I'm the proud original owner of a 4.2 Liter 1997 F150 XLT Flareside with 85K on the clock. I purchased the truck new in August 1996. For the passed few years I have had a minor coolant leak that's noticable on the driveway after leaving the truck overnight. I always add a quart or so of coolant at each oil change (5,000 miles - Mobil 1). Yesterday I changed the oil and added approximately a quart of coolant to the overflow tank as usual; however, this morning, on the interstate, the truck severely overheated and leaked all the coolant out of the radiator and overflow tank. I attempted to add coolant at a gas station, but the coolant just pours onto the ground from between the water pump and the block on the passenger side. I had the truck towed to a local repair shop here in Southern FL.

Before I pay to have the repairs made, I want to be sure there was no recall or liability on Ford's part for this gasket failure. (My real concern is...I may have warped a head from the severe overheating) I have been scouring the web looking for recall information of the gasket or the water pump for my truck and have not found anything concrete. If someone could please advise me on how to proceed, I would really appreciate it.

I remember reading some posts on this site about Ford replacing the gasket and/or water pump on a few members 1997 F150's. If you have any info, it would be much appreciated and hopefully can help me in my decision of whether to have the truck fixed at Ford or at a local repair shop.

Thanks ahead of time for your help and keep truckin!

One of my friends has a 97 that had that problem. he took it in and had it fixed. when he was leaving the dealer the engine locked up on him, so the ford dealer had to replace it. wish it would happen to me

I would suggest that you take your truck to a dealer you have already established a relationship with so they will be willing to go to Ford to pay for this. There are 6 hours of labor involed in this procedure whether you go to a dealer or an independent shop so the dealer should be a better option.

If you're the original owner, you should have received this letter years ago.

After the gasket is replaced, change your oil immediately after you get home as there will likely be gasket material left in the oil and this has been clogging oil pumps and causing engine failure in many vehicles.

Guys, thank you very much for your insight and help. Because I have moved a number of times since buying the truck, I never get any of the recall notices from Ford. I printed the one out that "AjRagno" attached. I just hope it isn't too late for me, because the notice states that the vehicle is eligible for the recall repair until March 31, 2001.

Wish me luck, and I'll let you all know the result ASAP.

Thanks again.

Yea, I had mine replaced, it was$700 then 2 weeks later it was refunded because I got the recall notice. If you take it in you shouldn't have any problem. A recall is a recall regardless of mileage so you shouldn't have a problem.

Apparently, the dealer is saying that the recall did not pertain to my truck because when they ran my VIN it came up only showing two recalls…one for the fuel line assembly, and the other for the replacement of the lug nuts.

Aside from the letter AjRagno uploaded in his post above, I can't seem to find any concrete evidence of a recall that will help me in getting Ford to cover at least a portion of the damage.

The damage after further review is as follows:

Blown head gaskets
Severely cracked water pump
Warped head
Destroyed valve train

The engine still has not come apart, so g-d only knows how much other stuff is broken.

Any other advice on how I should approach this with my Ford dealer?

Thanks for your help guys.

A while after I bought my '97 in June of 2000 I took it to the local dealer to see if it had any recalls. They told me about the "front engine cover gasket" recall and said my truck was included. I hadn't read anything about this problem on this board at that time and I never noticed any coolant loss so I figured "If it ain't broke...." They also told me I should get it done soon because "you never know when the recall might end." I thought they were just trying to drum up a little business - that recalls were in effect for the life of the vehicle if they had not been completed. WRONG!
I noticed a very slight loss of coolant last summer and got worried after reading horror stories on this board so I went back to the dealer and they looked up my VIN # again. There was no record that my truck had ever been part of that recall; probably because of the deadline shown in AjRagno's letter. I have put Bars Leak in the radiator and sent an oil sample to Blackstone labs. Results: Sodium is high most likely due to a small coolant leak into the oil. They say it's not enough to damage the engine at the current contamination level but to keep an eye on it. I guess I learned a good lesson. I'll send in more oil samples at the next two oil changes and if the sodium goes up I'll change the gasket myself.
I think Ford should take care of a major engine killing defect like this one regardless of the mileage or age of the vehicle.
By the way, my truck had 30,500 miles when I bought it and 36,700 miles on it now.

I am leaking coolant as well, and I believe it is from the Front Cover Gasket. I never received the RECALL for 99B29, I guess FORD issued a quiet recall and did not notify everbody. Did you have any luck getting Ford to pay any portion of the repair. Any info is appreciated.

I had the same prob w/ mine at 80k miles. It was not covered by Ford b/c my VIN did not match. I had the repair done, and a day later and 100 miles, I spun a bearing b/c the shop did a poor job of keeping the gasket material out of the pan. I called Ford to complain b/c the leaks were identical to others. The shop that did the repair and I came to an agreement on the replacement engine and b/c they broke the timing cover in the orignial work.

From what I understand the recall notice was only until Mar 2001, but you may be covered do to not receiving the notice. Best of luck

Well, Ford won't cover anything. Not even a portion of the repairs under something called an After Warranty Assist ("AWA"). I was told that this late in the game, that was my only chance, and that I'd need a "friend" at the dealership, which of course, I do not have.

I need my truck fixed ASAP, as I have been paying for a rental car for a week now, and can't see myself being able to afford it much longer. I dropped the truck off at a trusted repair shop in town, so it should be fixed within the next couple of days.

Once everything comes apart and gets repaired, I'll let ya'll know exactly what damage was done because of the coolant leaking from the water pump/timing cover gasket.

Thanks for all your help, and if you've got a realatively new 4.2L F-150 which is leaking a little coolant from the timing chain cover/water pump gasket, GET THAT THING FIXED ASAP, and see to it that Ford covers the repair costs.

Good luck!