Navigator Oil Filter Adapter Gasket

Maintenance/Repairs
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1

Have a leak from what seems to be the oil filter adapter gasket. Anyone know how much of a pain it would be to do it yourself. Looks like a lot of work in close quarters to replace that gasket.

2

It’s not a rare problem. I’ve never done a Navigator but did one on my old Lincoln once and did not consider it that bad. The toughest part of the entire job was getting to the coolant hose clamp and getting it on and off. (special pliers help)

In my case, I removed the front wheel, inner fender, and went in that way with a long extension and wobble socket. It took a couple of hours if I remember correctly.

Some more tips. It would be a good idea to change the oil and filter at this time.
Inspect the mating surface of the adapter to make sure that it’s flat. (aluminum warps easily)
While not recommended, I also coated the gasket with a thin coat of gasket sealer. Do NOT use RTV type sealers at all.

3

Thanks, your right the coolant hose does like the challenging part. Can you describe the "special pliers"
Thanks

4

These pliers are worth the money and will save you a lot of aggravation; especially in close quarters. They’re also not a bad tool to keep in a kit for when you’re out on the road.

http://www.mytoolstore.com/kd/kdspec17.html

It may not be a bad idea to consider replacing the thermostat while you’re in the vicinity. The coolant will be drained anyway and the T-stat is a bit of pain too if the vehicle has that 3-way T-stat.

And make sure the new gasket you get matches the old one exactly. My old gasket got trashed while awaiting the new one ordered from the Ford dealer. Blindly assuming it was the correct one (stupid of me to assume anything) it leaked like a drippy faucet and I had to tear it back apart.
I then discovered there were 2 almost identical gaskets for my car with just enough of a coolant port difference to prevent it ever sealing and with the Ford parts manager insisting there was only one gasket.
(One gasket for external oil cooler models and one gasket for those without so this meant I had to do the parts manager’s detective work for him.)