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Oh NO!!... NOT the dreaded timing chain cover COOLANT LEAK! =:O


... I now see clearly why there's 3 gaskets and a crank seal. (y)
But what I DON'T see in those pics are the special oil-pan related gaskets mentioned earlier in this thread...?
 
If you think this job is “fun” with a ranger chassis, try it in a ‘93 taurus fwd with the motor sideways! Its been years ago but I do remember it, was a pain!
 
If you think this job is “fun” with a ranger chassis, try it in a ‘93 taurus fwd with the motor sideways! Its been years ago but I do remember it, was a pain!
Yep, I had a same-era Taurus with the same 3.0, and while I never had to do anything major to the engine, I do remember having to remove the right-front wheel (and splash skirt) for just about anything, even a fan-belt swap, IIRC... never liked FWD... but I wouldn't turn down a minty rust-free Taurus SHO w/ manual, lol...
 
FWIW I wouldn't be too afraid of that job if you're decent with a wrench. There are a couple good threads on here with advice and I posted a few things I noticed doing mine, including how I dealt with pitting on the timing cover housing.


It's been a few years now but I don't recall any major gotchas. As I recall, getting off the fan clutch was the biggest pain and that was solved with the proper tools. There's nothing really tricky about the job especially if you're not in a big hurry. I would suggest just doing the timing chain while you're in there depending on your mileage and what you find - if you do that you shouldn't need to go in there again for the life of the vehicle.
 
I'm about to go out and patch it with Permatex Form-a-Gasket #1, for the short term... my observation is it's a temperature-triggered leak: doesn't leak when it's cold, or even the moment the thermostat opens, but only once that end of the block and timing cover get up to "steady state" hot. And "end o' the day" we're only holding back 15 PSI... not asking it to seal Power Steering or Braking pressures... :oops:

I may have long-term use of a garage (and a beater-loaner car) in a couple months... there's NO WAY I personally am getting this done in one day, not even counting other issues I'll probably discover during disassembly... probably do the rest of my brake lines and drum brake "refresh" while I'm at it. NOT being out in the sun and rain all day will take some getting used to, but I'll adapt! :giggle:

Thanks again for all the advice, and KEEP IT COMING!
 

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