I have a 1995 F150 with the 5.8L engine in it. It has 79k miles on it, and I now notice a tiny amount of oil seeping through the area around the oil pan and the rear seal. I have been told that this is normal, that all of these engines leak to a small degree as they get old, and that I should not worry about it unless it gets worse. Is that the case, or do I worry now? Thanks for your help.

is this the original 5.8 or an actual 351 windsor? if it's the windsor it has a split rear seal and yes they all seem to seep oil. If it's a 5.8 it has a solid ring seal and they should not leak under normal circumstances.Make sure the valve cover is not the culprit or the manifold. Have you tried tightening the bolts? It's been my experience that a 351 W (split seal) that leaks only about a qt.in a month- month and a half is about normal for one with high mileage.

ervinj

Thanks so much for the insight. It is the 351 windsor with the split seal. I tried your suggestion to tighten the bolts and that slowed the leak almost to a halt. Seems like, from what I can see, a lot of these gaskets are cork. Do they make a better gasket in '03 than they did in '95 out of a longer-lasting material?

usually the cork gaskets are fine to use. the problem comes in when they are over tightened when first put on. I believe felpro makes a gasket that has inserts where the bolt holes are to prevent over tightening.