Timing Chain Cover leak - Options?

[cfra7]

Hi,

I’m hoping you can offer me a chance to keep my 1997 E.B. Ford Explorer (216K) on the road for another 20K miles without spending $900.

I have a timing chain cover leak. The leak is bad enough to drain all coolant in the truck in a week. I have been quoted 9 hours of labor to fix the leak. As the value of the truck is about $2,800 I’m resistant to spending $900 to keep it running. Can’t afford a replacement at this time.

Is there any chance that using Bars Stop leak or any other product might reduce the loss to something manageable? Perhaps a quart a week? Other options? I don’t have any water in the oil. The mechanic doesn’t feel that there is any problem with the water pump. I did a search and only found instructions on how to replace the gasket.

Thanks

Ed

 

[2000StreetRod]

Which engine?

Which engine?

 

[cfra7]

Which engine?

It's the 302, however It looks like the problem may be solved.

I picked up the Explorer yesterday and brought it home. I let it cool for an hour and added 3 quarts of water to top it off and then the GM stop leak tablets recommended by a friend. I let the truck idle for 10 minutes and then took it for a 20 minute drive. I then refilled the truck and put a pan under it to catch any leaks. After 30 minutes I could only find 1 drop of water.

I then let the truck set for another hour and no new drips were observed. It was then time to pressurize the system again. After idling for 10 minutes, I found a handful of drops on the pan. Close inspection revealed that those drops were coming from the hose that leads to the overflow tank. I cut the old end of the hose to get a tighter fit. I ran the truck again for 15 minutes and no new drops.

I inspected the drip pan again this morning and found no water drops. I drove the truck to work and will see when I get home if any noticeable water loss has happened. Please note that I was losing 2 quarts a day. My goal is to just get that to 2 quarts a week.

So far, so good. Now can I get the track to 240K miles?

 

[DodgeDurango]

Should had bought a Dodge Durango they last longer

 

[DodgeDurango]

How hard is to replace a timing cover gasket on a 99 explorer 4.0 ohv with 145k,miles

 

[cfra7]

Should had bought a Dodge Durango they last longer

I think 216K on the origional motor and trans is not too bad. I didn't buy the Exploer, my girlfriend did. However, Im happy with it.

She wanted an SUV and I needed a tow vechacle for my race car. The race car has been sold and I bought the Explorer from her as a daily driver. My goal was 275K on the origional motor and trans. I now think I'll reduce its use from 15K miles a year to 5K miles and try and get it to 240K and then retire it. We'll see.

 

[cfra7]

How hard is to replace a timing cover gasket on a 99 explorer 4.0 ohv with 145k,miles

I'm not much into working on cars. My friends would always say that it was strange that I would be a racer but not want to trun a wrench. I always replied that I like steak but I don't want to raise cows. I'll do minor stuff, but anything that takes over an hour, I just send it to the shop. It's just hard to part with $900 on a truck worth less than $3,000. However, I would do it if it gets me another year of service. Last year I spent $600 on repairs.