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Water pump or timing cover leak? (Pics)

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  #1  
Old 05-16-2018
Marino's Avatar
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Water pump or timing cover leak? (Pics)

2004 3.0 V6 Edge with stepside

Can you guess where this leak is coming from?
This is a pic from under the front of the truck facing the serpentine belt and accessories.
Cant tell if it’s the pump or the timing cover gasket.
I had to do this on my 92 ranger, bought the pump, ended up being timing cover gasket so I did both anyway after my guy told me what it really was.

Ive owned this truck for almost a year now and I know it doesn’t leak at a fast rate. I never have to put more coolant in really. Maybe topped it off once a little but it wasn’t even low. Just noticed this today while diagnosing a possibly rear main leak.

any thoughts are appreciated, and yes in the end I’ll pribably just do both pump and gasket but I’m really curious as to what you all think it’s coming from

SECOND PIC:
RED ARROW - is that something unplugged??? If so what is it for? Literally just noticed that after posting and want to know. Don’t have the truck with me tonight. I drove the 92

THANK YOU ALL!

 

Last edited by Marino; 05-16-2018 at 10:36 PM.
  #2  
Old 05-17-2018
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It sure looks like the timing cover to me.
The Crankshaft Position Sensor has a bend in it where the plug goes. It looks normal.
 
  #3  
Old 05-17-2018
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I had a similar issue, couldnt tell if it was oil or coolant. Very simple solution for a positive answer is to buy a vile of coolant system UV dye and add it to your radiator. Only costs about 5 bucks. Clean the area good then drive the truck for a few days. Then put a black light on the area, if you see it glowing like Chernobyl then its the water pump. if not then its the timing cover. Plus it gives you a chance to scan for any invisble leaks in the coolant system you might not have been aware of.
 
  #4  
Old 05-17-2018
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timing cover gasket failure will leak coolant on these 3.0L
 
  #5  
Old 05-17-2018
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Good to know! my 2001 edge 3.0 has a leak from the same spot. Somedays it leaks some it doesnt. leaves at most a half dollar sized puddle after you drive it on the ground.
 
  #6  
Old 05-17-2018
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The leak appears to be the timing cover around the coolant passage for the water pump.
 
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Old 05-18-2018
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Originally Posted by rcr4v3n
The leak appears to be the timing cover around the coolant passage for the water pump.
How hard is this to fix?
 
  #8  
Old 05-23-2018
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Thanks I thought this was the timing cover as well. Should I replace the water pump too? I went to replace the water pump on my 92, ended up being the cover, I replaced both. I replaced it with a cheap 30 dollar replacement but still works to this day (over a year later). Should I do the same here to my 2004?
 
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