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How long have you owned this truck, and is the leak a new development? Any chance someone has spilled oil down the side of the engine when doing an oil change?
Side note: Fram is pretty well the worst filter you could use, just don't.
Owned it for 4 years. Just started having this problem when it became my daily driver for a couple weeks when my LS460's starter went. I definitely drove it hard on my long highway commute and it performed very well. Just started noticing these puddles of oil coming from front drivers side. Never had an issue with FRAM.
Might be your valve cover gasket and even the bolt o-rings for the valve cover are your source.
I see seepage at those spots, but that amount of oil covering the frame all the way anterior to the radiator seems too much for just those valve cover seepages. May well be from a larger leak at the cylinder head that isn't pictured in your photos.
I was going to say valve cover gasket too (mine was rock hard when I replaced it - wasn't doing much sealing). But that's a *lot* of oil for a valve cover leak. Plus you'd probably smell it burning off on the exhaust manifold (how I noticed mine..)
Try putting a sheet of cardboard down and park on top. Should help you narrow the location down some.
Once you get driving, the fan and the wind blows the oil everywhere, 1st step to locating the leak is to thoroughly degrease the area.
You say the trans cooler lines to the lower rad were seeping as well, and the fluid there shows red on a paper towel?
The oil drops at the swaybar bracket don't look red, I assume on a paper towel they show up as black or golden?
All your fluid levels look good? Power steering, brakes fluid, engine oil, etc?
The problem with Fram filters is what's inside...basically just folded cardboard. If you've ever cut open a Fram and pretty well anything else to compare, you'd never buy a Fram again.
The valve cover gasket is leaking, but i doubt thats the actual drip. I think thats a power steering line that runs along the frame, and if it rubs against the metal mount that keeps it attached to the frame, it can leak.
As for FRAM, I've always read they are horrible, but the actual experiences Ive had with them (albeit not many), same thing never had an issue, so now I don't know if they are actually bad, or the internet blowing it out of proportion.
Fram would be near the bottom of my list of oil filters to buy. Wix filters (and the ones they make for other brands) are pretty good. I go with the OEM because if there's ever a question about filter performance, there's no argument like "you used the wrong one"
Do an image search for "cut open oil filters". Look at the filter material, how it's bonded to the end caps, whether it has a backflow valve, etc.
Is there oil leaking out at the bottom of the cover just behind the crankshaft damper? If so that's from a failed crank seal maybe.
You have oil across the top of your valve covers? Is the PCV leaking oil? Are the valve cover bolts loose?
Get a UV flashlight from Harbor Freight, get some UV dye for engine oil. You can perhaps use UV light to find where the predominant leak is coming from, looks like you have multiple leaks.
Thank you to everyone who took a look and shared their thoughts. Still haven't nailed it down. Unfortunately didn't have time this past weekend to get into it. The drips are coming from the front drivers corner of the frame. The frame joint at the top of this photo is especially saturated.
My power steering fluid was a little low and one of the lines is weeping a bit by the reservoir but It's always been like that.
Next chance I get I'm going degrease those areas and will report back. Thanks again.
They are fixing now for 150 replacing them with rubber. Bad news is major rust in frame with actual holes forming in it. Hopefully the new line fixes it. Will report back. The truck is due to earn its keep when this snowstorm hits today!
12-11-20, 05:36 AM
Help me find an oil leak
