# F150 (2001) with "slight oil leak" **URL:** \ **Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\ **Created:** [November 12, 2012, 9:01pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/f150-2001-with-slight-oil-leak/75497 "2012-11-12T21:01:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![themulligan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecc23a/32.png) [@themulligan](https://community.cartalk.com/u/themulligan)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2012, 9:01pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/f150-2001-with-slight-oil-leak/75497/1 "2012-11-12T21:01:17Z")
A kind relative just sold us his 2001 V8 F150 4WD pickup at a huge discount from Blue Book value. It is in very good condition and drives nicely; but, the relative told us that it has a “slight” oil leak (1 qt every 4 or 5 tankfuls of gas) from a little crack somewhere in the engine. His mechanic said it would take $2500 or so to fix this; and that it would be fine to keep driving it without doing the fix, unless it started to use more oil. Any thoughts on whether we should get a second opinion on this? Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![ken\_green](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/ken_green/32/816_2.png) [@ken\_green](https://community.cartalk.com/u/ken_green)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2012, 9:49pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/f150-2001-with-slight-oil-leak/75497/2 "2012-11-12T21:49:30Z")
Yes get a real diagnosis. ’‘a little crack somewhere in the engine’’ isn’t enough info. where on the engine ? What part or parts and therefore how much to repair at a choice of shops ? someone should clean the whole engine. Then put in a u.v. dye to see exactly where the leak is . you may find it’s simpler than the 2500 proposed. ---
**Author:** ![themulligan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecc23a/32.png) [@themulligan](https://community.cartalk.com/u/themulligan)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2012, 10:56pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/f150-2001-with-slight-oil-leak/75497/3 "2012-11-12T22:56:38Z")
Great! Thanks, Ken. ---
**Author:** ![ok4450](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e9bcb4/32.png) [@ok4450](https://community.cartalk.com/u/ok4450)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2012, 11:05pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/f150-2001-with-slight-oil-leak/75497/4 "2012-11-12T23:05:20Z")
Other than agreeing about a second opinion, if the leak is near the oil filter you might consider the possibility that the gasket shown below is leaking. > **[Auto Parts and Replacement Parts for Cars, Trucks & SUVs](https://www.autozone.com/parts)** > > AutoZone is the leading retailer of quality aftermarket auto parts, offering OE or better car parts like batteries, brakes, engine parts, and oil filters. This is a somewhat common leak and it’s not that major a deal to repair. With age, the rubber inserts harden and crush down and this is what causes leaks in this area. The two larger round holes are the oil pressure ports; the larger hole is a coolant passage. ---
**Author:** ![themulligan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecc23a/32.png) [@themulligan](https://community.cartalk.com/u/themulligan)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2012, 11:29pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/f150-2001-with-slight-oil-leak/75497/5 "2012-11-12T23:29:25Z")
Thanks, ok4450! ---
**Author:** ![bryanhbre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/d26b3c/32.png) [@bryanhbre](https://community.cartalk.com/u/bryanhbre)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2012, 9:38pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/f150-2001-with-slight-oil-leak/75497/6 "2012-11-13T21:38:44Z")
I had to replace that oil gasket in a 4.6l v8 lincoln town car - not a difficult fix but a bit time consuming to replace the coolant that was lost since it passes through that gasket. ---
**Author:** ![the\_same\_mountainbike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@the\_same\_mountainbike](https://community.cartalk.com/u/the_same_mountainbike)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2012, 9:56pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/f150-2001-with-slight-oil-leak/75497/7 "2012-11-13T21:56:02Z")
The only thing I can dad is that “1 quart every 4-5 tankfuls” gives us no idea how much oil you’re using relative to what is normal. We need to know how much oil it’s using relative to th emiles driven. Fo9r example, 1 quart every 1000 miles, or 1 quart every 3,000 miles, or whatever. ---
**Author:** ![kcurt1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eb8c5e/32.png) [@kcurt1](https://community.cartalk.com/u/kcurt1)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2012, 1:28am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/f150-2001-with-slight-oil-leak/75497/8 "2012-11-14T01:28:57Z")
2001 F-150 average fuel economy is somewhere between 12 and 14 MPG, call it 13. Fuel capacity is 25 gallons. So they are using a quart of oil every 1,300 to 1,600 miles. I really wouldn’t worry about that on an 11 year old truck, based on oil consumption alone. However, I WOULD want to know what the kind relative meant by a “crack” in the engine. I would have it looked at to determine where it is actually leaking oil from.