My '06 4.2L Windsor V6 engine has developed an oil leak. The low point (where it drips from the engine to the floor) is the oil filter.

At first I thought I had a bad seam on thefilter, so I replaced it with a Motorcraft FL400S and changed the oil for good measure but theleak persists. The source of the leak seems to be just above the oil filter housing.

I tightened all of the 8mm bolts around the perimeter of the oil pan and got about a 1/4 turn on each bolt. The leak persists.

An engine with under 30K should not leak oil. Can anyone shed light on this?

 

So it is running down the fliter and dripping on the ground? If so remove the filter, and check for previous filter gasket stuck to the engine filter assembly. Second check the filter you took off, any damage, out of round etc?Wipe the filter mating are clean and check fornics and damage. Install new filter.Also FYI, the frame has some contours in the area around the filter that will hold dripped oil from a filter change, this should be gone in a day or two but any how wipe area well as good as you can just to make sure.

 

Thanks for the advice, but It's definitely not the oil filter, mating surface, or the sealing gasket. Actually, I think the newer design of modern oil filters has all but stopped gaskets from sticking onto the housing when performing an oil change. This hasn't happened to me since the '80s. I'm bringing it to Ford and demanding they repair this (along with all the other annoying stuff) before warranty expires.

Well it's official I hate this car. As soon as I have an opportunity to dump it off It's gone.

 

I have had that same issue before and I just had to tighten the filter a little more. Seems that it needs a little more torque than I am used to.....

 

Thanks for the suggestion but the oil filter is cranked down tightly. I'm convinced this is just a crappy vehicle with poor assembly and poor quality control. Way to go Windsor Ontario Canada.

 

I would think you have a defective part if you have checked and tried all. My understanding is the 4.2 block in our vans is the same 3.8 block Ford has used for years (granted with updates), used bored and stroked. The oil filter assebly is looks the exact same as the 95 windstar. I have not seen another oil filter issues listed for the 3.8s (there may be some just not many). During assembly it is possible that it struck the frame and hairline fracture that has opened over time?

 

If it's still under warranty. why don't you just take it in and get it fixed like you said you were going to.

The 4.2 Essex engine has been around since 1997 and has been in the F-150's since Ford phased out the 300 I-6 in 1996. As "tomb1269" stated it's the same as the 3.8 Essex except that the 4.2 has a longer stroke. It's also the same as the 3.9 Essex. The 3.8 Essex has been around since 1982. The 3.8, 3.9 and 4.2 versions have been used in everything from the Granada, F-150, Thunderbird, Cougar, Capri, Mid-Sized LTD, Mid-Sized Marquis, Taurus, Sable, Continental, Windstar, Mustang, Monterey and Freestar. That's a lot of engines over 26 years.

If it's not still under warranty, I would start by cleaning the engine with good ole' GUNK Heavy Duty engine cleaner and clean it all read good. I would then start looking for the leak every day until I found it.

 

The van only has 27.5K miles so it is still Ford's responsibility to fix the oil leak. Yes, I'm definitely going to bring it in for repair under warranty butI wanted to check to see if there was a known issue here. I guess not. [sm=boohoo.gif]

I didn't know thisV6 had such a far-reaching history at Ford. Our '96 Windstar van has a 3.8L Essex and it was an absolutelywonderful engine. I'm not so impressed with the current 4.2L iteration, but hey, maybe it's just me. When making my purchasing decision a few years back I wouldn't have cared a bit to see the exact same 3.8L engine in this '06 Freestar van.

So the warranty laundry list will be (1) oil leak (2) trac system(3) erroneous backup sensor alerts (4) broken weld on second row seat frame (5) cruise not working 50% of time

As a guy who turns wrenches on all of his vehicles I hate the thought of bringing this car into Fordfor repair. Last time I had the van in to troubleshoot the Trac problemsthe mechanic assigned to my vehicle left greasy handprints and bootprints everywhere and he didn't evenfix the Trac system. The Service Manager told me they suspected a "stretched cable" (what???) which needed replacing along with some sort of control module.

They were supposed to call me when the parts came in but they never called. Big friggin' surprise. I'm going to try another Ford dealership that is a bit further from my home but still close enough for comfort. I'll let y'all know how it goes.

 

Due to your experience with your present dealership, I would definately go to another one. I would explain the issues you had/have with the other dealership and tell the new dealership that if they take care of you, theywill have all ofyour future purchase and maint/repair business. In todays economy, I'm sure they would take care of you. It's worth a try.

Also, the cruise works hand in hand with the TRAC control. So if your TRAC control has issues, your cruise normally will not work under most conditions.

Good luck.