that area.

The other leak on the back of the pan...I couldn't get a clear eye on the source. That could either be the gasket or the rear main. I didn't see any oil on the other side of the guard plate on the front of the bell housing though (there is a small inspection window there) so I would think if the rear main seal was pushing oil out I'd probably get some on the other side of that plate too. Not saying it isn't the rear main, but I would be a little surprised.

There are some heavy drips on the plug as well. Either from pooling from the leaks above, or because the pan plug is leaking too. There is a massive thread about this on one of the F150 forums...tons of ecoboost guys have been chasing oil pan leaks for a while now. I might be the first person to post here with this problem on a 5.0, but I'm willing to bet I won't be the last.

 

[FISHTAIL]

Update from the dealership; The pan gasket is leaking. Pans are on national back order, so they are verifying with the ford hotline that the pan can be safely re-used.

 

[FISHTAIL]

Ford Verified no new pan is needed. They are just going to replace the gasket, reseal it, let it sit overnight so the oil pan ferries can do their thing, then give it back. We'll see if this holds...the guys over on the F150 forums have often had to go through this multiple times to get this resolved so hopefully it works the first time here.

 

[Cobra Jet]

Tell them to use this as the sealant:
https://www.permatex.com/products/g...ers/permatex-the-right-stuff-1-minute-gasket/

I’ve used the Permatex “The Right Stuff” sealant and it works as advertised and does not leak... used it for complete engine rebuilds, water pumps, thermostat housings, valve covers, upper/lower intakes, trans pans, etc... the stuff works!

 

[FISHTAIL]

Tell them to use this as the sealant:
https://www.permatex.com/products/g...ers/permatex-the-right-stuff-1-minute-gasket/

I’ve used the Permatex “The Right Stuff” sealant and it works as advertised and does not leak... used it for complete engine rebuilds, water pumps, thermostat housings, valve covers, upper/lower intakes, trans pans, etc... the stuff works!

Apparently the 18 pans use a gasket, and in the few spots sealant is required, ford has some something special they spec, so I'll let them do their thing and see how it works out.

 

[FISHTAIL]

So apparently the gasket is back ordered. They found this out AFTER they took the car apart, so she's up on a lift now with no pan, return date TBD. *sigh*.

 

[DickR]

So apparently the gasket is back ordered. They found this out AFTER they took the car apart, so she's up on a lift now with no pan, return date TBD. *sigh*.

Bummer. When were the engine and car built? My engine was 12/19 and the car 12/21.

Thanks!

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