Coolant Leak - 2001 Taurus 3.0L V6

[taurus2001]

Hi All,

I have a 2001 Taurus w/3.oL V6 and someone told me my timing cover gasket had to be replaced to fix an antifreeze leak. Is that possible? I read another thread but can not believe the timing cover gasket is the cause of the leak. Can it really be the gasket or just the 4 bolts that go into the water jacket that need to be resealed?

Also, where can I find a breakout of the 3.0L engine to see how the timing cover is involved with a coolant leak other than the 4 bolts?

Thanks in advance for your help and advice.

 

[graff104]

Not sure if this will be much help for what you need exactly, but it couldn't hurt to look
http://www.therangerstation.com/tech_library/3_0performance.html

 

[TomB1269]

Are you sure it's a 3.0 not a 3.8. The 3.8 timing cover is bolted with 4 outer bolts going into the water jacket/passages. These are known to leak over time allowing coolant to drip on timing chain and thrust bearing. I had a 95 windstar required new timing chain due to leak month later starting getting bearing noise after leak was "repaired". Timing chain replace on 95 Windstar 15 hours book, per Dealer will take a trained Ford mechanic all of the 15 hours.

 

[Geeshik]

True.

The mechanic is not pulling your leg. The 3.0 also has timing cover bolts that pass through the timing cover and into the water jacket. The bolts are required to have a teflon sealant applied to the threads to prevent leaks.

He'll probably want to pull that timing cover off to check the timing chain anyway and replace your front engine oil seal. If your engine has high-ish miles (150,000 miles or so), you might just have the timing chain replaced too.