HELP
Does anyone have a picture thread or have any idea what it would cost to have a shop do it. My rear rear seal between the engine and tranny is leaking bad. I have 133,000 miles on it. I can do this but lack the proper lifting devices.

 

Are you sure the oil isnt coming from up top and draining down? There is drain holes in the top of the motor that allow oil to drip down making it appear you have bigger issues. Is there oil in the engine valley? Im not saying its not the problem but it is very rare for a RMS to fail on a 7.3

 

Hi macforChrist, welcome to FTE!

I'm going to send this one down to the 7.3L Powerstroke forum, the folks there should have a better time answering your question. It's very common for engine leaks on top of the engine to drain down to the transmission bellhousing, so there are other possible leaks than the rear main seal.

 

The best way to fix a leak at the rear main seal on a 7.3 is to open the hood and find what is leaking up top. Common sources are the turbo pedestal o- rings or the HPOP. Also could be a fuel leak that ends up looking like oil by the time it makes its way to the bottom of the engine.

 

Thank you. The problem was unknown to me until I had trouble starting the the truck. it would finally get started and warm up but was running a bitoff key. Life has been so busy I didn't think to check the oil level. Took it into our local Oil Can Henrys and he let me view it from underneath. He also topped of my oil, I was 8 quarts low. This why I believe it is the RMS. We viewed it dripping. have had no problems wit hthis truck bought it used in 2005 and it runs like a bull. After topping it it runs grteat. I was very lucky since I drove it 100 miles round trip to work before getting it looked at.

 

As others have said, the RMS is a VERY unlikely possibility. Even with the age most of these motors are...

Look down in the "valley" of the engine and see if there is oil, there are 2 places for it to pool, towards the front would be HPOP plugs/fittings, fuel bowl, etc. Towards the rear of the valley would likely be turbo pedestal, fuel clamp, or EBPV(Exhaust back pressure valve).

 

I'd also make sure to look if there is a CCV mod done on the truck, if that gets plugged up the crank case pressure will push oil past the rear main seal

 

Oil leaks on top of the engine flow to the back of the valley through a hole into the bellhousing / clutch area. It then drains past the rear main seal.

I have personally seen the orings leaking on 3 different 7.3 engines. The result was severe leaks from the bellhousing of the transmission, as if the RMS was bad. Some orings (at about $1.37ea for 6) is cheaper than just one RMS. Labor is cheaper, too.

These engines will shut down before the oil gets low enough to damage them.

As stated before, there are other, more likely possibilities for an oil leak than the Rear Main Seal. Check everything else first.

 

Took it to the local shop with a good reputation. Told them please be sure the person doing diagnostic knows diesel engines. Here are his remarks:

"Oil leak is coming from back side of fuel injection pump and collecting on intake and running off back side of the motor. May have valvecover leaks. Unable to tell until fuel injection pump is replaced"

Your thoughts? Could I rebuild this pump if it is the issue.

Been working so wife had to take it ti get looked at so I havent talked with technician.

 

Yep, like was said before, the leak is on top of the engine. Very unlikely you need a new HPOP (high pressure oil pump), which he is calling an "injection pump".

You need to clean the engine valley out with rags, or you can use simple green and a non-pressurized stream of water (after the engine is warmed up some). spray the simple green on, let it sit on that warm engine for a bit, and then rinse it off. Then you can get down to the business of finding out exactly where that oil leak is coming from. You most likely have a leaking fitting ON the HPOP, but it is doubtful the HPOP is bad. HPOP fittings and o-rings are pretty cheap at Dieselorings.com, but an HPOP will cost you about $500 just for the pump. No idea how bad they would hit you for labor on that, but they are VERY easy to change out yourself if it comes to that. Highly likely it is your IPR valve leaking (this is attached to your HPOP) because it needs new o-rings. Those are super cheap and it is easy to pull the IPR and replace those o-rings. Again, above site has everything you need for a fair price. Riffraff diesel also sells the same products if your are out on the Left Coast.

Keep in mind what someone else already said, it is possible your EBPV actuator is leaking on your turbo pedestal...and not your HPOP and related fittings/o-rings. That is also not a hard fix.

 

Likely a seal at the back of the HPOP. Not likely that it needs to be rebuilt. Best thing to do is get up into the valley with the engine running, an inspection mirror, a flashlight, and some paper towels. Then you can pinpoint the source of the leak. O-rings are relatively cheap, and chances are one of them went bad. One of mine did a few years ago spewing a few quarts of oil within a couple miles. It was an HPOP plug o-ring.

 

Washington Chapter has some great guys that would most assuredly help you out with the work if you don't feel confident going at it yourself. Get down to that forum and give them a hollar! Sounds like it would save you about $3750 if you did!!!!

 

I'm humbled to say my wife raced to figure this out and she called it with the o-rings, I'm a lucky man. Yes I am on the LEFT coast but a right winger in a foreign land.
I am so appreciative of the comments they have made my night's rest easier due to the fact that I definently am encouraged with this new info info and the possibility of a quick fix. I will keep you updated with the progress.

Thank you

 

Where do look for the Washington Chapter. New to this.

 

Click on the forums list. Then go ALMOST all the way to the bottom of the list to find the state/regional chapters where guys in the same geographical area hang out and chat/share. Washington has one of the stronger chapters...