Ford - Explorer :: 2003 - Valve Cover Oil Leak / Timing Chain Rattling
Mar 21, 2013
My 2003' Explorer XLT (4.0L V6) has an oil leak. I tracked it down to the passenger side, rear, bolt head on the valve cover (back by firewall). I took it to a guy who replaced the valve cover gaskets, but it is still leaking. He claimed when he had the cover off he looked for any cracks on it, but did not see any at the time.
Anyways, I was searching around and found several explorers leaking in or around the same area of the valve cover. And it turned out that there issue stemmed from bad timing chain guides, causing the valve cover to crack.
I do notice that on a cold start, I hear a rattling when I first start it up. It rattles for maybe that first 1-2 seconds when starting. Is this my timing chain rattling around? If that is the case, how much this could set a guy back on repairs?
I guess I don't know whether to just replace the valve cover, or if I should dig into it to see if the real issue is the timing chain guides/tensioner. Mileage is approximately 121,000....
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I have a 2003 Eddie Bauer explorer with the 4.0L SOHC . I have a coolant leak from the passenger side that is not a water pump issue.
When removing the timing chain cover with the engine in the car, do I need to remove any accessories ( power steering , alternator etc. ) or their brackets?
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My truck has had this annoying tendency to drink coolant. I believe I took care of it by replacing the thermostat gasket. Not so, it drinks about a quart every 50 miles - so quite a bit really.
Finally bit the bullet and took it to the dealer so that they could figure out where the coolant was going.
Answer I got back was - timing cover gasket, water pump, lower radiator hose.
The water pump appears to be good, its just the gasket that's bad. So my question is - how significant is the timing chain cover leak? Poking around online it appears to be reasonably common, but sounds very expensive. The dealer indicated it would be 2 days work minimum.
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I have 2000 V6 3.0 Ranger and it has sprung a small coolant leak from timing chain cover gasket. I think just few drips after driving a while since I don't see significant drop in coolant level (Took a month to notice level dropped in reservoir) and did not see an active leak while idling. No water in the oil.
The proper repair would be to replace the gasket, but for the age and condition of the truck, I don't think it is worth it. Searching for a cheaper solution, I found K-Seal and see lots of reviews with success. Will it damage the cooling system in anyway? I think it would be worth a try even if it doesn't fix the leak as long as it does not cause any harm.
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I have seen this minor oil leak on the left engine side that facing the firewall for sometimes, but just found time to bring to dealer. After some searching on Internet, I suggested to them that it might be leaking from the timing chain cover.
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I was changing my mom's oil at work today. I noticed her timing chain cover is leaking. Is this just an isolated occurrence? It seems to be right where the FIPG mates the timing cover to the cylinder head. It also seems right below the tensioner. However the tensioner is bone dry.
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OK... I know next to nothing about cars. I have a '99 Chevy Lumina I just bought in February. It has been one problem after another. The water pump has been changed and I just got my car back on Monday because there was a leak on the timing chain cover. Now, the car is smoking on the passenger side. Its not a light smoke, but its not heavy yet. I noticed it on the way to work this morning. I opened the hood, it is coming from the left side (looking at it, so the passenger side) of the engine maybe kinda underneath it. I dunno what to do, but I'm ready to push that thing into a lake.
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I had the front timing chain cover replaced, ever since it hasn't started. It would turn over fast a couple times and then drag and then repeat.
Found out the "Tone ring" was warped, it's been replaced and now it just turns over and over and no start but it doesn't drag anymore.
We can smell the fuel, and pulled a plug and can see spark while turning over and I was told fuel came out the plug hole so there is fuel there.
Tried a new cam sensor, crank sensor and battery and no change. Is there something else in the removal and replacement of the front timing chain cover that could be causing this?
I'm not a huge believer in coincidence as the vehicle was running great before this job.
2006 Ford Escape
3.0L v6 w auto tranny.
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So, when I bought my truck, it leaked oil.....bad. It goes through around 2-3 quarts a week. I needed a vehicle, this one was cheap, so...I run it. Every other day, I put half a tank of gas and a couple quarts of oil in it. It leaks on the passenger side, right above the starter. I figured it was the valve cover gasket, and planned on changing it today. I saw a post about the "typical" head gasket oil leak, which sound suspiciously like what mine is doing. I have no oil in the coolant,or vice-versa.....
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I have a coolant leak from behind my timing cover found while doing a coolant system pressure test. I do not want to remove the engine. Looking for info on successful cover install with the engine still in the truck?
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My 2007 3.3l SF timing chain cover is leaking.It has 93,000Kms and is still covered by warranty.The Dealer said it was a 17hr break down job to do.
I am wondering if there are things I should get done/replaced when they open the engine up. I had asked at the dealer if there were other parts that should be replaced at this time, but was told that there was not.
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Is this common? No coolant in the oil-YET........
Any way to fix it without pulling the cover?
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I have a 2011 Limited and I wanted to mention that I brought it in for the ECM service campaign and to have an oil leak looked at. The reflashing went as expected, I am still trying to decide if the car behaves any different. It seems like the engine RPM drops a little bit when slowing down then bounces back up. Nowhere near enough to stall or anything.
While I had it in the shop, I had them look at an oil leak that I have been having. According to the dealer, it is leaking from the timing chain cover. They have ordered some parts and I will be taking it in for the fix next week. I don't have a full list of which parts they will be replacing, but he did mention removing the valve covers and installing a new oil pressure switch while they were in there.
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My 2010 Santa Fe is leaking oil. I bought it in April & it has under 8,000 miles. After parking the car, I see oil spots that range in size from a Silver Dollar to a CD after a few hours.
First, the dealer said it was a cracked oil filter cap, so they replaced that...I brought it home and it was still leaking.
Brought it back to the dealer, and now they are saying the Timing Chain Cover Seal is leaking.
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My daughter just bought a 2002 Santa Fe LX which is drooling oil all over the alternator and everything else in that area. I found what (I think) is the source (but you have to be a contortionist to see it.) I haven't been able to find any good parts identification photos of that area, but I think that this is the bottom corner of the lower timing belt cover.
I guess the repair will require going through the first several steps used when replacing a timing belt. I don't plan on going any further than needed to fix this leak, though, since the timing belt was reportedly changed about 25K miles ago.
Before I start taking all this apart, I have a couple questions:
1. What might be holding this corner out, away from the block?
2. Is the timing belt cover supposed to snap into place over a lip on the block? Or, should it be sealed with gasket sealer -- or something similar?
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I have a 13 RX350 with 10,000 miles with a side engine oil leak. I looked underneath and I think it's the timing chain cover seal. Took it to the dealer and they put dye in my oil to figure out where the leak is coming from. They suspect it to the timing chain cover as well. I am aware that 07 ES350s had a know oil leak coming from the timing chain cover but haven't heard anything about the RX having this issue. My service rep said they would have to remove the engine to fix the leak.
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I know this isn't the usual ticking of the injectors and I believe it's to fast to be a lifter tapping. I believe it's the camshaft chain hitting against the valve cover. I took the valve cover off and the chain is still tensioned tightly so it makes me wonder what this could be..
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Replacing the timing chains and tensioners on an SOHC Explorer, only to have the tensioners fail again after only a few thousand miles? I'm a pretty experienced back yard mechanic and have rebuilt several engines over the years with great results, but this one has me stumped. The only part of the instructions I did not do was to remove the valve springs, but everything was lined up as it should have been using the special tools required to set the timing. I really like the truck, but don't know if it's worth fixing if this is just going to happen again.
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The car has a rattling sound on start up and I read here that is the timing chain tensioner. The quotes for fixing it has been huge(from 900-2000 just for labor).
And I changed front struts and had Monroe put on the car, the ride is very soft and a bit bouncy. I had a 2004 Altima and the ride was very stiff and I loved it. By the way, the car is a 2006 V6 with 111000miles.
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I have a 2005 Ford Explorer with a 4.0 SOHC while the engine is running the left side timing chain rattles. I replaced the timing chain and guides and tensioner, the engine has good oil pressure but the noise is still there.
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There was a time Ford when used a nylon toothed timing chain gear on the camshaft. Over time this got brittle and started to break into pieces. The rule of thumb at our household was to change these at about 100k miles.
I think that was a "302" thing and all "5.0" engines have all metal gears? I have no reason to open up our '99 Explorer's 5.0 with 180,000 miles. But, I will change the timing chain if it should be done.
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