Another "water pump" post

Hi all,
I've been a lurker since finding this forum and have gleaned much info that is much appreciated. Now after replacing my w/p, I'm confused about something.
95 3.8 with 170,000 was loosing coolant and although I never saw the leak, it seemed to be in the area of the w/p.
My question is which bolts need the thread dope. I assumed it was only the threaded bolt coming out of the engine block which I never removed and all other bolts inserted thru the w/p into the block were not doped with anything when I reinstalled them. Needless to say, after all the work, I'm getting a pretty good drip that runs down between the back of the pump and the belt tensioner onto the cat (I still can't pinpoint the location). Any ideas.

Check the gasket between the timming cover case and the block.
Ask your local parts place about a leak dye test kit.
They make leak dye to put in coolant and a special light to check for the leak.
Works good for them hard to find leaks and also a pressure tester helps.
MT

The Haynes manual says the threaded stud must be coated with thread sealant if it is removed. There are different torque values listed, which are important to follow - for the 6mm bolts, it is 71 to 106 inch - lbs; for the nuts, it is 71 to 106 inch - lbs; for the 8 mm bolts it is 15 to 22 Ft-lbs. The Ford manual also recommends lightly oiling all bolts and stud bolt threads that don't require special sealant before installation.

Reading alldatadiy and autozone's instructions....not real clear.
They both say to put teflon thread sealer onto the #1 Engine Front Cover Retaining Stud...before installing. From the pictures....it is not clear what they are talking about. It sounds like it "may" be the stud that you are talking about.

The water pump and oil pump mount onto the "Engine Front Cover" also called "Timing Cover". This is a very common place to develop a leak....due to the gasket breaking down...if you do not have a leak at the water pump due to a problem in the installation. The front cover leak can cause leakage out of the engine and / or INTO the crankcase. Coolant into the crankcase is very serious....and can destroy the engine.
You can find out if there is coolant in the oil by contacting Blackstone Labs in Indiana.

www.blackstone-labs.com


They will send you a free sample kit.....and you mail the sample in to them for analysis.
A standard test will cost you $20 plus postage (to mail the sample to them).

Replacing the front cover gasket is a MAJOR job!!!!
The oil pump and water pump are mounted on the front cover.
You have to drop the oil pan to remove the front cover.
You have to remove the big pulley at the base of the engine....
Step #1 in the instructions is "Remove Engine from vehicle"
There is a person or so on this site that has done this job....and they did it without removing the engine....but they did say that it was a major job.

The water pump and oil pump mount onto the "Engine Front Cover" also called "Timing Cover". This is a very common place to develop a leak...

Damn!
The wife had to have this van so we bought it used in 98 with 50,000 miles. I talked to the previous owner who ordered it new and according to him, some kind of internal coolant leak destroyed the engine . He said he raised hell enough with Ford that they agreed to rebuild the engine. We did put a transmission in it in 2000 but other than that (yeah, that is a big but) it's been a pretty decent vehicle.

When I decided to replace the water pump I told myself "I'm not gonna pay $25 an hour labor for someone to do this when I can do it myself. When I got thru with it I told myself "that guy earns every penny!":iceslolan

Thanks again for your help guys.

$25 an hour is a BARGEN!
But, I do get the point about the costs.
I have been through the transmission replacement.
I had a slight "seapage" at the timing cover that the dealership told me was so slight that I should not do anything about it. They told me that it would be over $1200 to replace the gasket. Gasket is cheap....much labor to do the job. As it was only a slight seapage, I put Bar's Stop Leak into the coolant. I believe that I also had a slight seapage at the lower intake manifold....as I found a green stain on one of my oxygen sensors.
I only lost enough coolant to need to add to the overflow bottle no more than once a month. The stop leak has kept things under control for over one and a half years. I would make sure to use Bar's brand of stop leak.

I have over 161K miles on my '96 windstar. The tranny was replaced at 99K miles.

If the leak developed just after the water pump replacement, then perhaps that is where the problem is. It can be really hard to tell where a leak starts.
If the problem is relative to the water pump.....I would try to correct it.

If you find that there is leakage elsewhere.....You might try some stop leak.....many would not agree....and I would not do it for a major leak...but if the leak is very slight....It could seal things up and prevent a serious leak.
I changed my coolant....and replaced the thermostat this past spring (about 1 year with stop leak in the system) and things were VERY clean inside the cooling passages that I could see. When putting new coolant in, I added the correct amount of new stop leak product to protect the total capacity of my cooling system. I plan to keep Bar's Stop Leak in my coolant going forward.....replacing it when I replace my coolant....which I plan to keep doing once a year.

After a good flush, a new thermostat and a drink of the Bars Leak alum., the leak seems to have ceased and the van actually runs well. Props to MT-2500, Windsour and Wiswind for the good info.
Anyone attempting this please note my 2 known errors.
A: I finally figured out that BOTH engine mounts, front and rear had to be loosened to get the engine up high enough and over enough to get the long waterpump bolts to clear the wheel well.
B: Take great care to mark in some form every step and every bolt you remove to get to the pump. I ended up with a short screw and short bolt in the parts box which I can live with but it's that 6" bolt I've got lying around that has me a little concerned:dunno: :redface:
Maybe time will tell where that one should have went. Anyways, thanks again.

10-4 on the bolts.
Some of them grow a little and some of them shrink a little.
A good color coding or marking system helps.
Thanks for posting back and letting us know hoe it went.
Glad you got it going ok.
MT

One thing that I do, is take pictures while I work.
Also, using the water pump as an example....
Lay the new pump out, and as you take the bolts (and nut) out, place them next to the new pump....next to the place that they came out of the old pump. This will help you keep track of what goes where.
You can take a picture at this time with a digital camera.
When you remove the old pump, move the bolts one at a time, and place them next to the position that they will install in the new pump.
If you get things mixed up, you can look at the picture(s) you took.
Easier to load the pictures onto you computer and look at them.

That six inch sucker belongs to either your alternator, or your P/S pump. (Don't chuck it).

Karl