Hi All,
I'm new to the forum. I just bought a high mileage (195k) '99 Ford Ranger 4.0L V6 (OHV) for $2400. When I looked at it, I wasn't expecting it to be dark but ran behind schedule and it was dark. I couldn't see much under the engine and now that I've got it home...big pit in the stomach. I rolled under the truck after work this evening and noticed the oil pan had oil all over the bottom of it (probably from driving an hour home on the freeway last night). :-( I don't have time tonight to figure out where it's coming from but in my very brief look it appears to be coming from front, and most of the oil is on the passenger side components. I'm thinking it may be the forward crankshaft seal (hoping since I think I can replace that without removing the engine or tranny). What worries me is the guy I bought it from was mechanically inclined and he may have figured out where the leak came from which caused him to sell it. Anyway, any advice on how to go about finding the leak site? Also, advice on what maintenance to do (I was planning to flush and change all fluids/filters)? Finally, how much money do you guys think I should drop on this before cutting my losses. I bought the truck expecting some issues and was excited to get more hands-on experience working on cars, but I'm just worried this might be a lost cause. I'd like it to become a decent hunting truck. Any advice is appreciated. Thanks!


P.S. My Avatar photo is the truck.

 

Does anyone have a link to some good oil leak troubleshooting steps? My plan right now is to work from the top down and check all gasket/seal locations visually with a mirror. Basically, going to do the following:
1. Inspect all gasket/seal seams working from top to bottom to try to determine at least where the oil starts to show up (i.e. is it lower than the valve covers, timing chain cover, crankshaft seal, etc.)?
2. I'll probably then clean areas around all the gaskets/seals.
3. I'll then run the engine on idle for about 10-20 min.
4. Then I'll re-inspect all gasket/seals and see if I can get a solid verification on the leak site. I'll take care to inspect all areas below where the oil showed up to ensure there aren't multiple leak sites.


Anyone know what a shop might charge me to pull the engine and/or tranny if it's the oil pan, rear crank seal, main, etc.? Just wondering what I should be getting ready to fork out. I don't have a hoist or tranny jack, but I do have some buddies that I may ask help from. Thanks!

 

Sorry, I know I'm basically talking to myself at this point, but one last thing. I just spoke to a friend at work and he says that I shouldn't worry about fixing the oil leak right now if it's a major repair (i.e. if it's one of the gaskets/seals requiring engine or tranny pull). Especially since I haven't observed any puddle (or even drops) on the ground yet. He thinks I should clean it all up, change the oil (needed anyway) and keep it topped off with frequent checks to ensure the leak isn't progressing. He thinks that I should get a better feel for all the issues with the truck before I go spend money to pull the engine for a gasket or seal. Says that I may get by for several more thousand miles and at that time may decide to go for a whole rebuild rather than just fixing the oil leak.


Any thoughts on this? Thanks!