Timing Cover

Billabong089

Registered User
:( I dropped my car off at the mechanic yesturday, and they called today and told me I need a timing cover gasket or timing cover, not sure obviously the gasket gets replaced but yea... and I guess I'm going to get a new chain...

This sucks its going to run me close to a $1000 again, I just spent $2200 on transmission crap ARGH!

I dont know If I wanna get it fixed, what should I do, I don't have the money, and I know once I fix this something else will break like the harmonic balencer and dont you have to remove that to change the timing cover, so once they remove it, it'll probably fail like 300miles down the road, too nice to part out...

Should I winterize it and set it aside for the spring...?
 
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the other car is a v6 tbird 93 with a bypassed heatercore, its 30degrees right now, dont get me wrong I will freeze my *** off, but defrosting is my concern.

I think I want to sell, whats the most I could get $2000... I just spent that the trans!
 
You should try and do it yourself. It's a fairly easy job. And from the consensus, the balancer may fail. Mine hasn't yet, but that could change. If you upgrade the balancer, be ready to upgrade your pulleys also, you need a 0 balanced crank pulley for the bhj.
 
I beleive I have underdrive pulleys, I dont know how you check but I'll worry about that later... I think I might attempt the job in the spring, gives me 3 months to save some nice money up.
 
I had a coolant leak last summer and the timing cover had to come off to get to it. While he was in there, I had the timing chain, gears, water pump, belts and hoses replaced as a precautionary measure. It was like $900. Car had 107,000 on it then, I think.

Where in NJ are you?
 
Yeah it sucks doesnt it Bill? My SC was starting to do the same thing.....oh my cam sensor needs replacing, one week later ....oh I have leaky hoses fix that and a half week later the tranny starts slipping, kept driving it and 2 days later the HG's blow! So I said to hell with that and tore the car completely down to nothing but the unibody shell. I have been going through and rebuilding and replacing every single part in every single system and when I'm done it will be like brand new again.
Once these cars get that much age on them they are going to nickel and dime you to death not to mention the agrevation of being stranded when it breaks and having to try to work on a car Ford did'nt design to be worked on in the first place!
It's soooo much easier to work on with everything out in the middle of the shop where you can actually get to something. :D :D :D :D
 
How many miles on your SC Mike?

My SC has machine gun dinged me for several things since July but I am keeping the faith and will not waiver. . . . yet.

The head gaskets blew last Wednesday. I gave the mechanic the go ahead to do the job this morning. So much for that new paint job I was thinking about.

Why am I fixing it? because. . . .

Thou shalt not have a car payment

and

Thou shalt put large sums of money into the house, where it retains it's value.

200,000 miles or bust!
 
Pops I had 128,000 on it when I took her down. I cringe everytime I see someone on here with alittle over 100,000 on theres and they are putting HG's on. Since I have torn mine down I've learned how bad a shape they really are in at that mileage.
I know they dont seem like but I've got a pile of junk parts to prove it.
My car was'nt abused either, I've personaly known the previous owner for many years. A middle aged man and his wife owned and babied this car since it was new and NO teenagers have ever been behind the wheel ever.
Since I've torn mine down I've gotten 3 SC engines from bone yards and every single one(mine included) had shot main and rod bearings the rings were stuck in the grooves the rocker arms and pedistal sleds wore worse than any engine I've ever seen. The oil pumps and timing covers were bad. This is just the engine stuff, I havent even talked about the suspension pieces,tranny parts,brake parts or body parts. Oh and lets not forget the wonderfull wiring system on this thing or how about the fuel pump wires that are INSIDE the gas tank, mine were burned up and the insulation was melted off the wires. Yes inside the gas tank! It has been a far bigger job than what I intended but every system I check has problems or problems that are getting ready to be serious. Reminds me of Alice going down the rabbit hole.
 
mike you scared me with the gas tank thing lol... I live in ocean county...


What should I do about balencer? keep it, I dont really have the money to replace it or even If I should care cuz I think I might sell after I Fix it....


My options are lol...
1. Drive another car with no heat for 2 months and save money, then fix it myself, do a BHJ balencer, etc... Would this job be for someone who is not that experienced? What does it involve?

2. Fix it now, pay $870 or so, replace the timing chain, gears, etc waterpump, hoses, etc etc

3. Sell it as is
 
Bill please dont take offense because I dont mean any towards you, but I think this job is over your head. You basicly have to tear the whole front off the engine and its not near as much fun doing it with the engine in the car. You'll just have to take a good look at the HB after you pull it to really tell anything about it, if its old chances are its shot.
 
Is the timing cover obsolute? I dont see it on the ford website im looking at...

Do I have to get a new front cover seal, I figure I'll purchase all the stuff myself because usually shops charge more money and then in the spring, I'll be like yea do my timing cover, change my balencer, and install my accumlator and I should be good lol...


TIMING CHAIN, Cougar, Thunderbird - 3.8L 92-97 $28.69
CAMSHAFT GEAR, Cougar, Thunderbird - 3.8L 92-97 $16.51
CRANKSHAFT GEAR, Cougar, Thunderbird - 3.8L 92-97 $12.53
FRONT COVER GASKET, Cougar, Thunderbird - 3.8L 92-97 $6.60
=============
FRONT COVER SEAL, Cougar, Thunderbird - 3.8L 92-97 $11.70
^ not sure If I need that, I read only if you replace the front cover
============

Total: $76.03 with the front cover seal

Then...

WATER PUMP, Cougar, Thunderbird, 3.8L, w/Supercharger 92-95 $75.25

New Balencer : BHJ : '89 to '93 $360


Soo............. total in parts $511.28

How does that sound? Labor should be I guess $500ish
 
Mike - thanks for the insight. You paint a pretty bleak picture. Don't bum us out like that. At this point in time I'm still remaining optimistic (beer helps with this) and looking at the situation as the cup is still half full. My car has been babied it's whole life also.

That's great that you have the skills and a facility at your disposal to disassemble your whole car. For us average Joe's, we have no choice but to keep reaching into the wallet until we cry uncle.

Hey Bong - I'm up at Ocean County College a couple times over the summer. If you're in the area and see a white SC with a dent in the rear quarter, you'll know who it is.
 
Mike - thanks for the insight. You paint a pretty bleak picture. Don't bum us out like that. At this point in time I'm still remaining optimistic (beer helps with this) and looking at the situation as the cup is still half full. My car has been babied it's whole life also.

That's great that you have the skills and a facility at your disposal to disassemble your whole car. For us average Joe's, we have no choice but to keep reaching into the wallet until we cry uncle.

Hey Bong - I'm up at Ocean County College a couple times over the summer. If you're in the area and see a white SC with a dent in the rear quarter, you'll know who it is.
 
Sorry Pops I was'nt trying to bum anyone out, I was just being honest and reporting what I've learned. The damage I spoke of is not some design flaw or anything like that, its really just normal wear and tear thats all. I've seen many other engines of different designs and makers with the same problems at those mileages. I have a 1st gen DSM turbo car that finaly blew the HG at 238,000. I've owned that car since new and changed oil every 2500 miles. Once I tear it down I know I'll find the same stuff except the rocker wear because it has roller rockers from the factory.

Bill:
Call Dan because I believe he will beat those prices. The last time I talked to Dan for you he told me to have you call, he said he promised not to bite.LOL!!!
You do need that seal however if you get a timing cover gasket SET you will get everything you need.
You can still get the timing cover but I think its the one from a Taurus with a Vulcan motor, ask Dan about it he will find out what it was replaced with. They are pricey though, I believe it was $230.00 if I'm not mistaken.
 
well, the timing gasket set just comes with gaskets and crap? Maybe I'll let the shop get them because they said it doesnt matter if I get them but its cheap, so maybe I'll get the timing belt and gears and the balencer.

So I should be like Yo Dan I know mike from sccoa.com, give me good prices lol ... I'll feel funny about it, I'm not a people person, I love the internet for that purpose.


Anyway, none of my friends can understand how coolant can leak out of a timing cover... Can anyone explain that? Because I thought the cover was just that, a cover... :confused: :confused:


With the car out of commission and expecting snow (2inches damn.. lol ) tommorrow I would like to winterize it somehow, what do I have to do? I need fuel stablizer but what else lol... should I change the oil, I also read that can coolant leak into oil with a bad timing cover gasket. so I dont want coolant sitting in my oil for like 2-3 months. right now the oil looks clean anyway.


And last but not least, what else should I replace, I do not not not want another problem.

Mike, that fuel tank crap scares me, could like the wires ignite the fuel and BAM I would blow up :eek: , if thats the case don't you think a recall would come into effect or you would hear about people blowing up driving tbirds lol.
 
My Helms manual states that the front cover and the oil pump come as an assembly (Ford OEM replacement). Is this true?

I am in the middle of a rebuild and would like to get a new cover, long story invoving a frozen water pump bolt.
 
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Bill Dan does'nt just give me good prices he gives the same low prices to everyone. He really is a good guy and will bend over backwards to help you. I just meant that once you get him on the phone say: Hi Dan I'm Bill ????? and I was needing to talk to you about some SC parts, Mike over at the SC site said you could help me.
Just an ice breaker Bill its not hard to do. Besides that you would be on the telephone, he still would'nt know who you were.
A timing cover gasket SET comes with a seal and all the gaskets you need to change out the cover.

The coolant can come out of your cover because there are 2 holes about 5/8 diameter that go through the cover between the water pump and the block. Thats a total of 4 joint and 4 possable leak points. You might want to check and see if you have water in your oil. Because if your leaking water on the outside of the engine.....well thats bad, but if the joint is leaking water into the crankcase.......well thats worse.
 
RichM said:
My Helms manual states that the front cover and the oil pump come as an assembly (Ford OEM replacement). Is this true?

I am in the middle of a rebuild and would like to get a new cover, long story invoving a frozen water pump bolt.

I dont know, I've heard that Ford has dicontinued the oil pump but there may be some of those assembly's available.
Call Dan Newman at Joe Cooper Ford 1-800-266-6049 and ask him about it.
 
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