question about a RMS leak

Status
Not open for further replies.
Joined
May 30, 2013
Messages
97
Location
Long Island, NY
Well its more of a weep.

Anyway, i picked up this 2010 Ford Transit Connect, with the 2.0 gas motor and an auto. Doing an Inspection i noticed some dampness and on tiny drip of oil forming around the area you would associate with a rear main seal leak. right at the bottom lowest point between the motor and tranny.

I cleaned it off with some parts cleaner and went for a 25 mile drive, i noticed a very slight weeping of oil, not a leak or a drop yet. But i would assume after lets say 500 miles it will be a drip for sure

My question is how long do you guys think i can let this do what it does before i have to rip the tranny out and fix this issue? I only need the van for a few months for a job, then ill see it on to the next guy. It leaves no drips or spots on the drive way after 100 miles of driving, there is no evidence of oil that has been blown under the van or anything like that, that would signify a serious leak.

Do you think some snake oil or a HM oil will tackle this?

I did some reading and see its a known issue to have this leak with the Ford focus of the same years, and in the end the Transit connect is a ford focus.
 
Last edited:
Doesn't sound like anything to worry about. Just check the oil every once in a while.
 
On a past vehicle, I pretty much just lived with a slow RMS leak for 40k miles. I tried the usual stuff like AutoRX, HM oil, ATP 205.. at most these stopped the leak temporarily but it would always come back.

I just ended up leaving a metal catch pan in the garage where I parked and that was it.
 
I would drive it & check the oil every time I put gas in the tank .

Sounds like a very minor leak , compared to some cars back in the old days .

Shot in the dark , check the PCV system to see if the internals of the engine are not being " pressurized " .
 
I bet there are a lot of cars on the road with the exact same problem that people aren't even aware of. They drive them until they sell or dispose of the car w/o repairing it. As mentioned keep an eye on the oil level, and park it over a catch pan, if oil loss increases, or the spot on the catch pan gets bigger then deal with it.
 
I never mess with a weeping seal, at best the snake oils may slow or stop it temporarily or it might turn into a full blown leak. This engine probably uses a teflon rear seal which are known for slight weeping and rarely develop into a leak, it probably got stretched a bit too much when it was assembled which is no big deal.
If it is teflon it is impervious to esters and solvents anyway but the rest of the engine gaskets and seals are not.
 
My 5.3L has had seepage for years along with many others. A seal can be come "steady state" like that - and the tiny amount of weeping is ideal to keep it wet. I always have the grunge on the metal - but none on my driveway ...
 
Several years ago I had a small rear main seal leak that would leave a spot on the ground, it didn't bother me so I wasn't trying to fix it. I used many different oils including HM oils with no change, until I tried regular Pennzoil and the leak slowed and then eventually stopped leaving a spot on the ground. There were no other changes made to the vehicle. I stuck with Pennzoil in that car from then on.

Get a new motorcraft pcv valve, don't use any separate leak stoppers.
 
The RMS and cam seal in my Rav4 have been weeping for the past 100k miles. I use HM oil and haven't tried any magic RMS stop leak yet. Might try some magic stuff if it starts to drip. No way I'm paying to repair it.
 
My 1985 Ford pickup has been leaking from the RMS since I bought it in 2013. I've put almost 50k on since then and it hasn't gotten any worse. It does leave drips, so I'm careful not to park it anywhere where oil stains would be a bother. I don't think yours will get worse, especially being so new.

I once tried to replace the RMS through the oil pan (rear main seal is under the rear-most main bearing cap) and I got the lower half replaced. I could not move the crank enough to replace the upper half of the seal. It still leaks, so I essentially spent 2-3 days under the truck for nothing. If you're not dumping quarts of oil in to keep it going, I would save your money until it gets bad enough that you have to-- don't mess with it right now.
 
Sounds like it's time someone like Dorman made a fireproof 'automotive diaper' that we can just wrap up against the engine! LOL
 
Originally Posted By: Reddy45
Sounds like it's time someone like Dorman made a fireproof 'automotive diaper' that we can just wrap up against the engine! LOL


LOL!
 
Originally Posted By: Reddy45
Sounds like it's time someone like Dorman made a fireproof 'automotive diaper' that we can just wrap up against the engine! LOL


My wife refers to the pan under her car as a wee wee pad.

It's there to catch the gear fluid that leaks from the transfer case.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top