OT-old truck engine leak

I've found a 1970 Ford F600 truck with 75,000 miles and given a down-payment. Seller is a young mechanic who got truck with purchase of shop. It hasn't been run in five years and little for several prior years. It has been stored inside always. Today seller phoned and said when driving it into shop to fix add-on A/C (condition of sale) he found big oil leak under it. He's afraid it may be engine rear main bearing seal or ??? Engine is v-8, I think about a 330 industrial or commercial. Truck starts, runs, & clutch, brakes, transmission, dump, lights all work. Body shows one tiny dent and a tiny bit of rust on front bumper. No cracked windows, seat upholstery has no cracks or tears, floor mat is NOT worn, pedals show very little wear, etc. All gauges except fuel appear to work. Seller, without my asking, replaced rear axle seal which was leaking.
I think seller is willing to return down payment.
I think this is a "barn find" and it looks great to me. What about tractor or other engines which have sat for a long time without being run? Is it necessary to tear the engine apart and fix all leaks (probably way too expensive) or . . .
Do I run?
Do I try some sealer in oil?
Do I try to hire seller as mechanic to fix oil leak?
I do NOT distrust the honesty of this young mechanic! What would you do IF 1) you liked the truck and 2)thought it could be of use to you and 3) felt the purchase price was reasonable? Thanks for your thoughts.
 
Don't know the price but IIRC the 330's had a 2 piece rear main, and seals do get hard.Easy enough on a F7 to pull the pan and roll a new seal in, also the oil sender is back there and the cam galley soft plug.
 
A 47 year old vehicle is going to have some leaks. It may stop by it self or you may have to find it and fix it. Since he is telling you about it. I think he is being honest.He could have said it didn't leak when I had it.
 
dont know why your worried about a leak. sounds like you have no clue on any truck mechanical stuff. old stuff always is in need of repair and it dont scare me. just buy at the right price. i reserect may things and use them. crawl under it and look whats leaking... how can we tell??? is it leaking with engine running? or from sitting. can even be trans plug not tight... who knows. maybe power steering leak?? if it has p.s.
 
My 58 GMC straight truck leaks pretty steady from the rear main. I have a new one sitting on the bench but I just keep adding oil instead. Right now it's a lot easier than the frustration of fixing it! When I drove school bus I had a Ford 429 that had a bad rear main. As long as I ran Lucas oil treatment in it the leak was minimal. If I changed the oil and didn't put it in right away it was leaking like a sieve within 50 miles. I'm not a snake oil person but Lucas products work. Try something like that in it. You have nothing to lose. Don't worry - the lift pump will start leaking soon enough along with the brakes.
 
I would go ahead and buy it. Old trucks (old tractors,to!LOL)leak.If it's a problem,fix it. Since you trust the guy,let him fix it,he may even cut you a break on labor.
 
I would try Lucas Oil Stabilizer in it first. I had a main seeping and used Lucas and it stopped seeping and that's been 10 years now no leaks.
 
If things didn't leak or break down, how do you think us mechanics would make a living? Way too many good things get scrapped or abandoned because people don't want to spend the money or have the ability to fix them themselves.I'd say it all depends on how bad you want or need this truck. But I will assure you that if you don't buy it someone will. Trucks that old with, that mileage will be grabbed up pretty quick if the price is right.
 

Look at the rear seal tween the intake and block. More than likely it is the rear seal :evil:

One maybe two times seal sealer has worked for me worth a try but be prepared to put a seal in it no fun in my book and not as simple as trowing one at it... Do a search on a Ford Hundred series tractor same deal.

Be prepared to shell out $$$$$$$ its old and not EZ to work on....
I hope I have worked on my last one...
 
I fill second the Lucas products I used this stuff in a Chevy Express work van and it stopped the leak. The leak would leave about a 2 inch diameter spot on driveway

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Go look at it. Most likely he told someone what he sold it for and they offered him more now he wants to get out of the deal he has with you.



Fixing the rear main seal on that truck is easy - the oil pan can be dropped without pulling the engine (might have to drop the exhaust). As mentioned below it is a two piece seal that can be done without separating from the transmission. Given the ease of the repair that any decent mechanic should be familiar with I question if its even an issue.
 
If an oil leak is enough to put you off the sale, you might want to buy something NEW. It is a simple fact of life that older equipment will need some repairs. Some repairs will be minor while others might get a bit expensive. This is to be expected on a vehicle that has been sitting for so long.
My opinion is that I would buy the truck and fix it. I would also fix any other things that might show up as being problems. After all, can you buy any other truck with that mileage and condition for the money that you will put into it?
 


The seller agreed to fix the AIR CONDITIONING?? Can't understand why anyone would agree to such a thing on a truck almost 50 years old. Sounds like a good find, oil leak notwithstanding.
 


Since it is as you say a BIG oil leak, it should get attention, even if it is to be expected with the age, but it still sounds like a desirable truck, and sure, go ahead and get the AC put on it. Remember the globe is warming. :D
 


Since it is as you say a BIG oil leak, it should get attention, even if it is to be expected with the age, but it still sounds like a desirable truck, and sure, go ahead and get the AC put on it. Remember the globe is warming. :D
 

Hope he has some R12 are its not gonna be happy. Those systems never did work well on 134A... BTW I don't remember ever seeing a F700 with AC unless it was a add on....

The deal on the rear seal is if a seal don't fix it the engine will have to come out that's a major deal to me... I would not warranty my seal work that would be the first deal breaker if that was OK with ya I would be so high that would seal the deal breaker...

Getting old does have its advantages you don't have to fudge with that kind of garbage anymore...

My advice is to back off from it they are not known to have rear seal issues.
 
Dune Country said the oil sender is back there.
Oil sender can develop a major leak in a short time.
I lost over a Qt in 15 miles once, different engine than yours tho.
 
Take a look at the oil level. Could be the fuel pump is bad and filled the engine with gas.

Can't expect something that old to be road ready. There will be lots to fix, anything rubber will be deteriorated unless it's been replaced. May as well plan to go through the brakes, replace the grease seals, wheel cylinders, master cylinder. Tires may look good, but probably rotten.

Still, if the price is right, and you can do most of the work, and it fits your needs, go for it!
 

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