Several issues, resevior tank, and bad oil leak NEED OPINION AND HELP. Please

Good afternoon Shipmates (you know who you are),

Sunny south florida here, broke as most middle class fathers of two are....

Went to Autonation Ford in Miami off 57th ave, CS was Ok at best, got two estimates, one for a leaking resevior tank which I believe is Park #3L2Z *8A080*AA at $82.02 (is that right), and an oil gasket F65Z*6840*A
at $25.40

Couple of questions, on the site

1) I searched for a schematic, do we have one?
2) Site that sells these parts either OEM or better?
3) I saw the flush procedures, I just replaced the radiator, water pump and thermostat less than 6 months ago... do I need to replace the thermostat again?
4) Is it difficult to replace the tank, I saw just a few screws, and hoses leading to it, is it realy "necessary" to flush the system to replace the tank? If so, give me the reasons why?

5) replacing the gasket because of the oil leak, where is this located? and I give myself a 4 on the scale from (1-10) as far as mechanics go... is this a 7+ job.

Thanks in advance!

Love my explorer it has 156,000 miles, I am the second owner, I really want every repair I do, to make it better, this car needs to last forever!

The overflow reservoir should be really easy to do.

As far as flushing the cooling system and replacing the thermostat, is there engine oil in the coolant?

The oil leak, is it coming from the oil filter mount?

as far as the tank, I thought so too.. an estimate in excess of $400 was given to me for that... The reason I put the part number, and request for schematic... to see if its actually that tank..

Oil leak, I do not know where it is coming from, I was hoping from the part number I can find where its coming from.

BTW

'94 Explorer (Red)
'96 Explorer Limited (Pearl White)
'2000 Explorer Eddie Bauer (white and gold)
'98 F150 BLACK (OVER 300m MILES)
'04 f150 Silver (second child had to sell to get my present..
2002 Explorer limited.

Been Ford since '94

You sure your 2000 Explorer is white and gold? You sure it isn't blue and black?

Number4 said:

You sure your 2000 Explorer is white and gold? You sure it isn't blue and black?

Click to expand...

LOL I dont remember my white and gold year I thought it was after my limited....these were explorers Ive had...i knew someone would call me on that...LOL I know my limited was 96 I think it was 98 eddie bauer...

NO help?

What do you need answered?

The overflow you can do yourself. Get OE if reasonable or see if it's available through Dorman.

As far as the oil leak, need to know where it's coming from. Did the shop not give specifics?

Edit: gasket listed is the oil filter adapter. You'll want to drain the oil as well as the coolant. There's a high possibility you have oil in the coolant.
Others on here have replaced that gasket and would know better. Try searching for just the oil filter housing gasket.

Thanks... new to the forum.
I will have to search a bit more.
cross referenced to the ford site for the parts...
Do we have a schematic on this site?

If you are talking about the gasket for the oil filter housing, any aftermarket auto parts store will have the right one. I've done this job, it is a 4 on a scale from 1-10. Biggest skill it requires is patience since it can be a little tricky to get to the bolts. Don't require any specialty tools being required but a universal socket might come in handy for the trick angle. Honestly can't remember.

Anyway, it is neither a difficult job nor a complicated part.

You are probably being told to flush the coolant as part of a "while you're in there...." type of maintenance item. It is probably a matter of peace of mind. If you have no idea whether it has ever been flushed/replaced before then it won't hurt to do it and know that it was done. If it has never been done it is LONG overdue. Really comes down to your budget and whether you want to spend the money on a couple gallons of AF.

RockAuto.com. The overflow tank is about $35 or so on there. $400 to change that is laughable. Or theft. My local Advance Auto matched their price since in store the thing was $90 or so.


As far as a schematic; what is it you are looking for? Get a Haynes and a Chilton book. Between the two of them you'll probably get everything you need.

Or you could get the Ford service manuals. Those are good too. 2 volume set and each book is over 3" thick. Then the electrical diagram book too