V-6 4.2 L F-150. I recently notice I was leaking AntiFreeze. I posted at a alt.ford.truck newsgroup and was directed to this forum. I have notice alot of people complaing about a leak. I just wondering where would you notice the leak. I took some pictures of where my leak is. They aren't the greatest but maybe somebody can tell me if I have the notrious leak everyone else has.
After I turn off my truck I can hear the pressure leaking out.
http://home.austin.rr.com/jpereira/f150.htm

<----- funny smilely

Man. Date: 7/96

 

I have a 97 also and I have just noticed the exact leak that you show in the picturer on my engine. I am having mine looked at tomorrow by a mechanic, but I am sure this is the real bad thing. Check your Oil filler cap for yellow looking oil and also your dip stick. See my post below and AJ's answer.

 

No Water in Oil. As of yet.. Yikes..

These gaskets where they recalls? I went to a Ford dealership and the only SB that wasn't performed on my Truck was the
4/13/1999 Recall Code: 98R04 Recall - PCV System Modification.

 

about a year ago the ford dealer repaired the cracks in my doors. While it was in the shop I asked the service manager about the possibility of the gasket problem as it was on the message board at that time. He checked with ford motor co. and they said my truck had the good gaskets. Someone told a fib as mine is sure leaking. Checking on repair cost today. Let me know how you come out.

 

BUMP

 

If I am correct those leaks in the pics are your front timing chain cover, do not mess with this issue as damage grows fast when coolant mixes with oil.

good luck been there

 

Hey Sinster and everyone else,

I am posting this so that everyone here could use this as an alternative to getting hit with costly repairs for the leak. I dont know how long this repair will last so YMMV.

This was done to my '91 Rx-7 Conv. It was having hard 'cold' starts and losing coolant. This mean my coolant seals were leaking, though not as much as these guys in the following posts. It took me most of a day to do the procedure. also make sure when the procedure is done that the Block Weld is completely out of the system before you put coolant back in the system. The copper could get stuck on the water pump and other stuff you dont want it to stick onto.

The repair has lasted me over 1 week so far. I know that the engines are different, but the cost was only $20-$30 to do this procedure. which I think is worth the chance.

I hope this helps some people
Goodluck,
Toan


> My 'spare' Turbo II was leaking large amounts of water into the
> engine
> as well (front and rear). It got so bad that it wouldn't start
> without
> removing the plugs and turning over the motor to blast out the 1/2
> cup
> or so of water that was inside!
>
> You guys may have a hard time believing this, but the motor is fixed
> (for now) and running better than it did before. Total cost: $25
>
> Paul Yaw at YawPower performed this emergency surgery to my vehicle
> to
> keep me rolling while we finish the Vortech blown Turbo II that'll be
> ready soon. He had done this to another motor before and the repair
> has
> lasted for two years on that motor (in his ported rotary shop truck).
>
> If you're interested in what is to be considered a temporary fix,
> read
> on.
>
> The recipe: two cans of Block Weld and some Purple Power degreaser
> from
> Pep Boys. The Block Weld is a clear liquid with copper granules
> blended
> in.
>
> The process takes *hours* but can be very worthwhile! Step 1: Clean
> the
> heck out of the cooling system - drain the radiator, fill with water
> and degreaser, run the motor until warm. Step 2: Repeat 5 or 6 more
> times. Step 3: Drain the radiator, fill with water only and run the
> motor until warm. Step 4: Repeat 2 or 3 times. You must rinse the
> system with water until no degreaser is left inside, this is *very*
> important. Step 5: When you are sure that the cooling system is very
> clean inside, refill with water plus two cans of Block Weld (no
> anti-freeze). Run the motor until warm (about 30 minutes). This
> hardens
> the Block Weld where the water is leaking into the motor. Do not rev
> the motor into high RPM during this process! Step 6: Leave the motor
> off for a minimum of three hours. Step 7: Drive for 20-30 minutes in
> the local area to make sure that the repair has worked. Keep the RPM
> down! If successful, drain a small amount of water from the radiator
> and add some anti-freeze. If it's still leaking water into the
> engine,
> add another bottle of Block Weld and run the engine for 20-30
> minutes.
> Let stand for three hours again. Test drive again. Step 8: Drive the
> car around like you used to... assuming that the process worked!
>
> This process can be a real pain to perform because you have to start
> the motor to accomplish the warm ups during the steps. Don't forget
> to
> pull the fuse when you turn the motor over to push out the water
> prior
> to each start up. Cups and cups of water came out of my motor
> throughout the process! I have been driving the car pretty hard since
> the temporary fix and it has held up well. It now starts easily, has
> plenty of power, and hasn't needed any water to be added to the
> system
> since I added the Block Weld (about two months ago). It was a lot
> easier to do this temporary fix than to go out and buy another
> motor/car, especially since my other one is almost done.
>
> If your motor is shot (like mine was) you've got nothing to lose. If
> it
> works for you thank Paul Yaw at YawPower. His crappy little shop
> truck
> has been driven pretty hard for two years after this same kind of
> temporary fix. He claims that his truck's motor was blowing even more
> water out of it than mine was.
>
> If you follow the directions on the can of Block Weld, it will not
> work
> for this type of repair! Follow the steps listed above. Be very
> aggressive in your efforts to clean the inside of the cooling system.
>
> Good luck!
The original post that this solution was discussed

 

well as interesting as your temporary fix is almostrice, That might be a good thing for a $300 beater but for a potentially good $3000 motor i would not want to test its results, lol
gentlemen, if these leaks are resonably new therre may be little damage and replacing the front timing cover gasket will fix the issue, but I would caution you that it is worth the expense to just go ahead and also replace the lower intake and get a pressure test done to see what else is up, maybe even do the head gaskets, there is wide spread problems with all hte gaskets in the 97 4.2 and by biting the bullet now you may save yourself the expense of a new motor $3000-$4000.

 

I would love to get my Truck fixed. But being this is my 3rd time being laid off from work. I don't have the cash or the resources to do it myself. I have the knowledge to do it. But resources I dont. I did get an extended warranty.... but I dont think this will be covered under it.

 

If your warenty covers the power train it should, keep hounding them they will normally cover it just takes about a month to get it out of them