Oil pressure sensor location...

[Rupert8]

Hello,

I know there are multiple threads on this topic and I've read all the ones I can find but I just can't locate anything I believe to be the oil pressure sensor on my 1986 F250 6.9 IDI.

I have a small(ish) amount of oil leaking from the flywheel cover area by the transmission and I'd like to see if it's coming from the sensor. Also thinking about putting in a new oil pressure gauge while I'm at it, via a 'T'). There is also oil on the starter, which from what I've read suggests the sensor might be suspect.

I know it's there.... somewhere..... but I can't find it.

Any help here would be appreciated. I've attached photos of what I can find, which I believe is not the oil pressure sensor.

Let me know if I should delete this thread and add on to an existing one... But hoping this 'I've tried everything I've already read' thread helps someone else as well as myself.

Thanks as always.

 

[Cubey]

It's here. The rounded thing to the left of the circle. If you don't have turbo, it'll be in the circle spot. If you have turbo, it'll be on a tee of some kind like shown.

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Slightly better view:

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[Jesus Freak]

Yep, top of the engine in the very back just before the transmission. Pull the air filter off. It's back there..... waaayyyyy back there.

 

[Cubey]

Furthermore, it might look like this if it's been replaced. Just in a very odd place there, looks like some custom made mount.

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[Rupert8]

Aha! I wasn't looking in the right place at all. Looks like it's this guy in the photo.

If so, that means the oil I see escaping from around the torque converter area, from the cover that goes over the flywheel down there, per previous photos, is coming from somewhere else as the oil pressure sensor is totally dry. Hmm.

Thanks again for the help.

 

[Old Goat]

The first picture is your Block heater.
Here is a link to what Oil pressure sender looks like,

eClassics 1960-1987, 1997 Ford F-350 Pickup Truck Oil Pressure Sending Unit for Gauge

Buy this Engine Oil Pressure Sending Unit for 1960 Ford F-350 Pickup Truck, 1961 Ford F-350 Pickup Truck, 1962 Ford F-350 Pickup Truck, 1963 Ford F-350 Pickup Truck, 1964 Ford F-350 Pickup Truck, 1965 Ford F-350 Pickup Truck, 1966 Ford F-350 Pickup Truck, 1967 Ford F-350 Pickup Truck...

eclassics.com

Oil soaked Starter is probably the pass side VC leaking.

There is a drain at the rear of the Valley Pan. Any liquid in the pan drains down the back side of the engine.
The CDR hose also fits into a hole in the Valley Pan. Right next to it is the drain. They do get plugged up with debris over time.

Could be your Rear Main Seal leaking?
Inspection plate on the bottom of the Bell Housing (T-19 trans) 4 little Bolts hold the cover on. remove it and shine a light up around the Fly Wheel. Should be dry in that area.

Goat

 

[Rupert8]

Thanks, all.

Old Goat, I'll remove the bell housing inspection plate tomorrow and see how things look inside. I removed it recently to drain the torque converter and I didn't notice a lot of oil. But worth checking again. I changed the oil in the truck a month ago and it seems to be leaking more since.

I'll check the CDR hose as well. I just replaced the CDR valve yesterday, coincidentally, and things looked pretty dry there. I did reuse the gasket and o-ring as the new CDR valve didn't come with one. But that isn't the cause of the leaking.

Question: What is passenger side "VC"? Not familiar with that term.

Much appreciated.

 

[Cubey]

Question: What is passenger side "VC"? Not familiar with that term.

Valve cover

 

[Rupert8]

Thanks.

Not sure I'm liking the sound of leaks at the valve cover or rear main seal.... Is that common on these engines? Needing immediate attention?

I'll swear it didn't leak at this location before I changed the oil. Is there an additive which might help as a temporary 'band-aid' until I can really dig into it? Are some oils more prone to leaking? I used Chevron Delo 15W-40.

Boy, when I bought this truck I had no idea how much I'd be learning. It's a great experience.

 

[Cubey]

Stop leak additives are usually a bad idea. Just keep extra oil on hand and keep an eye on the dipstick.

I put power steering stop leak and it stopped leaking.... for one day. Then the seals totally blew out on the steering gearbox.

Valve cover gaskets aren't too bad to do. Certainly far better than rear main. These trucks are roughly 30-40 years, so rubber type seals are bound to be bad.

The oil drain on my RV's turbo broke during a transmission swap, due to having to partly remove the turbo. We thought it was plastic at first because of how it snapped in half. Nope, it was a rubber hose that completely hardened. Thankfully it was something easy to buy and replace.

 

[Old Goat]

I was just pointing out where oil leaks "Could" be.
Not that you have a leak there.
The Rear Main Seal is quite involved. Iam working on it now, just got my seal`s today from Fedex. Iam replacing the Clutch, and since the (FW) Fly Wheel is out, notice some seeping of oil at the seal.

(VC) Valve Covers are not too bad to do, just one bolt on drivers side that is a bit tight to get to.
Passenger side you have 2 at the back that are difficult plus the heat/AC Box in the way.

I did my drivers side maybe 3 years back. Didn`t remove it, just removed each bolt, blew out the hole with Carb Cleaner & red straw. Then with a rag to cover the hole blew them out with compressed air. Then used blue lock-tite on the threads. Has kept it fairly dry, once in a while need to retorque them a bit. Maybe the oil gasket shrinking?
Didn`t do the pass side and still a oily mess.

I always say, "the oil leak isn`t a problem, it is when it quits leaking".

Your truck and mine are same year, except an auto vs a manual trans. I have 335K miles.
They are old trucks and any older vehicle will have things pop up to be fixed.
Any issue you develop, there is probably 1000 threads on that subject.

Also down below each thread are 4 related threads, read those, maybe your answer is there. OH, and the bottom of that thread are 4 more...and...suddenly it is 2am and you need to get up early for work....

Goat....it`s 12:18am, still have time to do more reading.....

 

[gnathv]

is this you dip stick tube? It looks like there’s a hole rusted in it.

 

[Rupert8]

Fully understood, Old Goat. The problem isn't the reading of threads late into the night it's then grabbing a flashlight and finding myself under the truck at all hours checking out what I've just read....

Great information, thank you. I won't have time for a while but I'm going to look into the valve cover gaskets, the location of the oil does seem to correspond. Will check out the area later today. It seems like a doable job if it looks like I need to get into it. I found this video online which is helpful context. I hate doing so but will just live with it in the meantime and keep an eye on the oil level.

gnathv, how did you spot that?! Checking it out later. It does look like a hole, yes. Thinking perhaps I can patch that before it gets worse, it looks relatively dry.

Thanks again, all. Fantastic resource.

 

[Rupert8]

Ok, so I poked around... The valve cover areas (driver and passenger side) both look dry, which is great.

I pulled off the cover under the bell housing and there is some oil in there - but not a lot. What is there is on the passenger side. But certainly less than I was expecting to see.

Does this tell me anything? Should it be totally dry inside?

Thanks again.

 

[The_Josh_Bear]

I can't remember which member here but someone once told me that a starter covered in oil is typically the IP gear cover leaking. It runs around the front lip and down the side of the head and leaks over the back onto the starter. Cause the engine is tilted backwards a bit. I have the same thing, and I'm loathe to replace the gear cover since I don't want to goof around with getting the timing just right when all we can do is guess; and pray it works the first time. But I need to, as everything around the base of my gear cover is black from oil.

Unless you're leaving puddles, you don't have a leak you need to fret about. If it ends up being the rear main, I've had really good results from ATP Automotive AT-205 Re-seal. This only works on seals that have spring tension behind them, like: main seals, camshaft seals, CV axles, etc. So it's not for valve covers or the IP gear covers(rubber gasket and RTV, respectively). I found it after tearing my hair out over leaking camshaft and main seals on Volvos. It works a treat for that!