CLR95 Posted September 4, 2008 Share Posted September 4, 2008 Just curious if anyone has seen any percarious oil leaks on the e-series. I've got an ambulance in that had all sorts of leaks found them to be coming from the top. Tore the top down replaced oil cooler gasket, and hpop cover gasket after the last tech that worked on it left me a little present. Now have a leak right behind the ps pump. Cam sensor o rings good have replaced them twice just to make sure nothing goofy. Is a front cover gasket off the wall or is it possible? Just want some other opinions since I have two service managers breathing down my neck tellin me to go ahead and to be honest i don't really wanna take the damn thing apart again. I am almost positive its the front cover gasket as the oil is not coming from the top. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith Browning Posted September 5, 2008 Share Posted September 5, 2008 I am almost positive its the front cover gasket as the oil is not coming from the top. Thanks If you want to be POSITIVE change the engine oil if it is not clean and add three ounces of UV oil dye, drive the vehicle a few miles and inspect with a UV lamp. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CLR95 Posted September 5, 2008 Author Share Posted September 5, 2008 Keith the oil was changed before I did the first repair on the oil leaks and that was last week. I added oil dye and the only spot i see it is right behind the ps pump where the gasket and block meet. Our FSE was here yesterday and told me not drive it. Said clean it off as much as possible and then let it run for 5 min and then check. I had cleaned it once and because of us driving it down the road caused it to blow to the back making it hard to find the starting point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Warman Posted September 5, 2008 Share Posted September 5, 2008 Chris.... we need to be flexible when we are chasing these kinds of things.... and we need patience as well.... The dynamics we need to consider are important.... oil that is thicker when cold.... disimilar materials that expand and contract at different rates as they heat and cool (these can often make sealing assemblies a nightmare). I prefer driving to find leaks since we can create crankcase pressure to speed up the process.... If we have scattered our dye too far, perhaps a shorter road test might be in order.... but we need to remember that we are after where the oil is coming from - not where it is going to... What you describe 'might' be a bed plate leak.... Study it carefully. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith Browning Posted September 5, 2008 Share Posted September 5, 2008 Chris it sounds like you know exactly how to use the dye effectively - good! I want to agree with Jim that this is sounding like a bedplate leak. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brad Clayton Posted September 5, 2008 Share Posted September 5, 2008 Jeez, could you give the guy in worse news? /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/eek.gif Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith Browning Posted September 5, 2008 Share Posted September 5, 2008 Actually I WAS going to point out how bad a bed-plate repair sucks on an Econoline and what a sheer pain in the ass removing the engine is going to be. But - I held back and kept my post short and sweet and didn't make any mention about the horrid job ahead of him. All I did was agree with Jim that it sounds like a bed-plate leak which only implies that the front of the truck will have to be disassembled and the engine will have to be stripped to get the engine out. Sheesh! Some people cant keep their mouths shut! /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/whistle.gif Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brad Clayton Posted September 5, 2008 Share Posted September 5, 2008 /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/grin.gif Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith Browning Posted September 5, 2008 Share Posted September 5, 2008 /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smirk.gif Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CLR95 Posted September 7, 2008 Author Share Posted September 7, 2008 Well thats just fuckin fantastic. The oil is right on the front d.s. corner where the bedplate and block meet. Prolly that stupid rubber piece they lay in between the two. I already have the intake off and damn near the front cover as my boss thinks the front cover gasket is where it is. Of course first time doing this and it has to be in an e series how awesome /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/banghead.gif gettin my ass handed too me on time. Just adds to the great week I had spent all day friday and half of thursday figuring this thing out. Spent all day wednesday with the fse which just happened to be around the facility figuring out a 6.4(another first for me) and it needs to be tore down as it sounds like there are some short rods. Service writer was havin a hard time findin ops for diag for it just all in all shitty fuckin week even if a holiday was included. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveS Posted September 7, 2008 Share Posted September 7, 2008 At least you're not letting it get you down! Don't hold your feelings in or sugar-coat it; you are among friends... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith Browning Posted September 7, 2008 Share Posted September 7, 2008 I hope I didn't make him mad. I do feel his pain as I have been there many times. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eastendpowerstroke Posted September 7, 2008 Share Posted September 7, 2008 well at least you can take advantage of the great programs /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/ford.gif has for us, /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/thumbup.gif the diesel certified spin to win program, you can get a diesel specialist magnet for your tool box, or maybe even a toy F-250 truck to make up for all the time you'll loose being the "diesel tech" in the shop.. /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smhair.gif Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CLR95 Posted September 7, 2008 Author Share Posted September 7, 2008 Keith Im not mad at all just frustrated. Our lead diesel tech was gone on vacation so the burden was put on me to try and get everything done since the other two light truck techs refuse to work on anything diesel. Well i take that back the one will do a water pump or mechanical things like that but no performance diag or driveability(hes the tranny guy). The other guy just likes to do oil changes trans service fuel filters front end and brake work. And if you give him something that isn't self explanatory he doesn't know how to diag anything. Btw what I mean by light truck tech is we work on super duties up to semi's and we got both light truck and heavy truck guys. So while the gravy guy turns over 40 hours in 4 days I am banging my head against the wall trying to figure all this stuff out lucky if i even turned 20 hrs. I just hope this next week gets a little better or i might go a-wall Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Warman Posted September 7, 2008 Share Posted September 7, 2008 Jeez, could you give the guy in worse news? /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/eek.gif And Keith too.... knowing that my bedside manner isn't one of my more endearing qualities, I can only suggest that I like keeping the bad news part "short, sweet and simple"... After that, we roll up our sleeves and git-'er-dun (even though it sometimes feels more like bending forward at the waist, grabbing something solid and taking one for the team). If we get the shit out of the way, we can move on to the next project... bearing in mind that nobody ever promised us a rose garden... I'll trade anyone jobs for a week.... My wife found me one of those little magnetic fridge signs.... Says "Good morning - let the stress begin...". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Warman Posted September 7, 2008 Share Posted September 7, 2008 Chris... did you say they "refuse" to work on something? We don't so anything illegal - we don't do anything morally reprehensible - nor do we do things that are unsafe. Even though we are in a crunch for warm bodies, refusing to work on something is a quick way to get sent home.... Maybe your managers need to grow some cajones. FWIW, guys.... a decent shop would at least "top a guy off" a little instead of throwing him under the bus.... Sorry to hi-jack the thread.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CLR95 Posted September 7, 2008 Author Share Posted September 7, 2008 In my eyes its refuse but maybe it isn't. The writers give them certain jobs that pertain to their specialities or likings i should say. I had to show the one how to pull an egr valve if that tells you what i am dealing with. Its just frustration on my part for the fact i felt like i did get thrown under the bus and my manager has no balls. He rewards the fuck ups and punishes the guys that make actually try to do something right. So its a lose lose situation and i am just trying to hold on until i can figure something else out. I have almost two years in this shop and am still learnin and will learn til the day i retire but i do try to learn new things and this situation i have now is frustrating because it is unknown territory for me and i feel intimidated Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Warman Posted September 7, 2008 Share Posted September 7, 2008 This could become a whole 'nother topic as we discuss guys that 'can't' learn as opposed to guys that 'won't' learn as opposed to guys that are happy acting like either of the above.... I think I've mentioned in the past that I believe the system is upside down and it rewards the underachievers... I'm a grade 8 drop out.... I use words like ameliorate, obfuscate, emulsify and mitigate in their proper context. I have grade 12 graduates that can't hardly fucking read..... It isn't that I am so friggin' good.... But it is that THEY are so friggin' bad that a dose of the clap would look good next to them. It would be great if the public was privvy to the internal state of this trade.... Unfortunately, the best of us will always get painted with the brush meant for the worst of us. I'm going to stop for a while.... mostly because anything that discusses the human condition gets far too complex far too quickly. We live in a world where all of us want the right things done to us - but few are willing to do the right things to others in return... Isn't it strange that, in a world where we are all expected to hold each other in the highest esteem, the law of the jungle appears to be the way things are run. Except, in the case of the automotive trades, only the stupid will survive... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mekanik Posted September 7, 2008 Share Posted September 7, 2008 Just adds to the great week I had spent all day friday and half of thursday figuring this thing out. Hey no offense, but it gets to a point where you just need to take the thing apart and fix it. Is it a bedplate or a front cover leak? /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/shrug.gif If you re-seal the bedplate, you'll be replacing the front cover gasket too. You will have the engine on a stand and be able to get a much better view. I know that nobody enjoys doing bedplates and pulling engines out of ambulances, but you lost a day and a half just diagnossing an oil leak. Thats worth .5hr. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mchan68 Posted September 8, 2008 Share Posted September 8, 2008 Originally Posted By: flmmaz Jeez, could you give the guy in worse news? /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/eek.gif And Keith too.... knowing that my bedside manner isn't one of my more endearing qualities, I can only suggest that I like keeping the bad news part "short, sweet and simple"... After that, we roll up our sleeves and git-'er-dun (even though it sometimes feels more like bending forward at the waist, grabbing something solid and taking one for the team). If we get the shit out of the way, we can move on to the next project... bearing in mind that nobody ever promised us a rose garden... I'll trade anyone jobs for a week.... My wife found me one of those little magnetic fridge signs.... Says "Good morning - let the stress begin...". I haven't had time to post this week because I've had not ONE, NOT two, but FOUR cab-off repairs to carry out, two F-series and TWO E-series cubevans!!! I just finished replacing TWO engines, rads, heater cores and all rubbers this week alone. I'm not sulking, but I'm also not a particularly happy camper either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brad Clayton Posted September 8, 2008 Share Posted September 8, 2008 I'm gonna go out on a limb and say your dealer is not level 1 status. /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/cover.gif Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CLR95 Posted September 8, 2008 Author Share Posted September 8, 2008 I know it was my own stupidity to take so long gettin after this. Had some other things in the works as well so was trying to finish those up and get this one tore back down. But I did get the front cover pulled and didn't really see anything that would cause a leak really. Re-installed with new gasket. We had a bedplate issue with a truck a couple years ago and the fse showed us where to put air into the system and check for leaks with soapy water so we did that and didn't find anything. So tomorrow we will see if it worked or not. Lesson learned i know just gotta be smart about it from here on out and go after it if i see it neccesary. Thanks fellas for the support and the smacks in the face sayin hey keep it simple stupid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChristopherH Posted September 9, 2008 Share Posted September 9, 2008 Don't beat yourself up too bad. I think all of us were in a state of denial when we had to do our first bed-plate gasket, and yours was in an E-van! (that always starts my day off with a few choice profanities, and I try to get them done as fast as I can so that my mood will recover) Next time you'll take a look at your oil dye and quickly deduce "Oh no, not another one!" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aaron Posted September 10, 2008 Share Posted September 10, 2008 I'm gonna go out on a limb and say your dealer is not level 1 status. /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/cover.gif Pfft. Us Canucks report to NOBODY. /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/laugh.gif (We don't need prior approval at this point) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mchan68 Posted September 10, 2008 Share Posted September 10, 2008 Originally Posted By: flmmaz I'm gonna go out on a limb and say your dealer is not level 1 status. /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/cover.gif Pfft. Us Canucks report to NOBODY. /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/laugh.gif (We don't need prior approval at this point) AMEN TO THAT!!! /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/rockon.gif Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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