• Welcome Visitor! Please take a few seconds and Register for our forum. Even if you don't want to post, you can still 'Like' and react to posts.

Things I learned doing the 3.0 timing cover leak fix


pentode

Well Known Cheapskate
Supporting Member
Ham Radio Operator
Joined
Apr 30, 2024
Messages
713
Reaction score
892
Location
Moncton NB
Vehicle Year
2005
Make / Model
Ford Ranger
Engine Type
3.0 V6
Transmission
Automatic
2WD / 4WD
2WD
In case someone else like me with limited experience on the 3 liter comes along looking for some hints, I'm just going to post a few things I discovered while doing my repair that I didn't see anywhere else. This is definitely not a tutorial, just filling in a few gaps (I'm not saying this info isn't out there, I just didn't find it in my research prep for this job)

Clean off the top edge of the timing cover/water pump area and any mud/dirt/debris off anything above that area as best you can before you start. This will keep as much crud as possible from dropping into the oil pan when the timing cover finally comes off.

All the manuals I found just said "remove the bolts holding the A/C power steering pump bracket on". If you have limited mobility/flexibility it's not necessarily easy to find which bolts matter. There are 5- 3 on the front of the bracket (2 hidden deep in the bracket itself) and 2 on the drivers side which are actually studs used to hold on the wiring harness and something else which escapes me now. All of these fasteners are 13mm.

On the original Ford water pump, there are no exposed bolts or otherwise to get a pry bar on to hold the pulley stationary. (The Gates pump is different, the flange is thinner and the factory bolts protrude through the flange at the pack which would allow you to get a prybar in there) Don't bother trying to wedge it in place. I would say don't bother with rubber/nylon strap wrenches (I broke a nylon-reinforced strap wrench trying). The only thing that worked for me was a chain wrench. That, a long 21mm wrench and a couple raps with a 3lb hammer broke it right free for me. For the record, rust wasn't even remotely involved in my case- it was just &*$# tight. My chain wrench did ding up the pulley a very small amount, but a few seconds with a small triangular file was enough to clean up those burrs.

Maybe a more skilled mechanic than me has a trick to break free the crank pulley and harmonic balancer bolts with hand tools, but if you have access to one, just use an impact wrench. I don't even want to think about how much fun it would have been to try to do it without (and you'll turn the engine backwards which may or may not be good).

If your crank pulley is stuck on, just hit it from the back in a couple places with a nylon hammer or a small brass or steel hammer. You can't realistically pry it off without possibly damaging the harmonic balancer.

There were various posts about tearing the oil pan gasket when removing the timing cover. I can't speak to all 3.0s but mine had a sort of weird composite plastic oil pan gasket. On my 2005 2WD, reaching oil pan bolts to loosen them was a total non-starter, but once I gently pried off the timing cover I realized that there was very little chance of tearing the oil pan gasket. Possibly earlier models had other styles of gasket that were fragile but mine came off - and shockingly went back on - with no fuss at all. There's even a little tab at the very front of mine that keeps it from getting pushed into the pan when you reinstall the timing cover. I'm not saying it's impossible for yours to tear- but don't let that stop you from digging in. If you have that little tab, you probably have the same gasket as me and you'll probably be ok.

My timing cover was pitted - I can't say how badly compared to others but it was pretty bad - but not bad enough for me to spend $250 on a timing cover. I wasn't going to even attempt to use a dry gasket (which I normally advocate) given the work to get in there. I used a very thin layer of Permatex Ultra Black, thin enough that there was zero squish-out when everything was torqued down, but things are bone dry after several heat cycles entering day 3. If it ever leaks, I'll update this thread.

Just do the timing chain. Considering the effort to get in there, spend the $20-30 bucks on a quality set, seal it up well and never go back in there again. :LOL: In my case I really didn't want to wait for parts to arrive but it was 100% the right thing to do.

I put this job off for 3 years (I only do a couple thousand miles a year on the truck) because it was a lot of work for a small reward. When the leak got bad, I contemplated dumping some stop leak in it. I'm glad I just did it right, and if you have a decent set of tools, you can do it too. I expected it to be a nightmare. All it really required was patience, planning and a couple tools I didn't have on hand.

EDIT: oh and a special thanks to those who helped me out in this forum!
 
Last edited:

RobbieD

2.9l Mafia
Joined
Aug 6, 2007
Messages
4,553
Reaction score
4,489
Location
Georgia
Vehicle Year
1984,1990,1994
Make / Model
Ford
Transmission
Manual
2WD / 4WD
2WD
My credo
Toonces drives a Ranger . . . . just not very well.
Good post.
 

pentode

Well Known Cheapskate
Supporting Member
Ham Radio Operator
Joined
Apr 30, 2024
Messages
713
Reaction score
892
Location
Moncton NB
Vehicle Year
2005
Make / Model
Ford Ranger
Engine Type
3.0 V6
Transmission
Automatic
2WD / 4WD
2WD
Thanks guys. I have a couple more reflections after 4 or 5 days on this fix.

Mine was leaking a few years ago - at first drips, then a small puddle on the driveway occasionally, then a medium puddle. At the end, a drive around town might require a quart to top up the overflow. I even forgot a couple times and found the radiator half an inch low. This is all driving maybe 40-50 miles a week.

This is to give context to what I think is important: in my case, the timing cover was pitted in such a way that the main leak was in an almost perfect spot to leak externally, but it was getting ready to be a problem in several other spots. I can't see any reason why it wouldn't just be luck of the draw and you might end up with the coolant leaking straight into the oil pan. At a quart an hour, you can imagine what state the engine would have been in pretty quick.

If you have the 3,0 and have a known leak, or if you have the slightest hint of coolant going away, check your oil! Check under the oil fill and check the dipstick for signs of milkshake. I know there are discussions about stop leak etc, and I have no idea how well or how long those might work in this situation, but I would say if you love your truck, just bite the bullet and do this repair before it bites you. It's not that bad a repair if you're patient and have a few tools. I referred to a couple threads (and got some advice) on here, the Haynes manual and an old video by fordtechmakuloco and it went very well.
 

Similar threads


Sponsored Ad


Sponsored Ad

Staff online

Today's birthdays

TRS Events

Member & Vendor Upgrades

For a small yearly donation, you can support this forum and receive a 'Supporting Member' banner, or become a 'Supporting Vendor' and promote your products here. Click the banner to find out how.

Truck of The Year


Kirby N.
2024 Truck of The Year!

Recently Featured

Want to see your truck here? Share your photos and details in the forum.

Vagabond Video

TRS Merchandise

Follow TRS On Instagram

TRS Sponsors


Sponsored Ad


Sponsored Ad


Amazon Deals

Sponsored Ad

Top