Sometimes you can ignore an oil leak.
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| photosource: San Joaquin Valley Geology |
Sometimes you shouldn't.
For the most point I don't fret about one of my old cars dripping a bit of oil. I'm not hyper sensitive about a small amount of oil on my driveway. It's going to be inevitable with older cars. But it can reach a point that it needs to be addressed.
My '94 Seville developed a pretty common leak from the front and rear main engine seals. The fix was to remove the sub frame, engine and trans combo, flip it over and remove the oil pan. Then replace the front and rear main seals. Why not just replace the engine with a rebuilt one at that point? the helpful service writer at the Cadillac dealer offered.
The leak was chronic and pretty bad, The oil dripped onto the exhaust pipes and burned, lending an atmosphere of burned crude to the interior. My Daughter hated the smell and constantly complained. It took a while, but I cured my problems with the leak by selling the car!
I took my XJS to an Indie shop for an inspection and they came up with over seven thousand dollars of work, primarily replacing gaskets in the engine! You would be correct if you think that I declined that offer.
I have noticed that my '96 Mustang has started to drip quite a bit of oil. I thought that it might be from a cam cover and that the oil filled a pocket or area of the motor, that dripped down as the car moved.
The Internet being a wonderful thing, I Googled common oil leaks on the 4.6 V8. There were a few references to real main seals, but the overwhelming culprit was a gasket between the oil filter housing and the engine block.
I read several threads and watched a couple of videos and I bet that is what is leaking on my car.
Tomorrow I will take a look.
The 4.6 is unique in that they have an oil to coolant heat exchanger built into the base of the oil filter housing. This transfers the heat from the oil to the cooling system. It is not the usual oil to air intercooler which looks like a miniature radiator, these were common as add on transmission oil coolers for towing packages. This cooler no doubt contributes to this motors amazing longevity.
According to the videos, this can really gush oil. Looking at the gasket in the video, it reminded me of how the intake manifold is sealed. Obviously it can break down over time, I'm already on my second replacement intake manifold, so I shouldn't be too surprised!
It's definitely worth replacing the gasket, this oil leak is making a mess and making the car smell like burning oil. I still like this car, I don't want to let it degenerate into junky car status.
Still, I have been looking for a replacement newer model Mustang. It's not so much that I don't like this car, it's just that I didn't want to have to restore it to keep it nice. However, the first thing that hits you about newer Mustang GTs is the high price. Base V6 and now, four cylinder models are much, much, cheaper. Performance from these models is pretty outstanding, they've got 300 hp, same as the '05 to '10 V8s.
My Wife has even been open to the idea of me buying a brand new GT, though that is a lot of money, over 50K. A new car would definitely outlive me.
I just wonder if it is worth it. A good, low mileage, late used model GT would be just as good. Something like my Flex which we got with only 30,000 miles on it.
Then again, do I really need a car with over 400 hp? I rented a '21 and drove it back from Southern Ca. It sounded like a beast and felt very aggresive, but I drove it like a sane individual. I only exceeded 85 mph. a few times coming back on I-5. I was cruising at a steady 78 mph. and achieved fuel economy readings of 28 mpg. beating my '96's 25 mpg. My conclusion was that I wasn't likely to drive it any faster than my '96. Though I might drive it a bit quicker, as it does accelerate much harder! It would have the bragging rights, though.
There are some new features on my Flex that would be shared by a newer Mustang. I've deactivated the stop/start and easy driver entry features on the Flex. I'm not too crazy about the push button start and key less entry. The transmitter is four times as big as an old remote fob. I would accidentally open the rear hatch when the fob came into contact with the stuff I carry in my pocket. Like my pocket knife, flip phone or other keys. I carry a fair amount of keys on my key ring and combined with the large transmitter it becomes cumbersome. Which I find somewhat irritating.
Excuse me while I go outside to yell at a cloud!
I would really consider a 2015 V6 Mustang, I'm even thinking about test driving a brand new four cylinder model. I am open to alternatives. But I can't imagine that I would ever buy something like a Dodge Challenger. Especially since they don't have a convertible model. I couldn't even consider a Camaro, I've never liked their interior design.
Back in the mid 1990's I bought a 295 hp. NorthStar Cadillac STS. That thing was a rocket, much quicker than any car I'd owned before. That level of performance was a revelation, but even then, it was only used occasionally. (Well at least until I became accustomed to the extra power.) I don't think that I need to pay a high premium for a level of performance that I find to be excessive and unnecessary.
I can't honestly say that I've ever been disappointed with the performance of my V6 F150, and I've driven it everywhere.
All of which brings me back to my '96. It is a GT and it has that personality, sound, and feeling of a high performance V8 car. In absolute numbers it's not anything outstanding, it wasn't that outstanding even when it was new! But it's probably enough, at least for me. And it's a thoroughly modern car, with fuel injection, overdrive, four wheel disc brakes, rack and pinion steering, dual airbags and ABS. As well as all the comfort and convenience features. Don't forget good gas mileage.
I can't really ever see myself buying another "classic" Mustang, they just don't measure up. They also cost as much as a brand new one.
So I think that I'll be holding on to it for a while longer.
Time to get my hands dirty.
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