'05 Ford Taurus Vulcan Oil Seal OEM vs. Fel-Pro?

[28oz]

Just reacquired the 2005 Ford Taurus 3.0 Vulcan with 195k miles on it back from my dad who can no longer drive due to health/age. Noticed it has the infamous timing cover leak (verified visually). Not gushing yet, but intending for this car to be my daughter's school commuter, so will need to fix this leak soon. Anyway, I plan to use the Fel-Pro gasket/seal kit with a Motorcraft waterpump (previous owner put cheapo Autozone pump on it, so don't have much confidence in it).

My question is, how reliable is the Fel-Pro kits crankshaft seal (I am getting the repair sleeve in the kit in case the crankshaft pulley is grooved)? I usually always get OEM seals, but was curious about the Fel-Pro one since I haven't come across any complaints about them while reading up on this job.

For Trav's sake, I do plan on using Hylomar M on the gasket portion.

 

[Trav]

I think you will find the Fel-Pro is a National oil seal made of polyacrylate, good seal, no issues. Good call on the Redi Sleeve, MC pump and Hylomar, it should be a good long lasting repair.

 

[28oz]

Originally Posted by Trav
I think you will find the Fel-Pro is a National oil seal made of polyacrylate, good seal, no issues. Good call on the Redi Sleeve, MC pump and Hylomar, it should be a good long lasting repair.


Thanks!

 

[rshaw125]

Is it starting to leak coolant or oil? If coolant be sure to use RTV black on the cover for a permanent repair.

 

[28oz]

Originally Posted by rshaw125
Is it starting to leak coolant or oil? If coolant be sure to use RTV black on the cover for a permanent repair.


It is leaking coolant. You're saying to use RTV instead of the Hylomar M?

 

[AntDeek]

I believe he means using RTC to seal the coolant ports between the timing cover and block. This is an area prone to leaking.

 

[nobb]

I did this job on a 3.0 Ranger last year with a Motorcraft water pump, Fel-Pro timing cover gasket, Motorcraft water pump gasket, and the Fel-Pro oil seal (with repair sleeve). Holds up great, definitely get the repair sleeve because after 200,000 kms the main shaft definitely had a in it. The seal that came in the Fel-pro kit was a National branded seal so I see no concern with that.

One other interesting point I noticed is that the Fel-pro timing cover gasket included the water pump gasket, but I decided to use the Motorcraft gasket that came with the Motorcraft water pump instead. The Fel-Pro gasket is actually thicker than the Motorcraft and the edges were not as well cut. They were both paper gaskets, but the Motorcraft gasket felt a bit more "compacted" than the Fel-Pro which was softer. Probably doesn't matter, but it has been holding up just fine for the last year.

 

[Trav]

Originally Posted by AntDeek
I believe he means using RTC to seal the coolant ports between the timing cover and block. This is an area prone to leaking.


FWIW. Hylomar is Superior to RTV in most applications. Unlike RTV if the seal gets broken for some reason it reforms and wont leak. Rolls Royce developed this product for parts that had difficulty sealing.
Some years ago in Dec a furnace pump developed a fuel oil leak during a snow storm, the local dealer didn't have one and it was 3 days away.

I Used Hylomar on it and hoped for the best. Its still running leak free, try that repair with RTV. I do have the gasket here just in case.

 

[rshaw125]

Originally Posted by AntDeek
I believe he means using RTC to seal the coolant ports between the timing cover and block. This is an area prone to leaking.



Yes. Use a quality sealant on coolant ports. I know people who did not and had to do the job a second time a few years later. Also while you're in there check for timing chain stretch.

 

[28oz]

Originally Posted by rshaw125
Originally Posted by AntDeek
I believe he means using RTC to seal the coolant ports between the timing cover and block. This is an area prone to leaking.



Yes. Use a quality sealant on coolant ports. I know people who did not and had to do the job a second time a few years later. Also while you're in there check for timing chain stretch.


Good to know about the chain. How much stretch is "too much"? From what I've read, around 1/2 inch of deflection seems to be OK. Is there a set amount to measure?

 

[nthach]

Originally Posted by Trav
Originally Posted by AntDeek
I believe he means using RTC to seal the coolant ports between the timing cover and block. This is an area prone to leaking.


FWIW. Hylomar is Superior to RTV in most applications. Unlike RTV if the seal gets broken for some reason it reforms and wont leak. Rolls Royce developed this product for parts that had difficulty sealing.
Some years ago in Dec a furnace pump developed a fuel oil leak during a snow storm, the local dealer didn't have one and it was 3 days away.

I Used Hylomar on it and hoped for the best. Its still running leak free, try that repair with RTV. I do have the gasket here just in case.

I never used Hylomar, but I picked up the suggestion of using Loctite 518 for a Subaru oil pump that called for gray Japanese RTV(Hondabond HT or Fujibond) since the oil galleries were in close contact with the flanges.

 

[Trav]

As I have said in other post once I used the Hylomar I only use RTV where it is required as a filler eg GM 3400 front and rear intake seals and the corners of intake gaskets on V engines. Now when I do buy RTV its the smallest tube I can get as it inevitably goes hard in the tube and the trash before I use it again.
The Loctite 518 does a great job on those Subaru oil pumps without the risk of a small piece of RTV going somewhere it shouldn't.