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Ford Explorer Maintenance - Modifications - Performance Upgrades - Problem Solving - Off-Road - Street
Explorer Forum Covers the Explorer ST, Explorer Sport, Explorer Sport Trac, Lincoln Aviator, Mercury Mountaineer, Mazda Navajo, Ford Ranger, Mazda Pickups, and the Ford Aerostar
That's the AC compressor, the clutch engages intermittently. It may be a hair low on freon, which makes it shut off very soon after engaging. That sounds fine, and that clutch should run any time the AC controls are on and not set to VENT.
The surfaces where the lugnuts contact the wheels. Unless some great amount of road salts or galling happen, those should look fine always, and never need care.
That's the AC compressor, the clutch engages intermittently. It may be a hair low on freon, which makes it shut off very soon after engaging. That sounds fine, and that clutch should run any time the AC controls are on and not set to VENT.
The surfaces where the lugnuts contact the wheels. Unless some great amount of road salts or galling happen, those should look fine always, and never need care.
So it looks like my main leak is from the driver side valve cover on the driver side. The front and other side of the cover is dry, which I find to be odd. From close inspection the gasket is still good. Too bad silicone can't be applied without replacing it. Or can it? Even if it slows the leak like it did with my oil pan, I would go this route to save me the labour.
Getting a quote to getting it redone but from what I read all the coolant has to be drained out of the system? How will this affect my K seal work done to it already?
So it looks like my main leak is from the driver side valve cover on the driver side. The front and other side of the cover is dry, which I find to be odd. From close inspection the gasket is still good. Too bad silicone can't be applied without replacing it. Or can it? Even if it slows the leak like it did with my oil pan, I would go this route to save me the labour.
Getting a quote to getting it redone but from what I read all the coolant has to be drained out of the system? How will this affect my K seal work done to it already?
How bad is it leaking out that gasket?....if just a few drops a day I would just deal with it after spending all that money etc.... just carry/wedge a new quart and funnel up near headlights and add some every two weeks or whatever.....then in a few months if things are holding together with everything else and funds are more stable consider addressing then.
How bad is it leaking out that gasket?....if just a few drops a day I would just deal with it after spending all that money etc.... just carry/wedge a new quart and funnel up near headlights and add some every two weeks or whatever.....then in a few months if things are holding together with everything else and funds are more stable consider addressing then.
I am monitoring it right now but it's a bad time since the roads are wet and all the snow has been melting and splatters up.
From what I've seen, I would get 3-4 drops a night (with the truck sitting overnight, at least 12 hours). And after I switched to high mileage oil Castrol 5W30 a couple of weeks ago, I get about 5-6 drops with the truck sitting overnight. So seems a bit leakier with the high mileage synthetic blend oil but it's just a test if I would benefit with high mileage oil for a couple oil change intervals. If not, then I go back to conventional and will likely try out 5W-40.
Doing another test tonight and put another piece of cardboard under it.
Just from my last couple repairs at the shop. The guys were getting at least a few drops of oil just from the truck sitting in their shop for a couple hours. So I'm thinking this high mileage oil is contributing to it but I will give it a bit more time because I know it takes time for high mileage oils to work and sometimes it will get a bit leakier for the first while before the seals start to expand and slow the leak.
What I'm concerned about is that the oil will get onto my new ball joints and shocks driver side and two, get onto the driver side cat, isn't that a huge safety and fire hazard? And won't it damage the cat over time?
I had an interesting chat yesterday with a friend about these new valve cover leaks. Driver side is bad on the one left side of the gasket (rest of the gasket is not leaking which makes no sense).almost makes me wonder if all it needs is to be retorqued on the one side.
The passenger valve cover is is seeping from a tiny small spot. Nowhere near as bad as the driver side. I know some say it won't work but after having luck with the oil pan being silicones on the cracks, I'm tempted to clean up the spot on the passenger side real good and then applying a dab of red high heat on it to see if it will work. Anyways the passenger side is not a big worry to me right now. I could probably just live with it for the remainder of time that I have this truck and like I said reapply the red heat silicone on the tiny spot to see if I will benefit from it. I mean at this point what's there to lose right? For all I know it could just stay the same for the rest of the time having the truck and not get much worse but it's minor compared to the driver side.
Anyways, friend said that at this point I should really consider going back to the first hack mechanic who worked on the truck and say I came to you originally for the covers and they are leaking again. Covers 5-6 weeks old! Not because I want him to redo them again but to get him to cover the costs to have them redone. Which I know he won't give me a penny anyways so 99% chance that this could all be a huge waste of my time to go see him and likely get upset and stressed because he will feed me BS. And I will want to punch him in the face for all the grief he has caused me.
But when I picked up the truck 6 weeks ago, he said he wanted me to let him know and keep him posted on how the truck goes. Lol ya right. What a joke the guy is in how he kept saying how he wants me to be happy when I picked up the truck and all he wants out of it is a long term repeat customer from me. Well if that's the case then why did you not send me my receipt when I asked you twice?
Does he really want an update from me on how the truck is now? Because I will tell him everything if he wants to hear it but ONLY if he will cover the costs to at least have the driver side cover redone.
I am getting a quote today on redoing the driver side gasket. Labour wise it looks like it can be done in 4 hours.
No, no way he's touching anything on the truck ever again. Even if he offered to redo the driver side valve cover I would refuse. But sure would be nice if he was to reimburse me the $800 or so that I've had to fork out so far to pay for his own mistakes and F ups. But that's wishful thinking, not going to happen. Usually I give people the benefit of the doubt and see if they will man up to their mistakes but not this one.
I would go back to him....you PAID him to replace both of these which he 'supposedly' had done... bring a paper quote / invoice to show him so he can't wriggle around and say you're just throwing some number at him.....and having it on paper might bring some fear to him being that you have it for a potential small claims court case.
I would go back to him....you PAID him to replace both of these which he 'supposedly' had done... bring a paper quote / invoice to show him so he can't wriggle around and say you're just throwing some number at him.....and having it on paper might bring some fear to him being that you have it for a potential small claims court case.
I know he will just make excuses about how he went above and beyond for me and did all these little extra things that he didn't charge me for. And how I costed him business by my truck taking up space in his shop. I feel I would be wasting my time and cause unnesecaey stress just by talking to him let alone hearing more of his BS. But if he could man up and cover my costs it would go a long ways but he's a coward.
I know he will just make excuses about how he went above and beyond for me and did all these little extra things that he didn't charge me for. And how I costed him business by my truck taking up space in his shop. I feel I would be wasting my time and cause unnesecaey stress just by talking to him let alone hearing more of his BS. But if he could man up and cover my costs it would go a long ways but he's a coward.
Sometimes valve covers have rust holes in them. Mine were very visible (e.g. no metal left by one screw). At the top there was rust and literally a pinhole. I had get mine from a jy, still had to remove rust, refinish, shoot with engine paint. The holes are by the flange. Welding would probably warp it. No repairs on a flange. Maybe at the top.
Sometimes valve covers have rust holes in them. Mine were very visible (e.g. no metal left by one screw). At the top there was rust and literally a pinhole. I had get mine from a jy, still had to remove rust, refinish, shoot with engine paint. The holes are by the flange. Welding would probably warp it. No repairs on a flange. Maybe at the top.
Yeah....I think those are predominately Ranger wheels....that's what my '94 had.....but I have seen a couple pics online with 2nd gens with them....although they might have been added later like apparently his are. My Ranger ones were only 14" rims too.....got rid of those quick....
**And IF your first mechanic actually did replace V.C. gaskets hopefully he used rubber instead of cork....otherwise a re-torque will be useless.
