coolant leak after coolant leak…

[Trump8MyKids]

so i replaced my thermostat and now my truck decided that wasn’t enough and starting leaking from the water pump (just replaced) and now another one has come. this is on the passenger side by the front of the exhaust manifold. any help would be gladly appreciated. mainly just trying to figure out exactly what part this is because it doesn’t really look like it’s the timing cover and we have no idea what to order . thanks guys

also leak is circled in white and exhaust manifold is the orange arrow

 

[rusty ol ranger]

Head gasket. Hard to tell for sure with the pictures though

 

[Deiimos]

I know you say it doesn't look like it, but to me it looks like the timing cover area, though I'm no expert. The water pump bolts also hold the timing cover, so perhaps the gasket was disturbed slightly when replacing the pump and it just couldn't seal properly again, especially if it was getting close to leaking anyway. Maybe I'm just thinking out loud.

Very similar to where mine leaked. Could be something else I suppose, perhaps clean it off, then run it to see if you can see where it is coming out at.

Attached are pics of where it was leaking in my 2001 3.0, similar area at the very least.

 

[Trump8MyKids]

okay thank you guys i’ll replace the timing cover gasket let’s hope this fixes it

 

[Deiimos]

Might want to swap the crank / balancer seal while the cover is off, or at the very least inspect the harmonic balancer for wear (can get a repair sleeve and oversized seal for it if so, or just replace both items with new). My balancer was slightly grooved and I installed a repair sleeve / oversized seal set to make sure it didn’t leak, I didn’t want to pull that crap off again for a seal! My balancer otherwise looked like it was still functioning properly, a little rusty but working, so I opted for the cheaper sleeve route.


Perhaps useless info, but something to keep in mind while the timing cover / balancer is off as that is the time to do it.

 

[pjtoledo]

the timing cover mates to the oil pan, prepare for the snowballing effect.

 

[mc17eln]

There are 10 big and 5 small bolts for the timing cover and water pump. Seven of those bigger bolts are securing two parallel surfaces with both oil and coolant channels -- in my opinion a bad design.

Follow the Ford Workshop Manual to the letters, then go back to torque the bolts again for 3 to 4 more rounds. I found that totally necessary, because when you tighten one bolt to 18 lb-ft, the silicon sealant and the two gaskets give way, making the previous bolt(s) less than 18 lb-ft.

From Engine Install section:

31. Apply thread sealant with PTFE on the bolts to be installed in the locations shown.

32. Install the 10 bolts. Tighten to 25 Nm (18 lb-ft).

From Coolant Pump - 3.0L Install section:

1. Position the coolant pump and loosely install the 10 bolts and 2 stud bolts.

• Tighten bolts 1-7 in the sequence shown to 25 Nm (18 lb-ft).
• Tighten bolts 8-12 in the sequence shown to 10 Nm (89 lb-in).