Oil Leak in 2000 Ford Explorer XKS

[jdcpjc]

I have 150,000 highway miles on my explorer. Its a v-6 4.0 engine. It has developed a small leak towards the back of the vehicle. I just had an oil change and it started leaking back there 2 days afterwards. Was is the leak and is it something I need to attend to right away? I'm on the road alot and don't want to get stranded somewhere....HELP PLEASE

[shorod]

Welcome to the forum!

It's nearly impossible without being able to inspect the vehicle to determine what the leak is and how critical it is. If you're really concerned about it, pay the $20 or so to have a professional check it out.

It could be something as simple as puddled oil in a frame rail or similar from the oil filter change, or it could be a leaking or loose drain plug. Additionally, it could be completely coincidental that the leak started so soon after an oil change.

Maybe you've had the leak for awhile, but this shop used the correct oil viscosity for your engine and previous changes used a heavier oil which didn't leak as readily.

-Rod

[jdcpjc]

Originally Posted by shorod

Welcome to the forum!

It's nearly impossible without being able to inspect the vehicle to determine what the leak is and how critical it is. If you're really concerned about it, pay the $20 or so to have a professional check it out.

It could be something as simple as puddled oil in a frame rail or similar from the oil filter change, or it could be a leaking or loose drain plug. Additionally, it could be completely coincidental that the leak started so soon after an oil change.

Maybe you've had the leak for awhile, but this shop used the correct oil viscosity for your engine and previous changes used a heavier oil which didn't leak as readily.

-Rod

I know the leak just started because I can see the oil drops on the garage floor. Its at the back of the vehicle in the center of the vehicle between the back tires. Is there a worse case senario for this? I've got at least another 1000 miles to cover from Mon thru Wed.

[way2old]

You either have a bad reaqr end cover seal, or a bad pinion bearing. You need to jack it up, support it securely and look to see if the grease is coming from the front of the carrier, or the rear. if it is from the rear, remove the cover, clean the housing and housing cover complately and assemble with a good quality silicone gasket maker. If it is coming from the front, you need to remove driveshaft, remove the pinion flange(this can be tough), remove the seal. You need to properly torque the pinion nut upon assembly. It may be money ahead to have a shop do it for you. It is your call. Good luck with whatever you decide.