2011 Ford Fiesta - Engine oil leak between engine assembly and below intake manifold

[Mark_Pookie]

Good day to everyone! My Ford Fiesta was experiencing a minor engine oil leak at first I thought it was from the dipstick hose, then from the engine oil cooler.

I brought it to the local mechanic and he told me that it is from the engine bay wall in a narrow space ( with the red rectangle ) in one if the photos.

He wants to remove the whole engine and put a sealant on that part. I was looking for that part of the engine bay in the glossary of ford fiesta engine bay parts and I couldn’t find it.

Did anyone else had experience this problem? it’s a weird location for an oil leak to come from, that space is not accessible at all.

Is there any other possible way to check if the oil leak is really coming from that part of the engine.

Looking forward for you great opinions!

Thanks in advance!

 

[scotman]

It looks like a leak from the oil pan gasket beside the starter motor. I would be removing the starter motor and using a spray can of solvent,like brake parts cleaner, to clean up the oily area and then examine the seam between the oil pan and the skirt of the engine block. Then i would see if silicone sealant might be the best solution.

 

[Mark_Pookie]

It looks like a leak from the oil pan gasket beside the starter motor. I would be removing the starter motor and using a spray can of solvent,like brake parts cleaner, to clean up the oily area and then examine the seam between the oil pan and the skirt of the engine block. Then i would see if silicone sealant might be the best solution.

Thanks for your response,

I also had the engine oil changed after the mechanic checked up the oil leak. The mechanic cleaned up the area where the oil stains were, and he sprayed something similar to what you mentioned. After driving the car, I always check the oil pan and it seems like the oil leak comes from under the intake manifold area. In the image below, the mechanic thinks the oil leak comes from. It is really hard to tell where the oil leak comes from because the radiator fan can spray the oil too.

Maybe I will try to go to another mechanic for second opinion, I really don't agree with the last mechanic that he should take out the whole engine just to check where the oil leak is coming from.

 

[Handy Andy]

If you have a chance, read the post this link points to in another thread we discussed a lot in...
https://www.fordfiesta.org/threads/yet-to-be-named-2016-fiesta-se.8636/post-22743

The area you show, is part of the PCV valve and it's housing - it may be what your problem of the leak may be from.

The reason I bring this up is how the PCV valve and the housing it uses, sits - sandwiched - between the Intake manifold, the Engine Block, just below the cylinder head, and the Starter the mechanic thinks the oil leak may be from.

The Engine is built a lot like an onion - layer by layer, so to get access to these more embedded systems. requires you to follow that methodology - take the extraneous stuff off, first, like, Alternator, Throttle body, EVAP and any Intake hoses and the Knock sensors - to then work on the more complex Intake manifold - once all that is removed, what you are left is the PCV valve, the housing it rests in and the Starter - you can then more easily see the leak and how and why it's "there" and not over somewhere else.

The main problem with the use of a PCV valve is in how much air can get pulled thru the system to re-burn the foul air and also keep oil where it belongs? Because of the SPECIFICS of the oil level, the PCV valve itself can get immersed in too much oil and if done too often can generate a leak in the very housing it uses to keep oil where it belongs and the vapors from the oil to go get re-burned so the system can keep the crankcase and the rest of the engine clean for more miles than if they did without that splash guard and vapor separation kit used for that PCV valve design.

 

[Mark_Pookie]

If you have a chance, read the post this link points to in another thread we discussed a lot in...
https://www.fordfiesta.org/threads/yet-to-be-named-2016-fiesta-se.8636/post-22743

The area you show, is part of the PCV valve and it's housing - it may be what your problem of the leak may be from.

Hi Andy,

Thanks for your quick response, Is it possible that the oil leak might come from the PCV valve and not from the housing? Upon checking some videos on how to check the PCV valve, it is reachable through in between the intake manifold cover.

If the oil leak might come from the PCV valve, I will have the mechanic to check that first and probably clean it or buy a new one. That will be less work rather than disassembling the manifold cover and change the PCV housing.

Looking forward for your very helpful answer.

 

[Handy Andy]

IT may need the housing replaced and as a cheap insurance policy, the PCV housing and the valve replaced at the same time so the vacuum it uses can keep the system from blowing seals later.

Not the PCV directly - but its housing - which uses a seal between it, the cylinder head and the engine block - so the PCV valve may need to be replaced or changed, but the housing itself can form the leak due to the region of where it is located is right where the leak is you see on the we-spot by the starter - the bottom plate and it's seal are right next to that area.

 

[Mark_Pookie]

IT may need the housing replaced and as a cheap insurance policy, the PCV housing and the valve replaced at the same time so the vacuum it uses can keep the system from blowing seals later.

Not the PCV directly - but its housing - which uses a seal between it, the cylinder head and the engine block - so the PCV valve may need to be replaced or changed, but the housing itself can form the leak due to the region of where it is located is right where the leak is you see on the we-spot by the starter - the bottom plate and it's seal are right next to that area.

Thank you so much again Andy for your tips! I will discuss this with the mechanic and hopefully he doesn’t need to remove the whole engine bay just to change the PCV housing and it’s valve.

I will check the link that you shared from the first response to see more discussion about the same issue.

Last favor for a final question, is the car safe to drive in short distance or long distance let’s say 100km?

 

[Handy Andy]

Yes, and also remember to check the oil - develop a profile of how the oil level changes.

This may be a simple leak now, but can turn into a larger consumption issue later.

I'm referring to - like a Quart or Liter of oil every 1,000 Mi or 2,000km - although not excessive remember the recommended oil change intervals are longer - but don't let that stop you from noticing and doing something about the losses - the suggested versus actual are two different things - this is your investment.

So to me, this is a simple seal problem, but how was it formed? Age? Mileage? Severe driving - or something like a plugged line or kinked breather hose that blew out forcefully and caused this?

Some thoughts from a guy that has already have had this happen to him - it's never pleasant and losing an engine is painful.

 

[Mark_Pookie]

Yes, and also remember to check the oil - develop a profile of how the oil level changes.

This may be a simple leak now, but can turn into a larger consumption issue later.

I'm referring to - like a Quart or Liter of oil every 1,000 Mi or 2,000km - although not excessive remember the recommended oil change intervals are longer - but don't let that stop you from noticing and doing something about the losses - the suggested versus actual are two different things - this is your investment.

So to me, this is a simple seal problem, but how was it formed? Age? Mileage? Severe driving - or something like a plugged line or kinked breather hose that blew out forcefully and caused this?

Some thoughts from a guy that has already have had this happen to him - it's never pleasant and losing an engine is painful.

I had a chat with the mechanic to share to him the tips and advices from you, now he realized that he doesn’t need to take out intake manifold and engine block but still he needs to dissembled some parts like what you mentioned earlier that requires some labor work. I just need to order the a new PCV valve housing and he gave me a better price for the service fee.

It is a minor leak right now and no puddle of oil yet while on a park but better to fix it soon before it can cause more damage. For now I always check the oil level and the oil leak before driving the car, we only drive it around 8-10km distance on daily basis.

My Fiesta is 13 years old and has 196,000 KM mileage. The plugged line was one of the feedbacks I got from my father in law when I first noticed the oil leak and showed him some videos.

Thanks again for always replying and giving helpful tips / advices!