Oil on bottom of truck

I have a 2000 Ford Exp with some oil blowing back under the carriage and up
in the wheel wells. The engine runs strong, no oil burning from exhaust,
the CV boots are in good shape no cracks. I have not been able to
identify the source. I’ve heard about this happing before but don’t
remember what to check. Exhaust gaskets, header gaskets????

colorado22 wrote:
>I have a 2000 Ford Exp with some oil blowing back under the carriage and up
>in the wheel wells. The engine runs strong, no oil burning from exhaust,
>the CV boots are in good shape no cracks. I have not been able to
>identify the source. I’ve heard about this happing before but don’t
>remember what to check. Exhaust gaskets, header gaskets????

Generally, oil will look brown on your finger, while auto tranny fluid will
be reddish.

1. If you are losing motor oil (dipstick) you may need to clean off the
bottom of the engine, then watch closely to try and identify the leak. If
you have that much oil underneath, clean it off and put some cardboard under
it to see where it drips. I'm guessing you would get drips after 10-15
minutes of idling if the engine is involved, since oil in the (rear?)
fenderwells means you are losing quite a bit.

While you are underneath, shine your light up on the back of the engine. You
could have an intake / head gasket leaking, and oil will run down the back of
the engine.
Generally, if oil hits the exhaust manifolds it burns and you smell it.

2. Check your auto tranny fluid level when warmed up. Assuming you have an
automatic, you can pull the inspection plug on the bottom of the bell housing,
and use a flashlight and your finger to see if you have oil or tranny fluid
in the bellhousing.

3. If you are not losing motor oil per dipstick, and it seems to be coming
from the front of the engine, then you may have a power steering fluid leak
(check fluid level) or a cooling system leak if your transmission has a
cooling line that runs up through the radiator. In that case remove shrouds
under the radiator if necessary, and see if there is oil somewhere around the
bottom of the radiator. Of course, if tranny fluid is low, this would be one
of the first things to look for.

4. Just to be sure, check your PCV valve and make sure it is drawing air at
idle, and seems to be clear. Not real likely this is it.

5. Check transfer case fluid - altho it sounds like it is coming from
further forward from your post.