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List of Useful Threads 3.5L Water pump replacement - Gotchya's

Thanks for the info, really appreciate it. Nice job.
 



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Here are pictures of what the leak looked like when I got the car

L1.JPG

L2.JPG

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L3.JPG
 












I/m guessing you haven't seen this 44 page thread; Water pump failure leads to dead engine

Peter
No I did not. I don't own a Ford, and by the looks of it, not planning on any time soon.
This thread came up when I was looking for details on performing water pump replacement, so this is just paying it back to the forum and for people who actually want to accomplish this themselves.
 






No I did not. I don't own a Ford, and by the looks of it, not planning on any time soon.
................
Strange. Your profile and Signature show you have a 2016 Ford Explorer Sport.:dunno:

Peter
 






Just to bring my story to conclusion. The job was finished. I spent a grant total of 25 hours to complete the task. I am sure second time around I would be quicker, but I doubt I will get to do this again.
To add to list of essential tasks, after I installed the new waterpump, I temporarily reconnected coolant expansion tank and pressurized the system with coolant pressure tester. I let it sit for about 20mins at 15psi to make sure pressure did not drop. It was fine.
I put a whole new gasket and seal set on it. Installed new solenoid and spark plug tube seals into each valve cover. Since cover is made of plastic, I used supporting metal cup and used a slightly smaller socket to knock old seals out. Worked fine, but I was really careful.
Before putting valve covers on, I poured couple of quarts of oil while drain plug out. Make sure to get oil all over the new chains, this hopefully
prevents guide wear on startup. I was shaking in my boots on startup, but everything was fine.
No leaks and car runs like a top.
I used Permatex Right stuff black RTV to glue timing cover back on.

About a day later, the car threw P0420 and P0430. Owner claims he never had those codes before, but did get gas before the trip that threw the codes. I suggested he gets fuel treatment like techron. These codes have nothing to do with timing chain/water pump job.
The car also just passed local CT emissions, so its good for 2 more years.

Good luck to those who attempt this repair. Its definitely doable, but not for faint of heart.
 






Thanks for the tips and pics! Can you try to point out the weephole? I know its behind the alternator and I can see where everything is wet, I'm just looking to see where the hole is and where it would start.
 






Thanks for the tips and pics! Can you try to point out the weephole? I know its behind the alternator and I can see where everything is wet, I'm just looking to see where the hole is and where it would start.

I never removed alternator, so I never actually observed the weep hole in action. That said, look at the attached pics for the passage direction.
I believe RobinsonAuto Ford Edge 3.5L videos showed the weep hole or maybe its my imagination.
Either way, if you look at the pictures I posted before and you have coolant in the same area, you got a leaking water pump.

block.JPG
water.JPG
 






Found this picture, not sure if it will help you much, but it shows location of the weep hole.
weep.png
 












Thanks for that! I'm going to take a look when I get home.

worked on 2016 EcoTech 3.5L turbo explorer, same engine design. I was under the car and could just barely made out the weep hole behind the alternator. The picture I posted is a very good reference.
 






Hi everyone,

I'm new to the forums. My wife's 15 Explorer is loosing coolant from the weep hole. I'm probably going to start tearing down tomorrow. I was wondering if anyone has a how-to put together for this yet?

Also, I've been searching around for HOURS trying to figure out if there's anything I should be swapping out while I'm in there. I see that the oil pump is in that area, but I really don't find any type of known-proclivity for oil pump failures in this vehicle.

Thanks.
 






Search for
3.5L Water pump replacement - Gotchya's
 






Hi everyone,

I'm new to the forums. My wife's 15 Explorer is loosing coolant from the weep hole. I'm probably going to start tearing down tomorrow. I was wondering if anyone has a how-to put together for this yet?

Also, I've been searching around for HOURS trying to figure out if there's anything I should be swapping out while I'm in there. I see that the oil pump is in that area, but I really don't find any type of known-proclivity for oil pump failures in this vehicle.

Thanks.
Hi Steve. Hope you caught it in time. I moved your thread to this this one that I found with the Forum's 'Search' feature. You may also want to check out; Water pump replacement parts list and/or How to: - 2013 Explorer 3.5L Ti-VCT V6 Water Pump and Timing Set Replacement

Peter
 






jade97 / peterk9, thank you. After reading through more posts about the water pump and timing chain replacement, and looking through the involved procedure in the service manual, I decided to pay a mechanic to do this for me. (This is the same guy who rebuilt my Powerstroke; he's done really well for me in the past.)

Not sure if this belongs in another thread or not, but should the VCT solenoids be replaced as preventative maintenance while we're in there? What about the cam shaft sprockets? At the moment, the vehicle has no issues (except for the massive coolant leak, obviously) and no codes. My wife complains every once in a while that the idle will change suddenly for no discernible reason, but I can't figure out if this is something that the vehicle is actually doing or if my wife is hearing ghosts.
 






I have 118k on mine. The original water pump was leaking out the weep hole, so I had coolant dripping out over my alternator. The water pump I took out had a single gasket so I got very lucky. The gasket failed into the weep hole area...what are the odds. I had nothing going into my oil. I bought the ac delco for replacement. It has concentric gaskets so no matter where the first gasket fails there is a path to the weep hole over the alternator. So the second I see a leak there I know i'm on borrowed time (unless the exterior gasket fails first...never really thought of that...then coolant would be in the oil and the weep hole).

Edit

Put a picture of the water pumps in a different thread....post #537...click on this link

Water pump failure leads to dead engine
I have a 2016 Explorer Limited (70k miles). We have been getting a coolant leak out the HP6 plug that Ford designates it as. After further research on Ford.Parts.com it states in the description that " Leaking From This Plug Is An Indication Of A Water Pump Seal Failure". So that got me down this road. Looks like this turned into a much bigger job than just replacing what we thought was a worn plug. So when you stated "weep hole" I am assuming you are talking about the plug on the front of the engine block? It is right behind the alternator?
 






I have a 2016 Explorer Limited (70k miles). We have been getting a coolant leak out the HP6 plug that Ford designates it as. After further research on Ford.Parts.com it states in the description that " Leaking From This Plug Is An Indication Of A Water Pump Seal Failure". So that got me down this road. Looks like this turned into a much bigger job than just replacing what we thought was a worn plug. So when you stated "weep hole" I am assuming you are talking about the plug on the front of the engine block? It is right behind the alternator?
Hi Justin. Did you look at post #29 above? If it is leaking there, (weep hole) it may not be a good thing to keep driving the Explorer. Have you checked the oil dipstick for possible contamination? Your coolant level? Water pump failure leads to dead engine

Peter
 






Hi Justin. Did you look at post #29 above? If it is leaking there, (weep hole) it may not be a good thing to keep driving the Explorer. Have you checked the oil dipstick for possible contamination? Your coolant level? Water pump failure leads to dead engine

Peter
I did look at the image and it is not just general minimal leaking. It definitely is the sign of water pump seal failure. It is not gushing out, just a slow constant drip when under pressure. I will drain the oil and replace once I get the new pump in. I will have to reread some of the posts to get a better game plan. Thanks
 






Have done the water pump on the 2013 explorer 3.5v6 normal aspirated. I think the hints from this thread were gold. By far the best hint was to practice the insertion of the cover in position until you get the right sequence of moves, given there is not much time once the gasket maker is in place. Had to try >10 times until I could find a sequence of moves to slide it in rather fast.

Car was ~ about 120k miles. I thought i was doing preventive measure, but in fact the rubber gasket of the water pump was leaking. Not inside the engine, but outside.
Have changed the water pump, chain and the chain guides (except the upper left guide). All new original ford parts from dealer. The old water pump shaft did not have any play. It was as tight as the new one. The seal of water pump shaft was intact. It seems Orings gave up. The old chain was practically same length as the new one, so not much wear. In fact, the old chain was "tighter" to twisting compared to the new one.

What I would mention beside the manual.
Used breaker bar to take the pulley bolt. I have locked the pulley with a 1/2" extension pushing against the frame. Impact wrench may work, but did not have one.
The puller for the pulley must be the smallest. 4" is too big. I had the autozone small rental one (3") and worked fine. Autozone has also GM /Chrysler tool, and i think that may work too. Use a socket and a large cover bolt to have the puller push rod tip to sink in. Having the tip pressing on pulley bolt will not stay easily centered, and may damage the threads. I was almost there to damage the threads.

AC compressor and alternator do not need to be removed for the engine cover to come off. However they need to be wrapped in plastic properly, as oil may leak into them- especially alternator. Seen people saying to remove them, but no need to.

Had the camshafts holders installed. They will not align perfectly on both sides with the old chain, as it will be slightly longer. A bit of cam twist on one side will align them both. Many people say you do not need the holders, and that is true if you know what you are doing. As the first time, I would use the cam holders to keep things right.

Yes, practicing he engine cover insert procedure was tough with the AC pipes in place. I could find a sequence of moves to get it back rather fast, but it is not straightforward.
To me, it was easier to have the gasket maker on the cover. Many suggest to put gasket maker on the engine block, but it is danger to put it in wrong place (especially in the lower part of the block), as the right contact area is narrow, and you could easily miss that. On upper part of engine block, maybe not, but lower part, yes.

I have personally put gasket maker on the outer side of the water pump oring. I think the instructions do not mention that, but i think the factory had that. I have put coolant on the oring of the water pump (as per Haynes manual). Not sure it was a good idea. Open to suggestions if that is a bad idea/does not matter/OK idea.
I did my best to keep coolant from the oil pan, but it still leaked a bit. Flushed with some old oil. Put a cheap oil for 50 miles, and then changed the oil and filter with new ones.

In all, it is not a difficult job, but some actions can take forever. Back valve cover gasket is a nightmare. And cleaning the engine cover bolts from old gasket. And the bores too. took me a day just to clean the stuff....
 



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So my comment in RED is wrong.....that silver shaft you see in the middle of the red circle is the pivot the guide slides over and just below that you'll see the grey bolt that holds it in place. I believe once you remove that bolt you can slide the guide out from its pivot shaft no problem. But part of the other guide (the one not circled in red) is behind the phaser. You can remove the mounting bolt (grey bolt just below the phaser) but you can't pull the guide out over its pivot shaft because the phaser is in the way. You have to remove the phaser so you can slide the guide off of its pivot arm (silver shaft in the middle of the black).
Can you explain why you need two bolts for each phaser? Or is it you need one per phaser? Thanks.
 






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