Timing Cover - 1999 Explorer 5.0L AWD

Evening all,

Noticed a water leak on the top of the water pump on my 99 Explorer 5.0L, so I replaced it figuring it was probably due. Didn't cure the leak, so I am now trying to replace the timing cover gasket. I've removed the harmonic balancer and all the bolts (that I'm aware of), but the darn thing won't come loose. Tried to gently pry it, but don't want to risk warping it.:scratch:

I've removed 19 bolts in total between the water pump and timing chain cover (including the four front bolts from the oil pan).


Could it be that the seal around the shaft is tight enough to hold it in place? I've also read about passing a blade around where the the bottom of cover meets the oil pan gasket to separate. I don't want to damage anything and hope that someone can provide some helpful advice. Thanks for reading!

--Phil

You are on the right track...

I would bet the front oil pan seal and the front oil pan gasket wings are holding the timing cover in place...

You may need to loosen the rest of the oil pan bolts to lower the oil pan front seal sufficiently to remove the front cover...The cover has a bit of a groove in it for the front oil pan seal to ride in...

And most times you need to replace the very front part of the oil pan gasket as it will usually rip when you remove the timing cover with the oil pan in place...

The front two oil pan bolts actually bolt into the timing cover. These must be removed. Also, you're better of loosening/removing the next few bolts going around the pan just to give you some wiggle room.

Thank you gentlemen from the Lone Star State! I'm going to try and pull some more of the oil pan bolts to see if that will loosen it up any more. In the AWD there isn't much space to get to the bolts, but I'll try a long extender and a flexible angle ratchet to reach them.

Will let y'all know if I have any success. I thought just GETTING to the front cover was going to be the toughest part! Especially separating the radiator to a/c condenser clips. That clip on the passenger side was a real doozy!

Radiator removal on a Ford Explorer 5.0L AWD

Okay, so I thought I'd post my experience on removing the radiator while I am here (before I start removing my timing cover)...

:thumbdwn: This video is of NO help: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ulBDWb0hUw

The guy ought to be publically flogged on YouTube for grossly oversimplifying the procedure of removing the radiator and separating it from the a/c condenser. Obviously the tape was cut and his cusssing edited out so that he could look like a hero because the clips are a major PITA until you understand how they work.

Here's the procedure that worked for me:

• Remove the top shroud bolts.

• Loosen the fan clutch with the special tool (my second time, the right way), or how I did it the first time by removing two adjoining bolts holding the fan to the clutch to create space for a wrench to get in there (my first time).

• Remove the fan/clutch assembly and shroud together.

• Remove the big black plastic cover that is under the car below the radiator for protection, which provides access to the drain plug and a bolt securing the refrigerant lines.

• Drain the radiator thru the drain plug on the lower passenger-side into a container (animals will drink the fluid and die, so keep it in a safe place when you are done).

• Disconnect the upper and lower radiator hoses, keeping the container nearby for any remaining fluid.

• Remove the two bolts on the top drivers-side of the radiator.

• Remove the one bolt on the top passenger-side of the radiator.

• Disconnect the two metal transmission fluid lines from the driver's side of the radiator. I thought some would gush out, but none did. I taped a blastic baggie around the lines to protect against debris.

• Remove the bolt on the bottom of the passenger-side of the radiator that holds the other transmission fluid lines to the other cooler (important, you don't want to over stress them especially if they are a bit rusty).

• Now the radiator can be moved toward the engine a bit to give you room to work.

• From the passenger-side wheel well, find the big black plastic clip that attaches the radiator and condenser. It is towards the bottom of the radiator. Pinch the ends and push the clip fully towards the front of the car to separate.

• To free the radiator you need to slide it by simultaneously moving it up a bit and towards the driver's side, while at the same time sliding the condenser towards the passenger side. This will release the clips that hold the condenser to the radiator on the driver's side. I did it myself, but others say it can be a two-man job.

• Once the radiator is free of the condenser clips, carefully lift it up and out so that you don't damage it.

Hopefully I didn't miss anything and that helps some of you...

Okay, so I wasn't as lucky as others who were able to successfully slice the top of the oil pan gasket away from the timing cover. Once I was able to free the cover, some of the gasket broke free with it.

SO, I had to delicately hack off the rubber-metal-rubber gasket at the block. NOT an easy maneuver since there is VERY LITTLE room to slide a blade back and forth. Ended up coming out okay, and I am going to have to saturate the area with enough build-a-seal to ensure the new cork gasket meets up properly with the block and original oil gasket.

Will let you know how the rest goes... optimism reigns!

If anyone has any tips, now is the time!

Yeap... take down the front end, hack the bolts from the exhaust manifolds, take out the motor mounts and lift the engine 4 inches and then you can remove the oil pan cover and replace the whole gasket

Count FrankenCork

Thanks, SoNic... you are entirely correct! Unfortunately I don't have the time, money, space or proper equipment right now to do it the way. We're strapped with only one car, and I'm doing my best with what I have available. I sincerely appreciate your contribution, especially for everyone else with the same issue.

I've set the cork segment in place with some Permatex Make-A-Gasket and am waiting for it to dry so I can slide in the timing cover without shifting the gasket patches.

My black beast is heretofor known as Count FrankenCork since I was forced to opt for the cork segments in the kit.

Don't want to try and slide the cover in until the Permatex has set on the pan, so I'll wake up early tomorrow and do the reassemble. Then I shold probably wait another 24 hours to allow all the RTV and Permatex to cure before I attempt to add fluids and start 'er up.

Based on another post, I poured about a gallon diesel fuel into the pan to clean out all the debris. The car has been up on a ramp since Sunday so most of the old oil should have drained out of the engine by now. When I opened the drain, a gush of antifreeze came out first (explaining the leak source) so I'm glad that I decided to flush before I ran the engine.

Sad thing is the car is in perfect order otherwise and everything else works! Blend door, tranny and all! Just got it in May to fill the gap with the '94 XLT's A4LD out of commission and hope that my house isn't a place where Explorers come to die! Will rebuild the '94 in the fall when I have more time and share what are sure to be more common stories.

The saga continues...will post any updates. Thanks all!

Good luck with the cork and RTV!
I don't have either the tools, time and space to do major repairs - just the driveway and weekends. And I had to pay for thinks like the above to be done in a couple of days instead of weeks...

PS: I replaced oil pump due to low pressure (less than 5PSI) at warm idle. Unfortunately money wasted.

First off, thank you everyone for your thoughtful advice! it has been extremely helpful and useful!

Okay, well I placed the timing cover into the engine and torqued all the bolts to their specifications (around 18 ft/lbs) this morning. Some of the cork seems to have pushed out a bit from the edges since doing so, so who knows if it will hold pressure. I did put permatex 2 build-a-gasket on all the lower surfaces and the corners so I'll let it sit for 24+ hours before giving it a go.

If there is a leak and I have to strip down everything again and do the whole timing cover-to-oil pan gasket again (gasp!) should I use permatex blue/black RTV gasket maker on the pan and cover before assembling?

KINDLY explain the process since I don't know just how thick of an application to make to both mating edges, how long after application to install, and how long to provide for proper curing before adding fluids and starting?

Appreciate the sage guidance...Have a great day!!!

this is good help i am going to need to do this here in a month. i number one coolent leak lol

Might take a month to know if everything holds (or a day, who knows)! I'll try to keep the thread up to date, just do yourself a favor and go to autozone and rent (for free) the fan clutch wrench and harmonic balancer puller to make things easy. The holes in the pully are probably gunked up, but you'll see them. The second largest set of screws fit. A breeze with those tools.

I loosened the harmonic bolt by using a breaker bar on the 15/16" socket and only quickly turning the starter to free it after disconnecting the coil. I locked the breaker bar in a hole in the chassis on the passenger side to keep it from moving.

If I think up any more pitfalls, I'll be sure to share... For sure, I'm going to run into a problem of torquing down the crankshaft bolt when I reassemble. Supposedly you need to stop the pully with a belt wrench... but we'll see.

Morning all,

Well, I finally completed putting humpty dumpty (a.k.a. Count FrankenCork) back together and haven't seen as much as a drop of coolant or oil leak. I had been really worried about the cork gasket and front seal replacement, but so far so good. I guess the permaflex 2 on the cork and all corners and rtv on the cover gasket is holding.

I've taken it on three trips of at least 30-45 minutes to give it sufficient time to heat up and the cardboard under the car shows no leaks. I know that Surf had a slight leak that occurred later on, but if I have the same and it is bad enough, I may do the job again and use a cut from an OE oil pan gasket to fill the space.

Took me the better part of 3 or 4 days to get the whole thing done, but that was probably because I went VERY slow and methodical and bagged every bolt and piece separately. If I have to do it again, I could probably tear down to the timing cover in about 3 hours (I'm guessing). Cleaning the mating edges and assembly takes a bit, but better to go slow and be thoughtful than try to win the race. Also baked the harmonic balancer at 250 for 15 minutes to get it on easier. Didn't slide on all the way, but turning the bolt VERY gently and slowly slid it right in. Getting the radiator back in took a bit and scraped up my hands a bit trying to get the condenser clips back in, but once you understand how they function it is doable by one person. Lastly, the fan clutch wrench from AutoZone (36mm) was WAY to big for my clutch. Removed two bolts from the fan-to-clutch to provide access to the nut, then put the fan bolts back in and tightened it up.

Will let y'all know if anything changes, but so far so good! Please put out some good vibes! Good luck to anyone else attempting this job, definitely not for the feint of heart. And thanks to everyone for your feedback and encouragement!!!

--Phil

Thank you for sharing your experiences. I have what sounds to be the same coolant leak, just above the waterpump on the passenger side, and below the thermostat housing to the passenger side. Hard place to see because of the little hoses blocking the view of it.

I changed my waterpump gasket because I thought that's what was leaking but it still leaks in the same spot. Intermittently ... Have no idea why it doesn't leak consistently. Guess I will be replacing the timing cover gasket, sucks because I replaced the waterpump/timing chain 9 months ago as regular/preventative maintence.

I did this job a couple years ago, and now the timing cover is dripping coolant again from the top passenger side, to the tune of about a pint per 1000 miles. It's not a lot, but I just hate to see that puddle (under the bottom of the transmission bell housing of all places) on the garage floor. If and when I go for the next round, will make sure to check that the timing cover is not warped. Am also thinking of either putting two of these thin paper gaskets, one on top of the other, or applying a layer of 'liquid gasket' RTV to better take up any void.

rabbit91 said:

Thank you for sharing your experiences. I have what sounds to be the same coolant leak, just above the waterpump on the passenger side, and below the thermostat housing to the passenger side. Hard place to see because of the little hoses blocking the view of it.

.

Click to expand...

im taking it apart tomorrow and hopefully find the source with a pressure tester and many components off the engine to have a better view

leak was from the timing chain cover, replacing the gaskets