'03 V8 - exhaust fumes inside of cockpit after start-up

[1LoudLS]

well that is great news Joe, I've been putting off replacing them for a couple of years now since the VCG were replaced at the end of warranty and didn't really want to mess with that for just a small oil leak.

 

[Robot]

For those who hit this thread in the future...

The VCT seals can indeed be replaced without removing the valve covers. Replacement is really easy. Unplug the electrical connector, pry the old seal out, push the new seal in, and reconnect the electrical. The seal part number is 2W9Z-6A545-AA. You will need two, and they are about $11 each. The valve cover gasket set does not come with these seals.

In the case of my 04, the valve covers looked great externally, apart from the oil leaking around the VCTs (like the picture above), but I found oil in many of the wells when I removed the coils.

Super! I have oil in front pass side plug well and the rest were dry. I'm going to look into this first.

 

[joegr]

You can get the seals on Amazon right now with free shipping. The seller is Sunrise Ford.

 

[cammerfe]

Joe, I'm once again all smiles at the effort you offer here.

KS

 

[03LinLS]

Quick update...after replacing the VCT seals, I didn't notice any improvement in the fumes inside the cabin. My mechanic then called the local Lincoln garage and they said that they had several Gen II cars that had a leaking rear pinion seal that caused this. Anyone else heard of this? Before I have it done, I thought I would ask. From what I "heard," it can be somewhat labor intensive to replace that seal.

 

[joegr]

Well, I would certainly check to see if it is leaking first...

 

[03LinLS]

He said it wasn't a terrible leak, but that was the only thing not completely dry on the car. The Lincoln garage said that it wouldn't take much to cause what is going on.



QUOTE=joegr;2037395621]Well, I would certainly check to see if it is leaking first...[/QUOTE]

 

[03LinLS]

UPDATE - After changing out the rear pinion seal, the smell seems to be gone now. Very glad. Thanks for everyone's help.