I had posted yesterday about changing the Y-pipe with cats on my 3.0 Ranger, which I will do soon. Ive heard that the 3.0 Vulcans are notorious for coolant leaks from the timing cover. While mine doesnt leak, would it be senseless to change the gasket and water pump as preventive maintenance? In October I had to drive through some saltwater (storm surge) for about 20 miles to get back home. I dont know if thats what caused it, but theres a small amount of corrosion around the cover. Truck has 147k miles and starting in August I will be driving it to Texas once sometimes twice a month. I have no problems taking a 15 year old truck that far, I just would like to prevent any problems. So would it be a dumb idea to change the gasket and water pump? Easiest way seems to pull the engine, and pulling the engine doesnt look hard at all.
preventive maintenance
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I had a Vulcan 3.0 in an Aerostar and it went to the junkyard with about 213,000 miles on it with the original water pump and timing cover. My oil pan rotted through. If you drove through saltwater I'd have a look at that.
I did go to the car wash and rinse off the underneath as best as I could as soon as I drove through the saltwater
Nah, no need to pull the cover unless it needs a new timing chain or it is leaking.
On a Vulcan, if it's not making a mess or somehow inconveniencing you, just leave it alone. All 3.0s leak somewhere.
I have 185K on original valve cover gaskets and the original timing cover gasket and water pump. They do leak some, but not enough to be an inconvenience. I can add a quart every 4-5K or so.
If it gets bad, fixing it is easy enough, but chasing every oil leak on a Vulcan is a lost cause. It will last forever as long as there is oil in it.
I have 185K on original valve cover gaskets and the original timing cover gasket and water pump. They do leak some, but not enough to be an inconvenience. I can add a quart every 4-5K or so.
If it gets bad, fixing it is easy enough, but chasing every oil leak on a Vulcan is a lost cause. It will last forever as long as there is oil in it.
Originally Posted By: 01rangerxl
On a Vulcan, if it's not making a mess or somehow inconveniencing you, just leave it alone. All 3.0s leak somewhere.
I have 185K on original valve cover gaskets and the original timing cover gasket and water pump. They do leak some, but not enough to be an inconvenience. I can add a quart every 4-5K or so.
If it gets bad, fixing it is easy enough, but chasing every oil leak on a Vulcan is a lost cause. It will last forever as long as there is oil in it.
+1 Mine was the same way, original water pump, starter, alternator, VC gaskets, TC gasket, etc. My oil pan rotted through which was a PITA. The car fell apart but everything worked.
OP leave well enough alone.
On a Vulcan, if it's not making a mess or somehow inconveniencing you, just leave it alone. All 3.0s leak somewhere.
I have 185K on original valve cover gaskets and the original timing cover gasket and water pump. They do leak some, but not enough to be an inconvenience. I can add a quart every 4-5K or so.
If it gets bad, fixing it is easy enough, but chasing every oil leak on a Vulcan is a lost cause. It will last forever as long as there is oil in it.
+1 Mine was the same way, original water pump, starter, alternator, VC gaskets, TC gasket, etc. My oil pan rotted through which was a PITA. The car fell apart but everything worked.
OP leave well enough alone.
I don't know what your set-up is, I myself only do small to medium repairs.
Mostly P.M.
I recently had my 2002 Ranger (135,000 miles) in for a 'new' Timing Chain Cover GASKET.
Originally it was leaking Coolant, had GASKET changed, now it's leaking Oil.
Will be going in next Week to have it redone (under warranty). The Mechanic said he may have to replace the oil pan gasket along with the T.C.C. GASKET.
I would say, "if it's not broken, don't fix it".
Mostly P.M.
I recently had my 2002 Ranger (135,000 miles) in for a 'new' Timing Chain Cover GASKET.
Originally it was leaking Coolant, had GASKET changed, now it's leaking Oil.
Will be going in next Week to have it redone (under warranty). The Mechanic said he may have to replace the oil pan gasket along with the T.C.C. GASKET.
I would say, "if it's not broken, don't fix it".
get some Gunk degreaser and clean your engine at one of those $3 power washes.
I have rebuilt several Vulcans and my current Taurus has a Vulcan in it. The Vulcan timing covers and water pumps leak because they don't get the coolant changed often enough or at all. The old coolant causes electrolysis and the aluminum pits causing a leak. On a Vulcan the cooling systems are known to get gunk in them easily. Do a regular coolant flush and change (I do every 30k) and you should be ok.
Originally Posted By: MuzzleFlash40
Nah, no need to pull the cover unless it needs a new timing chain or it is leaking.
+1 only fix it if you notice something.
Nah, no need to pull the cover unless it needs a new timing chain or it is leaking.
+1 only fix it if you notice something.
Originally Posted By: Doog
get some Gunk degreaser and clean your engine at one of those $3 power washes.
This. Just keep an eye on the metals for rust. If you see oil gunked up, dirt gathering, or rust and corrosion forming you should probably attend to it. Keepin things clean = thumbs up!
get some Gunk degreaser and clean your engine at one of those $3 power washes.
This. Just keep an eye on the metals for rust. If you see oil gunked up, dirt gathering, or rust and corrosion forming you should probably attend to it. Keepin things clean = thumbs up!
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