Having an automobile is essential, we generally need it to get to our job and for many of our daily trips. This vital part of our annual budget recurrently triggers us surprises, being aware about oil leaking on your car is one of them… In actual fact, an oil leak is almost never harmless and can quickly lead to the breakage of your engine if you don’t recognize it. If you are aware about oil leaking on your Ford Explorer, you have come to the right place, we will first help you to uncover the source of the oil leak and, secondly, we will help you to remedy it, if possible.
Identifying the origin of the oil leaking on your Ford Explorer
If you see fluid leaking from under your Ford Explorer, the first thing to do is to examine all of your levels (power steering, engine oil, brake fluid, coolant) to see if any of them can promptly be recognized as the origin of the leak. To limit the risks, it is absolutely vital to examine your levels every 2 weeks to avoid any risk of engine breakage.
In our circumstance we will only be focused on circumstance you identify oil leaking from your Ford Explorer, as far as engine oil is concerned, the liquid will be quite viscous and in shades of brown to black and if it is gearbox oil, it will be rather in amber tones and will have a strong unpleasant smell.
It’s not always easy to uncover the source of the oil that leaks on a Ford Explorer because of the space in the engine block, however here are the guidelines to follow to uncover the source of the oil:
- Uncover the point where the oil falls, the spot from which it leaks onto the floor…
- Track down the route of the dripping oil to its origin, if the blot is too big, don’t be reluctant to clean the engine block and drive to be capable to identify it more quickly.
- To assist you, here is a list of the auto parts that most often trigger oil to leak from a car: the drain plug and its seal; one of your crankcase gaskets; the oil pressure switch; the oil filter; the transmission drain plug; the transmission sealing rings.
If it is possible, repair the part that created the oil to leak on your Ford Explorer.
Now that you’ve determined the source of the oil leaking, it’s time to get down to business. Obviously, for a while, you’ll be able to add more oil to top up the level, according to its severity, but be aware that this is not a durable treatment and that the leak could intensify at any moment. We are likely to present you the repairs that we think you can attempt all alone with some knowledge, tools and depending to the accessibility that you are going to have on your engine. No matter the reason, you should know that after repairing an oil leak on a Ford Explorer, you will have to swap your engine or gearbox oil.
Oil leakage from the drain plug and its seal on Ford Explorer
In this circumstance, the strategy is very simple, you just have to lift your Ford Explorer, when possible totally horizontal, remove your drain plug, drain your engine oil, swap your drain gasket, tighten the plug to the perfect torque and examine the hot engine to make sure the leak has been repaired.
Oil leaking over from the oil filter of my Ford Explorer
In case that your oil leak comes from your oil filter, you will basically need to replace it. To achieve this, take a filter wrench, remove the old filter, making sure that the gasket does not stick to the engine, fit the new filter and tighten it moderately. Same check, hot check if oil is leaking from your Ford Explorer.
Oil leaking from the pressure switch of my Ford Explorer
Finally, if it is your pressure switch that is the reason of your leak on your Ford Explorer, you can, depending on its accessibility, reach it and swap it quickly. To get this done, place a drain tray under the part, disconnect the electrical wire, remove the part, quickly reposition the replacement pressure switch, clean the assembly and do a hot test to confirm that you no longer have any oil leaking from your Ford Explorer.
For any other type of leak, we advise you to go to your auto technician because the repair requires too much expertise and tools to be undertaken serenely alone.
To discover more tips on the Ford Explorer, take a look at the Ford Explorer category.
