Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Troubleshooting oil sender leaking (V-6)

I'm sure there was a real good reason for putting the oil sending unit directly above the a/c compressor, out of reach. But I'm having a hard time coming up with what that reason might be. Am I missing something? Do you really have to remove the compressor to get to this thing? It's leaking oil like there's no tomorrow. Furthermore, it's not like the Ford engineers didn't know it was going to leak. They put a rain gutter right above the exhaust to keep it from dripping directly onto it (cleverly disguised as a heat shield).

Geeezzzzzz... This thing is about to make me lose my religion. Decent performance and pretty fun to drive, but DANG!!! It's almost like they tried to shove too much engine in too small of a place. Hate to rant, but I'm pretty pissed. Just last night I thought I'd do a couple of ROUTINE MAINTENANCE things... you know.. spark plugs and O2 sensors. Need I say more?

Anyway, advice regarding the oil gusher would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Jason
'98 SE V6

Not the answer but another question, Is there an oil sender on the Zetek or just the v6?

It is in a bad spot. I've done it twice, remove the belt,remove the one small bolt that holds the a/c line to the coolant tube and remove the three bolts that hold compressor to the block. No need to discharge the A/C system. I use a strap and wrap it arond the compressor and pull it foward towards the frame. This will give you more than enough room along with removing the oil filter for a better view of the area. This is assuming you already have the plastic under car shield/air foil removed. I took mine off years ago, much easier to do oil changes etc.

That Duratec is a cram job!Shield helps airflow at speed and cooling of radiator. I'd put it back on after service. You can change oil routinely without removing the shield.

Is this leak in the front seal area. I thought my front seal was leaking, now I hope its this sending unit.
Sav

From underneath, I suppose it could appear to be in the main seal area. There is a small heat shield (about 4"x4") underneath the compressor. The drip comes from there. With the shield removed, the drip falls from the area of the mounting screws for the compressor.

Guess I'll tackle it this weekend. Just another $5 part that will take 2 hours to replace.

JC