first off i wanna say that the 3.0 vulcan is an amazing motor, i am impressed with the way ford built this engine and it has not yet let me down. knock on wood. the only problem i have is that i found an ever feared antifreeze leak, so i took it down to the shop to get it looked at, sure bet it was comin from the timing chain cover (or timing cover?). its not too bad, 3 to 7 drops every 3 or so days depending on the day. but my question is the one that the mechanic could not answer, what are some of the hazards, besides overheating, that i should worry about. i am planning on fixing this, with some help from someone who knows what they are doing, but in due time, due to money issues and time to fix it. but what could happen or what are some dangers of this problem. is it a serious problem such as a head gasket? just wanna get some simple knowlage on this, i'm looking online for info but i am gettin steered in so many different ways, so all commets are welcome, serious comments only please.

 

btw its a 99 with 141,000 on it

 

I don't think it's nearly as serious as a head gasket issue. Probably could cause issues down the line, but if it leaks as slow as you say, it's not really a problem yet, just an annoyance. You will probly need to pull the crank pulley, water pump pulley, fan, etc and remove the timing cover... replace the timing cover gasket and crank seal, and use some gray rtv sealant when re-installing.

https://www.ranger-forums.com/showth...ing+cover+leak
https://www.ranger-forums.com/showth...ing+cover+leak
https://www.ranger-forums.com/showth...ing+cover+leak

 

appreciate this, did help. will running the motor at slightly high rpms make the matter worse at all?

 

the way I look at it, as long as there isn't oil in the radiator or antifreeze in the oil, it can drip... mine does it too. smells nice, pretend it's maple syrup!

 

I want to weigh in on this problem too. I have a 2000 3.0 with 115,000 on it and my cam chain cover started leaking a few years ago. I recently had a long talk with fords customer care center about this and im angry that ford never sent out a recall on this problem.... Mine is leaking badly now and I took it to my ford dealer and they said $1,150 to fix it!!!!! Now I do plan on getting it fixed when I get the $$$ and I love my rangers and wouldn't drive anything else. The 3.0 is a rock solid motor but its also crappy in gas mileage and power, and that's why they discontinued it cuz they knew what kind of problems it has.... Live and learn I guess.....

I just need to vent..........

 

I'm certain I'll get a lot of critizism on this but here's my take. Mine also leaks from the timing chain cover but... since the water pump seems fine and the leak was minor I solved the issue with a jug of stop leak. Temporary? Sure but the way I see it is I have 125k on it and it might not be long before I'll have to replace the pump and or some other component that will require dismantling the front of the engine. When that time comes I'll do everything at the same time and save myself some labor. It'll be my labor I'm saving but it just doesn't make sense to me to do a job like that for something as minor as a slow coolant leak.
I tried tightening up the bolts several times before using the stop leak but was afraid I'd end up shearing one off. I know from experience how much of a headache that can be.

 

Its your truck, but that stop leak stuff can plug ports and pathways. Good luck bud. Ide never use that stuff in any of my engines under any circumstance.

 

As I said, I'll get critizism.