Oil Leak…

[pgh_expy]

I tore the debris shield off yesterday and was able to examine it more closely. The oil seemed to be coming from the plug as many of you had mentioned, and then would run along the bottom of the pan. There was no oil on the vertical side of the pan, opposite the plug, so I think that likely rules out the pan/block gasket as a failure point.

I cleaned it up as best I could, bought a new plug, and took it in for an oil change yesterday. They didn’t see any cracks on the plug but said they’ve seen this issue from time to time and believe it’s the o-ring.

I asked about the massive amount of oil/sludge on the top of the debris shield, and they said given the engine oil level (low but acceptable), it may have been due to a careless oil change. They’ve seen techs remove only a single bolt of the debris shield (closest to the plug), and bend it to access the plug. Inevitably, oil goes everywhere but is largely contained on the debris shield.

I’ll keep monitoring it daily and let you guys know if I see any more leakage. Thanks for your help.

 

[Pete Costanza]

I had a '17 F150 with the plastic pan. 1st year for the 2nd gen 3.5Eco. The oil pans are known to warp and seep oil. Mine did. The solution is to replace the pan. If yours is only the plug, that would be great, but I would be surprised when all is said and done. Its a bad design that was corrected at some point by Ford in 2018, at least on the F150's. My '20 Expedition has the metal pan. Good luck.

 

[rslynes]

From your photos, it really looks like it's coming from the drain plug area. No visible signs of leaking further up on the pan towards the gasket.

It seems that these plastic plugs/o-rings are a problem for some.

 

[Deadman]

That plug is such a POS. You can update the plug to better units.....