Thanks Ron/Jeff..... the dye is a good idea i know its a guessing game at this point .. restarted again cold engine at idle, getting warm no leak only when bringing it past 2,000 rpm it started to drip, so it could be oil pressure related, undecided whether to spend the $300 on getting the trans pulled or pull the engine myself even if i have to remove the dam front wheels to get the motor out... going that far i would replace the whole pan, gasket and seal.... if no leaks from cam plug/.......... question on lifting ranger engine its ok to put the lifting straps/chains around the exhaust manifolds, dont see any other place for lifting out, got this feeling Babbco motors are going to say send the short block back but will wait on that... and what Jeff said the main bearing cap has problem...but thats thinking the worst...well so far its been a **** week lol..... updates coming...

Lifting points at the front and rear of heads

 

Just to clarify, I wasn't saying there may be a problem with the main bearing cap itself, I was just thinking where the two meet _ that area may need a bit of RTV where the rear seal comes in contact with the seam on both sides.
Where the red arrows are.

And my idea of running the engine with out the trans in place; it wouldn't work anyway, the flywheel would still be in the way.
If it was like some of the old British cars that one could still use a crank to start the engine.
My Dad's 63 P5 Rover could be started with a crank...

 

Good luck on any warranty, With you removing the rear main cap and changing the seal (just because you wanted to) without prior permission, they have the right to say that you did the damage.

 

Supercab returning the engine is not a option.. i would have to pay shipping$$ anyway i still have the seal the engine came with.......... i just ordered parts from ford... taking no chances here.. new oil pan.....gasket.....seal i just need the uv dye plus light............ so i am going to pull the engine and pay attention to the rear main bearing cap, cleaning it up real good on 400 grit .. putting sealant on edges... fitting seal then the mb cap..... remember my other post when i looked under and watched three small streams of oil 2 inches apart running down the pan....... i have a gut feeling the pan is the problem........... or oil coming out the mb cap.....borrowed a engine stand...

 

Oil pan, or valve cover, leaks are gravity leaks, they leak slowly but constantly, engine on or off doesn't matter, they leak when oil is present at the leak point in the gasket.

Yours reads like a pressure leak not a gravity leak

 

Yes Ron i agree.... funny thing is yesterday morning after new oil pan gasket and sealant sitting overnight, no oil in engine....re filled then driving around for a few miles no leak, checking under a few times, all ok ...until i got home leaking......... this morning i drove a couple of blocks to pick up engine stand, parked in garage oil dripping..... dam it could be the pan not sealing.... or the red arrows in that picture Jeff posted.... dye in oil and had a run out......

 

Here is the leak

 

Well ****, is it the cam shaft end cap that's leaking or the oil gallery plug ?
Looks like the cam shaft plug, since there's dye all over that area, if it was just the gallery plug, there wouldn't be oil over the cam plug area as well...

Are you just going to deal with it or have another short block sent out ?
They'll probably wan the leaky one back.

 

Not pulling the heads, ford have updated that cam plug, the idiot that hammered that plug in forgot to use sealant.... i will repair it myself not sending it back... sent pictures to mabbco motors asking for a bit refund

 

At least you found where the oil is coming from.
Did you wrap a chain or belt around the exhaust manifolds to get the engine out in the end ?

 

There's this style of plug too, but being made in China, it's hard to tell if it's just made out of rubber or neoprene.
The rubber one would rot from coming in contact with the oil.

https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo...438309&jsn=491

The plug that's in there looks like it's supplied by Dorman.

https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo...sn=490&jsn=490

 

Good news on the discovery

Bad news on how much work was need to see it, and YOU DID everything RIGHT, this would have been an assembly issue in the short block

 

There is a updated cam plug from ford $3.60 F1DZ-6266-A i ordered it from the dealer have to wait until Monday to get it... i used metal brackets on the heads to lift engine, could not use the stand must be old as the metal bolting plate was too small.... put engine on cart ..tipped on its side.... inspecting/cleaning that rear main cap i will make sure it has plenty of sealant on the sides.... not too much as the oil pump pushes oil through the cap.... waiting for new ford pan/gasket/seal....taking no chances on this one, dont want to do it again.... i will update what the builder says... just read i will need anaerobic sealer for the cam plug, i will also use it on the edges where the rear seal fits the main cap....as you can see in the picture the scratches on the rear of the block...the two mounting dowels below have burr marks on them, engine must have been dragged over the ground at some point.... i will fix that

 

Rebuilders plug vs the one off the old engine

 

No sealant at all????

 

Not a Drop....... i just had to pull the oil gallery plug, no sealant on that either....... good thing i checked that

 

No wonder it was leaking !

 

..... they put sealant on the coolant freeze plugs lol

 

Just done a review on Mabbco Motors Texas they have a great website.... read avoid them like the plague .....they replied to my e mails no return calls...... offered me refund $3-60 on the cam plug and thats it......complaints filed with Better Business Bureau East Texas

 

Engine ready second time with ford cam plug and sealed oil gallery stud...

 

Cool, deja vu

 

Not that it matters now, but what could have been done to make sure it isn't leaking any more was to have removed the synchronizer and cranked the oil pump with a hand drill.
It's interesting where one can clearly see the oil gallery going directly to the oil sender unit indicating the high pressure in that area right on the end cam shaft bearing.

Wish I was at the point where you are now, I'm still not even sure where my leak is, but I will definitely be using some of that UV dye.

 

Jeff the new cam plug was nice and tight going in it already had green sealant on it.... i gave it some more, (thing is my leak did not start until normal temp hot oil).... plug went in straight...no leaks there, plus i put rtv on the main cap where the seal mounts....and rubbing the main cap on 500 paper, nice bright surface cap and block. So i have new OEM oil pan...gasket and seal ................
the oil pump sits right on top of that main cap, any distortion, or not clean surfaces can let the oil pressure force out of the main bearing cap, i think that's why the 3.0 is known for oil leaking there, but the oil would have to be hot to leak past .. hope i don't have that problem, checked everything... fitting engine today, this time i will not rush it, sun beats down on my front garage afternoons so mornings only... took me three hours to pull the engine, all **** and elbows lol..... the dye is the way to go if your doing yours....

 

Ok guys all done and back on the road, no oil dripping on the ground after fifty mile run, i did notice a smear of oil under the starter motor and the bottom of the alloy plate, but no dripping, checked oil filter it was tight...all clean until next road test... I still think that most of the oil leaks on the 3.0s is the rear main bearing cap.. Not pulling this engine again... hardest part was getting the engine to line up with trans, that dam alloy plate kept dropping off the dowels... in the end used two bolts to pull er in......

 

Job complete.. after 40 mile run no leaks, that smear of oil was from me fitting oil filter (always fill it almost full before screwing on)