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Hey all- new here. I recently bought an 01 ranger xlt (non 4wd) with 56k miles. I just happened to notice an oil leak today and wanted to get opinions or suggestions on what this may be from (picture attached). Still learning, not super mechanic savvy but willing to try. Thanks
Really hard to tell without knowing what type of fluid it is. It doesn't seem to have a red tint, so I don't think it's transmission fluid. It does seem to be all over the oil pan, so it may be an oil pan leak, crankshaft seal leaks, or a rear main seal. This looks like it's a 2.3 engine correct? I don't think any of these would be easy to replace, especially the rear main seal since the transmission has to be removed to fix that. It's just too hard to tell what is leaking based off of the photos you have provided.
Really hard to tell without knowing what type of fluid it is. It doesn't seem to have a red tint, so I don't think it's transmission fluid. It does seem to be all over the oil pan, so it may be an oil pan leak, crankshaft seal leaks, or a rear main seal. This looks like it's a 2.3 engine correct? I don't think any of these would be easy to replace, especially the rear main seal since the transmission has to be removed to fix that. It's just too hard to tell what is leaking based off of the photos you have provided.
Appreciate the reply, and I agree with that regarding the pictures. I think I'm going to clean that area off soon and monitor it to try and get a better idea exactly where it's coming from. The color was definitely dark and not red. This is the 2.5 engine. I'll try posting better pictures when I can.
I cleaned up the oil the best I could for the time being. Oil mainly seems to be built up around the side of the oil pan and then around the transmission housing. I can't tell for sure if it's from a bad seal but appears to be. If anyone knows, what would you expect I would be looking at cost wise if I had to take it somewhere and have the seals replaced (hoping that's all it is)? I know the seals are not costly but I imagine the labor would be to get to it.
The oil pan and the rear main seal are two of the worst as they require a decent amount of labor time, at least a few hours each. I'm not sure if the oil pan is even removable on a 2.5 in a coil sprung truck. They may have to lift the motor to get enough clearance to work on the gasket. You're definitely looking at a minimum of $400 for the complete job, and I wouldn't be surprised if it was higher. I would call around and get some quotes so you have a general idea of labor rates.
08-13-2021
