oil leak questions

Topic: oil leak questions (Read 1571 times) previous topic - next topic

oil leak questions

January 04, 2006, 11:07:45 PM

what are the common spots for an 88 Mercury Cougar with the 5.0l engine to leak oil?

im just saying this becuase im thinking its got a bad leak...

Thanks

Jordan

AKA

88cougarXR7

oil leak questions

Reply #1 – January 04, 2006, 11:12:38 PM

My oil pan on the original motor leaked.
Your best bet would be to put it up on ramps or jackstands, I prefer ramps, and get under and look. The line of leaking oil will lead you to the trouble spot.

oil leak questions

Reply #2 – January 04, 2006, 11:25:06 PM

Oil pan and rear main seal are nasty culprits....

oil leak questions

Reply #3 – January 04, 2006, 11:25:07 PM

Lets see common places for the 5.0 to leak.

1. Oil pan gaskit.
2. Valve cover gaskits.
3. Oil pan drain plug washers (mine leaks alittle and every time I change my oil I forget to change the little washer on the rear plug:brick: )
4. Front or rear main seal. If either of those are leaking you might as well change the pan gasket as well. If the rear one is bad you also have to take the trans out. If you can live with it untill you rebuild the engine then I would suggest a rebuild if you find that the rear seal is leaking.

oil leak questions

Reply #4 – January 04, 2006, 11:41:05 PM

I think all engines tend to leak around the same ares...front & rear main seals & valve covers are the usual spots.

oil leak questions

Reply #5 – January 08, 2006, 10:57:21 AM

thanks, thunderjet, you just reminded me that the dumbass that i baught the car from has a normal bolt in the oil pan instead of an actual oil plug... so basicly, im pritty sure thats where all the oil is going...

i asked because i didnt drive the car, nothing, and just sitting there, it lost like half of its oil, just sitting... so basicly im thinking its hopefuly the oil plug, and if not, i already have the stuff for the oil pan gasket which could also be a spot for it to leak from when parked...

thanks again tho for the help...

oil leak questions

Reply #6 – January 09, 2006, 09:46:28 PM

I know I am chiming in late here, but I try to tell as many people what happened to me when I had my first cougar and almost no experience.

My 86 LS (5.0) had a horrible oil leak from the rear main seal, it was so bad that my mother wanted me to get rid of the car. I took it to a shop that my friend's father owned, he said it was a head gasket and it would be expensive to repair. All bummed I talked to another friend who was a car lover and he said check the PCV valve.

The next day I took it to the shop and asked my friend's father about that valve filter I was told about. He said it couldnt be and I ended up betting him lunch over it. When he pulled the PCV filter it was compleatly caked over, causing my crank case to pressurize and push the rear main seal out just enough for oil to leak out. After a new filter was put in the '86 didn't leak another drop of oil.

Just something simple and inexpensive to check before you shell out all the time, money and headaches of a head gasket replacement.

oil leak questions

Reply #7 – January 09, 2006, 10:03:34 PM

Quote

If the rear one is bad you also have to take the trans out

Or the motor! :hick:

oil leak questions

Reply #8 – January 09, 2006, 10:56:06 PM

Something to add as a possible spot, if your crankcase filter is clogged (thing below the pcv valve that Mikey was talking about), it can also cause the back side of the lower intake manifold to blow out it's seal or gasket. That's what going on with mine at the moment, and the only thing keeping me from having a leak free engine.

oil leak questions

Reply #9 – January 13, 2006, 05:39:14 PM

hmmm... thanks for the advice, cus that might just be happeneing... in fact i was almost wondering if the pvc valve had something to do with it...

but i seem to have fixed most of the leakage problem, it was in the drain plug, the threads were stripped off it and there was no gasket... so basicly, yea, that was the problem, and i mean the threads were bare... i dont even know how that thing held as much as it did... but a new plug just screwed right in no problem luckily and it seems to be pritty good now...

oil leak questions

Reply #10 – January 13, 2006, 05:47:51 PM

I had the same problem with my '88 XR7.
Always use a gasket/ring with the drain pan bolt.

oil leak questions

Reply #11 – January 13, 2006, 08:20:27 PM

Quote

Something to add as a possible spot, if your crankcase filter is clogged (thing below the pcv valve that Mikey was talking about), it can also cause the back side of the lower intake manifold to blow out it's seal or gasket.

I change those things every 2 years or so and they are always totally clogged when I change em. What a pain it is to get to that thing!

oil leak questions

Reply #12 – January 16, 2006, 10:56:56 PM

where is the pvc valve on these cars?

oil leak questions

Reply #13 – January 17, 2006, 02:26:11 PM

On the very back side of the lower intake manifold on 5.0 V8's (for SEFI). CFI and carbed 3.8's have it on the passenger side valve cover. Not sure on the 88 3.8 as it went SEFI or on the 2.3 turbo's.

Judging from your avatar I'd say your interested in the 5.0 when changing the 5.0 PCV remember to pull the metal screen/filter out and change THAT as well. Many people will observe oil blowby out their exhaust and think they have an expensive problem when in fact this is the culprit.

oil leak questions

Reply #14 – January 17, 2006, 08:15:33 PM

On a completely different subject:

Hey nice avatar! Couldn't ya post a pic of your own car and not mine? :D:D:D