When you have an F-150 with a 6.7 Powerstroke diesel engine, you have a truck that can do more than any other F-150. This means strong exposure. In extreme situations, the oil pan is vulnerable, just like other trucks and SUVs. It is not common for you to have to replace your upper or lower oil pan. But for F-150s through F-350s equipped with the 6.7 Powerstroke, you won’t believe what it takes to remove the upper oil pan.
How common are oil pan leaks on Powerstroke diesel engines?
If this is your truck’s destination, the body must be removed to access the oil pan in 2020 on current 6.7 Powerstroke F-150s. Ford has gone through a number of methods to seal the top pan and nothing seems to stop it from leaking. Early production years of the 6.7 Powerstroke use a pressed gasket that eventually leaks due to aging.
In 2017 Ford did away with the gasket and used RTV instead. Oil leaks seemed to increase with these engines from 2017 to 2019. But you could still remove these pans without the body mess. For 2020 Ford started using a flat gasket combined with RTV, with even more leaks. This is when body removal became mandatory according to Fordtremor.
There are two Powerstroke 6.7 oil pans, which one needs this?
The lower oil pan is no problem, and many replace it with a zoom cast pan for a visual diesel upgrade. For decades. many mechanics have complained about how automakers simply don’t have repairs in mind when designing these trucks. This is a perfect example of this mantra.
Not to sound like an old curmudgeon, but replacing an oil pan was no big deal back in the day. Yes, you may have to remove a cross member or lift an engine a few inches to access it. But removing the entire body of a vehicle to access an oil pan is a little crazy.
Why do 6.7 Powerstroke F-150 engines need the pans removed?
So why should you replace an oil pan? Mostly it is damage or a leaking gasket. If it’s a catastrophic reason like a spun bearing or worse, you’ll have to pull the engine. But replacing an oil pan for any of these reasons shouldn’t require this type of time-consuming repair.
The 6.7-liter Powerstroke V8 is a monster engine. It’s big and bulky. Regardless, it shouldn’t require lifting the cab off the frame to get to it.
Yes, we have that real estate in and around the engine compartment is limited. We have seen different reasons why it might be necessary to remove the cabin. But they only indicate that the situation is a Band-Aid for different production or component commitments.
Removing the cab from a truck is a big deal
Removing the cab from a vehicle does not mean removing a few screws and lifting it up. There are linkages for the throttle, brake lines, shifters, wire looms and more. So once the body is removed, when it’s time to replace it, all of these functions must be reconnected as well.
Some PowerStroke fanboys will tell you that removing the body is no big deal. It’s a big thing. This pretty much kills any DIY dreams of repairing leaky engines without a full shop. So not a big deal, but who has access to a shop like this?
