I got about 15 miles out of Alaska before I nearly ran out of oil - a big leak from the oil filter housing. 8:30. Sit on the side of the road for a couple of hours. Tow truck won't come without a credit card. Hitch a ride 50 miles into town with a highway worker (thank you Gordon) and go to the shop. 3:00. Talk to them and they can send out a truck in a couple of hours. 5:00. The truck leaves and drops me off downtown so I can eat. Eat, read the paper, watch TV, try not to worry about my van. 7:00. Go outside and pace up and down until the tow truck appears with my van in tow. $357 tow bill (thank you AAA). We head out to the shop and he puts me on the side where it is level enough and I move back into my now immobile home. 8:30.
Worry and wonder WTF. Go to bed and sleep won't come. 11:30.
Get up. Dress. Have breakfast. Drink coffee. Drink coffee. Shop opens. 8:00.
They are short handed. Borrow a drain pan. Drain the filter housing. Remove filter housing. Clean up parts. No obvious cause. I mean the housing is marked where it was hit (rock on driveshaft and a big bump?) but it doesn't appear to affect the o-ring seal, or have a hole in the housing. Drain the last 4 quarts out of the engine (yes, 10 quarts are somewhere on the road). Clean everything up and reassemble. New filter won't work. Different brand and it won't release the lock at the bottom of the spring loaded part inside the filter. Reuse old filter. 15 quarts of fresh oil. Takes a long time to crank and pressurize the oil system. Must have had plenty of air in it. Finally starts and sounds normal (thank you, lord). 10:00
Pay my bill. Clean up me and take a test ride. Stop a mile down the road and check. Return to the shop. 10:30
Take it apart again. Try the new o-ring from the new, non fitting filter. Find another piece in with the filter. Read then instructions. Install the added piece. Get my new filter from the dumpster (fortunately I put it back in the box). Just in case, JB Weld all over where the housing might leak. Reassemble. Test ride up the Dome Road. 225 water temp for 10+ minutes going up. No leaks. Go back to the shop, settle up. Drive away. 12:00
Stop 10 miles down the road and check - OK.
Stop 20 miles down the road and check - OK.
Stop 30 miles down the road and check - OK.
Stop 50 miles down the road and check - OK.
Stop 100 miles down the road and check - OK.
Stop 200 miles down the road and check - OK.
Stop checking.
Arrive Whitehorse (320 miles). Check - OK. 7:30
Tomorrow I will check the local Ford man has a filter housing (not likely) and if available, I will swap it out.
Mike