Coolant and oil leaks

[jay1028]

Have been smelling coolant under the hood for about a month but nothing seen on the ground. Now a month later, there is a puddle of coolant on the driveway. Took it into the shop and was told the oil and water are coming from the timing cover and radiator has a leak in the middle of the core. Gave me a quote for $1900. 12 hours labor. To remove all the components on the front of the engine and new water pump and timing cover and a few hoses. Motor has 140k on it. Should I have the timing gears and chain done also while it is all apart?


Not happy with the quote, but I can't do all that.

 

[1998Exp]

Coolant leak from the top of the timing cover is common in the 5.0L V8 because that's where the passages to the water pump are, and the gasket is, sadly, very narrow in that area. To do this by the book, the engine has to come out, but it has been done quite successfully (including by yours truly) with the engine in place. Most people remove the radiator while doing this job, so there is no extra labor included if it needs replacement. Unless they are pulling the engine out (ask!) the 12 hours quote is grossly overestimated. Barring 'surprises', like broken bolts that won't come out, it shouldn't take a pro more than 4-5 hours to do the entire job with the engine in place. It's very wise to replace the water pump and timing set while one is there. I believe that including a new radiator and hoses, you should be looking at around $300-$400 in parts and about $500 in labor. If it's at a dealership, you can easily double that, of course.

Have been smelling coolant under the hood for about a month but nothing seen on the ground. Now a month later, there is a puddle of coolant on the driveway. Took it into the shop and was told the oil and water are coming from the timing cover and radiator has a leak in the middle of the core. Gave me a quote for $1900. 12 hours labor. To remove all the components on the front of the engine and new water pump and timing cover and a few hoses. Motor has 140k on it. Should I have the timing gears and chain done also while it is all apart?


Not happy with the quote, but I can't do all that.

 

[jay1028]

$1900 later everything is fixed. Replaced front cover, water pump and radiator, some hoses. No bolts broken. A few days later, noticed some antifreeze dripping down the left side of the radiator. Had to tighten the upper radiator hose clamp. While I was at it, I checked all the clamps. All needed to be tightened. Guess if I had paid $2000, they would have tightened all the clamps.

One thing I was not happy about was they changed the oil and I had not asked them to do that. I had Mobile 1 in there 10W40 and they put in 5W20 according to the bill At 140K, is this oil too thin?

 

[JamesExplorer97]

Did you go to the Dealership? If I noticed a leak about a repair i payed that much for I'd take it straight back to where ever i got the repair done at. And you may want to use synthetic oil, at the mileage.

 

[koda2000]

if hoses were replaced and worm-type clamps were installed, leaks and re-tightening of the clamps is pretty normal. OE spring clamps keep the tension up and don't require re-tightening. it's your money, but i wouldn't have spend that much to repair a '96 with 140k on it. jmo.

 

[1998Exp]

Sounds like a dealership price. Did they replace the timing chain and gears, at least? At this price I would also expect them to use the 'constant tension' OEM type clamps and not the screw type. There are good reasons why the automakers switched to those a long time ago, and you just found one.

As for the oil, if the timing cover comes off, the oil pan needs to be drained and refilled, because pieces of old gasket, spilled coolant, etc. end there while doing the work. I believe that the correct oil grade for the 5.0L is 5W30.

$1900 later everything is fixed. Replaced front cover, water pump and radiator, some hoses. No bolts broken. A few days later, noticed some antifreeze dripping down the left side of the radiator. Had to tighten the upper radiator hose clamp. While I was at it, I checked all the clamps. All needed to be tightened. Guess if I had paid $2000, they would have tightened all the clamps.

One thing I was not happy about was they changed the oil and I had not asked them to do that. I had Mobile 1 in there 10W40 and they put in 5W20 according to the bill At 140K, is this oil too thin?

 

[jay1028]

I live in a small town where I couldn't trust a small shop with this kind of job. I know is it a lot of money, but we tow an RV and to replace this vehicle would cost much more than the repair and I like an SUV. I don't want a truck or a Chrysler product so my only option was to look at used seven year old Tahoe with 30K miles for around $25K and I am not that keen on GM products. I did ask them since they were taking the front of the motor apart, to check the timing chain and gears and front crankshaft seal. They said everything looked really good. I think in a little while, I change the oil back to Mobile 1, which I have used since it was new.

I don't know why they didn't put the oem clamps back on.

 

[masospaghetti]

The worm clamps are much easier to install and remove but I have had issues with them loosening up over time. Just keep an eye on it for a few months and they should settle in.

 

[koda2000]

The worm clamps are much easier to install and remove but I have had issues with them loosening up over time. Just keep an eye on it for a few months and they should settle in.

yes. i think it's not that the screw clamps loosen so much as i is that the rubber of the new hose compresses/settles with repeated heat cycles. the effect is the same however - a leak. the OE style clamps can be a pain to get on/off, but as they maintain their tension they're self adjusting.