Noticed some coolant under my truck in the driveway. I see some dark stains coming from what I think is the water pump. Can someone confirm before I buy a new one off rockauto?

 

Looks more like the timing cover then the water pump.

 

damn I think you're right. I'm doing more research and this looks like a notorious spot for 3.0 timing chain cover leaks.

Time for the big job!

 

The clutch fan housing unthreads what is arrowed in the screen shot from the water pump itself, and it's left hand thread.
That's usually the bear of the job other then the big nut on the end of the crank.
Remember to put some RTV on the crank pulley woodruff key, when assembling.

 

How concerned should I be about where the oil pan gasket meets the timing cover? My idea is just be super careful not to rip it and then gob it up with RTV to ensure the seal.

My oil pan seeps a little oil, no drips, but I'm really not in the mood to replace it on my beater truck I got for $1500. Plus I've never lifted an engine before.

 

Just be carful not to tear it, that's all.
You can use RTV, works well enough to seal it.
Clean off the previous sealant (if any) the best you can.

You can also use something like Loctite 515 or 518 anaerobic sealer, which would be better, but it's kind of expensive.
I find the problem with RTV is that oil eventually seeps underneath it and it allows a given gasket like an oil pan gasket to ooze out between the block and pan.

 

I've been slowly but surely working at getting it tore down and last night I finally got the cover off. Pro tip: There are 2 hidden bolts holding the power steering bracket on behind the AC compressor. One holds the fuel like bracket and the other a wiring harness. Damn Ford and their nuts on studs on nuts mental design.

Good news: No oil pan gasket rip! The oil pan gasket was sealed to the timing cover pretty tight...I worked it with a screw driver and prayed to God as I broke the seal.

The oil pan gasket is really floppy on the pan. Would it be a good idea to tack it up with a small layer of gray permatex? Or is it supposed to be a loose fit with the tabs keeping it in position?

 

The water pump and timing cover gaskets are absolutely caked on. I had to use a very sharp wood chisel and carefully scrape all the residue away with brake cleaner as an agent.

I scratched the surfaces a little, so I'm hoping my gasket sealer along with the gasket seals any scratches.

Really starting to not like these 3.0 engines...

 

The Vulcan 3 is a very reliable engine, and despite the few flaws it has, it's done quite well considering yours has gone this long with the timing cover leaking.
I'm betting that the timing cover has never been touched since the truck was new some 20 years ago.

Smear a thin even film of ATV on the aluminum side of the cover just enough to fill the scratches.
Be careful not to use so much that it blocks the groove where coolant can escape when it may leak again 20 years later.

 

I've got some high tack permatex sealer I was gonna use on the gasket and engine side too. The scratches look terrible when you shine light on them but I believe they're pretty superficial as my finger nail can barely feel them when I run it over them.

If this was a head gasket I'd be concerned...but I think this should work.

 

Plastic razor blades and patience are better, especially when comes to aluminum.

 

The job is done. No leaks to be seen after a long drive! Thanks for all the help and advice, Jeff. I had never done a job this big before.

 

Glad it went well !
It is a big job for the first time, lots of different bolts in all lengths and sizes to put back, some take lots of photos.
Getting the clutch fan of the end of the water pump is the real PITA.

If it starts to leak a bit of oil out around the big nut that holds the crank pulley on, that can be fixed by removing the pulley and putting some ATV on the woodroof key.

 

I put a small bead of ultra gray in the key way.

I rented the tool for the clutch fan and couldn't figure out how to use it...so I came up with a method that made it super easy.

I just took the biggest pipe wrench I had in my garage and hammered on the thing!! came off real easy after a few tries.

 

I'm involved with removal of the water pump on a 1998 3.0 engine. I used a 10'' pipe wrench applied to hold the pulley while using an open end wrench on the shaft. It relented fairly easily.