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YOUR RESEARCHSource of oil pooled on top of engine behind alternator?
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around 120
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Reported cause
Years ago I ended up picking a week in the middle of July where it turned out to be around 120 with the heat index all week to cover the entire interior of my old Escape with Hushmat.
Source of oil pooled on top of engine behind alternator?
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Leading evidence: 'around 120' (1 discussions report identifying this cause; no attributable repair resolution). Across 1 matching discussions, the most frequently mentioned possible cause is 'around 120' (1 discussions; 1 report identifying it and 0 suggest it). The most frequently discussed action is 'Check three' (1 discussions). For that action, 0 discussions report a resolution and 0 report an unsuccessful attempt. No action has an explicit, attributable resolution report under the current rules. These are forum reports and suggestions, not a confirmed diagnosis.
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Performed · outcome unconfirmed · Original poster
I'll check all three but the oil filler tube was replaced when I changed out the AOS so it's the most recent of the components.
Source of oil pooled on top of engine behind alternator?
Check three
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Suggestion · Original poster
I'll check all three but the oil filler tube was replaced when I changed out the AOS so it's the most recent of the components.
Source of oil pooled on top of engine behind alternator?
Clean sessions
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Suggestion
It might take several cleaning sessions to remove the gunk.
Source of oil pooled on top of engine behind alternator?
Disconnect negative lead
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Suggestion
I know it goes without saying since you are doing the alternator work, disconnect the negative lead on the battery first!
Source of oil pooled on top of engine behind alternator?
Inspect oil filler tube
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Suggestion
But as said, before that I would carefully inspect your oil filler pipe for any cracks, and the dipstick tube, before drenching it with degreaser and water.
Source of oil pooled on top of engine behind alternator?
Reported and suspected causes (1)
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around 120
No successful repair reported for this finding.
1
Identified cause
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Discussions that report identifying a cause
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Reported cause
Years ago I ended up picking a week in the middle of July where it turned out to be around 120 with the heat index all week to cover the entire interior of my old Escape with Hushmat.
Source of oil pooled on top of engine behind alternator?
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11 eligible posts · 0 unverified posts · 1 discussions match the subject in their title or opening post.
Rennlist: 1 discussions
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Replacing my alternator and managed to remove it pretty easily. But unfortunately when I did so I noticed a mess of oil sitting right on top of the engine behind the alternator and under the intake manifold.
What can be the source of this oil? I'm surprised it's there as I've not seen any significant leaks or smoke when driving.
Below is a photo I took of my filthy mess. Not happy about seeing this but glad that it was a snap to remove my alternator!
It could also just be years of accumulation and spilt oil during changes. Tough to say but definitely search the items gnat mentioned for any signs of leakage.
I had to replace my filler tube, and it seems to be a rather common occurrence given the age of the plastic. Mine failed in the root of one of the flex 'ribs'. Luckily, removing the alternator is most of the work to replace all of the items mentioned by gnat.
I'll check all three but the oil filler tube was replaced when I changed out the AOS so it's the most recent of the components.
Wouldn't old oil burn off though? I changed my oil about 2 months ago so I would have though by now the hot temperatures would have caused it to burn on the surface and just leave residue. What I see is pooled oil instead.
I did the same thing when replacing my AOS. One too many times attempting to move it and CRACK it broke in half!
That's a lot of oil! Couple of things, there is a loose vacuum line in the back center of the picture, or did you disconnect something when you pulled the alternator? With that much oil, I wonder if your AOS breather hose is broken or split open or maybe even disconnected. That is the big black hard plastic line right in the center of your picture, not the SAI hose on the left side. It doesn't look like it is the hose holder on the left side correctly so it might be loose or incorrectly installed. How is the car running? Any symptoms of a vacuum leak? Getting all that cleaned up is going to be your first chore so you can begin to troubleshoot. Since the alternator is out, I would first soak up as much as possible with shop towels, then back that into the driveway and spray degreaser all over it. Then take a garden hose with no nozzle with little pressure and gently hose it down. It might take several cleaning sessions to remove the gunk. You can remove the pooled water from the top of the engine with either a shop vac or a leak blower. But as said, before that I would carefully inspect your oil filler pipe for any cracks, and the dipstick tube, before drenching it with degreaser and water. I know it goes without saying since you are doing the alternator work, disconnect the negative lead on the battery first! Don't close the trunk lid and roll down the windows so you have access while the battery is disconnected.
The loose vacuum line was connected but I removed it to get better access to the alternator.
Here is a photo I took after just loosening up one single bolt on the vacuum line bracket and remembering I need to take a picture to figure out which hose goes where:
You can see everything was buttoned up and I don't think any lines were loose. Keep in mind the car had been to the dealer and they were troubleshooting my electrical problem so hopefully they wouldn't have left anything loose.
Car was running okay but did sometimes have a stumble upon cold startup. In fact when the dealer returned it to me they suggested I change out one of the oxygen sensors in bank #2 so I have that part going in as well.
I'll clean it up later today and see what I can find. Just surprised to see so much oil there!
Replace just one O2 sensor? It is usually a poor strategy .Best to replace the sensor on Bank 1 and Bank 2.
Oil filler tube. Replace it anyway.
It is less than $50 including the "O" ring and is much easier to do at this stage. Pelican or Renntech have a diy write-up.
The plastic Filler Tube has a rather short life. f it is more than 5yrs/50k miles old ,it is probably 'ready' to fail . Irritatingly the entire tube will not be brittle - just one or two little areas. Someone needs to come up with a corrugated stainless steel tube upgrade for the Oil Filler Tube. That Gas pipe at Home Depot looks like it might .......
Cleaned it all up and still couldn't find the source of it. Filler tube looks good, pressure sensor, and dipstick are all intact.
I already put the alternator back in so tomorrow I'll hook up the vacuum lines and get back on the road. Of course I had to choose the hottest time of the year to do this. That's the most miserable part of this all - if I would have chosen a nice Fall day I could have had this done in one night. But this heat and humidity does not make this work pleasant, even while doing it at 10pm.
So going forward I guess I'll just monitor my oil levels and see if anything unusual comes up.
Heh. Years ago I ended up picking a week in the middle of July where it turned out to be around 120 with the heat index all week to cover the entire interior of my old Escape with Hushmat. My god that sucked with no shade and the constant stream of sweat pouring into all the nicks on my fingers from the foil backing was a joy in and of itself
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