Gents,
I started chasing this coolant leak several weeks ago and I am still chasing it. It was just dripping a bit from the oil cooler to block gasket or so it seemed so I did the oil cooler gaskets and Orings. Put it back together and grrrr, it still leaks. My buddy and I looked it over and figured it must be the water pump although we couldn't see a leak. Aha, found the problem the long bolt for the water pump to the left of the thermostat was snapped off. A week of drilling, heating, pounding and 4 left hand bits later, I get the bolt remnants out and reassemble everything. I fire it up today and grrrrr, it is still leaking somewhere behind the thermostat where the fuel lines come up the block.

What else can it be?
Do I need to pull the AC, Air Pump, Power Sterring bracket to see?
Please help me get this thing fixed.

 

my guess would be the thermostat housing flange is not sealed right, could just need a new oring or a new flange if its rusty enough.
864

 

I took a mirror all the way around the thermostat housing and then used a Qtip to check for wetness. Nothing. It almost appears that the coolant is coming out of the flange that the oil cooler bolts to? Has anyone ever see that crack? I torqued the oil cooler bolts to spec but the truck is still leaking like a sieve. I am going back to look at it some more. Sigh.

 

That front gasket on the oil cooler is hard to get in the right place during install if you are working by yourself . How close did you look at the surface after cleaning it . The same on the front manifold

 

Yes. It appears there is a crack in the motor side of the oil cooler flange. I have had this truck less than a year and I am sick of it. I miss my 97.

What is involved in replacing that? Pulling the motor or something?

 

I say JB weld the crap out of it. Just make sute its dry

 

Get someone to weld it for you . If not you will be pulling the motor to replace the front cover.

 

Before you go to a lot of trouble... Check the thermostat. I have found a lot of people are having problems with the thermostat housing is leaking. A guy at a shop replaced the timing cover gasket, the thermostat housing and still a leak.

The problem is the aftermarket people, zone, adv, oreilys, napa all sell an O ring to seal the thermostat. It will seal for a while, weeks months ??? You need to go to Ford and get a OEM thermostat. It comes with a seal on it. It covers both sides of the thermostat. It is the only one that seals correctly.

BTW the therm set me back almost $40 but it did not leak. Much better seal than the little o ring.

 

I tried the JB Weld path. Four nights of slathering it on with the AC, Air Pump, power steering pump, and fuel lines moved out of the way so I could reach the crack on the backside of the flange. However, fired it back it and it was still dripping.


So now I have the motor out and am looking for a good source for a high quality front cover. I know there are difference in the covers for the OBS years and I only want to do this once. Ford wants $323 for it and I am good with that it that is best.

I am out of time and patience so I am paying to have the motor resealed. Does anyone have a list of the places the motor should be resealed?
Valve covers
Fuel Bowl
Oil cooler Orings and gaskets
HPOP
?????

 

Oil galley end plug o-rings, fuel rail end plugs, HPOP and reservoir, new dipstick tube adapter and o-ring.......basically every gasket and o-ring on the engine since you have it out.

 

Perfect.
Yes the dipstick is leaking and the galley plugs too. I forgot about those.
I want to have a full list to ensure this shop (different than the one that burned my truck to the ground) plans on doing all the leak points.


THANK YOU!!

 

Why are you having a shop do all the work when you have the motor out? It's fairly easy to do yourself and it will save you a ton of $$.

 

What are shop rates now?? $100 an hour???

 

$115 was the last one I saw at an RV/Diesel Repair facility. I'll admit when I first got this truck, it was overwhelming, but I look at it now and I think "wow, what a simple motor to work on". Once you start tackling stuff, it gets easier pretty quick. It's really just learning the ins and outs of the silly things that can put these trucks on their face.

 

Same thougths here. With the help from the members of this GREAT forum, my truck has never been in a diesel shop.