'94 F250 460 coolant leak

[jjohnsonElknewbie]

Hey guys, i have a '94 F250 XLT with a 460 5-speed. It has around 150k miles, runs great, and doesn't burn or leak any oil. However, I've got a coolant leak on the front of the motor and have heard a few different recommendations. The gist of it is, at a minimum, i'm looking at a new water pump. But these things are known for timing chain cover leaks as well, so a lot of guys say do the water pump, replace the timing chain, and timing chain cover gasket while you have the front of the motor taken apart.

I appreciate any suggestions you fellas may have on the best way to approach this one.

 

[Weldor]

Sounds like sound advice to me. Try to cover everything while your in there. I miss my old 460 sometimes.LOL

 

[snowymtnwolf]

Yes. Generally good preventative maintenance is to do timing/water pump at same time (yes more money - but less headaches down the road) and besides, you should be able to get another 100,xxx out of the old girl then

Good luck.

Go Ford Trucks !!!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[CorbLand]

Generally the hardest/most expensive part of those projects is the time so replacing everything at once saves from having to do it again.

When I did the belt on my Tundra, it was like 200 bucks more to replace everything in there.

 

[Westernduck]

Are you doing the labor yourself or paying someone? If having a shop do it, I’d have them do both since almost all of the labor is just getting access. If doing it myself I would probably buy the parts but might not replace the timing chain depending on how mad I get during the job haha

 

[jjohnsonElknewbie]

My local mechanic is out for a couple months with some health issues, so I'm likely going to take this one on myself as a winter project. I have another pickup, so its not a hardship for "Floyd" to be down for a bit. Thanks for confirming the approach fellas.

 

[thinhorn_AK]

My ford was leaking coolant, it was the water pump. get it done before it gets really cold.

 

[Holeintheheadgang]

Pressure test the cooling system and verify the leak location, Have an inspection mirror handy.
There should be a weephole on the bottom of the water pump where it will leak when the bearing starts to fail. There may be play in the fan blade, but can be hard to feel with the fan clutch on it.
If it's the timing cover obviously do both if not just do the water pump.
I believe there is one long bolt that goes through the water pump and timing cover that threads into the block. They are prone to twisting off, be gentle.
If you do the timing cover be prepared to to do the timing chain and gears at that time.

 

[KClark]

All good advice above. I just did this one year ago on my '96 7.5L and there's a few things to watch for. Pay extra attention to the crank seal alignment when reassembling, read up on the best way. Keep track of where each bolt in the water pump came from, there's like 7 different lengths and some thread into the water journal so they need rtv to seal them.

While I was there I deleted the oil cooler because they are prone to rot out and require all that work again. Since you are already there it's worth putting on the crank balancer with a trigger on it from a '96 or '97 so you can then easily convert to mass air, a much better system.

 

[jjohnsonElknewbie]

Took the truck on a quick ride this morning, and when we stopped it was smoking under the hood. It alwasy smells like somethings burning, but the cold weather gave me a chance to identify the source. Turns out the leak is coming from the front of the intake manifold, right under the thermostat. So... The million dollar question is, due to the age of the truck, do I still go ahead and do the water pump gasket, etc..., while its all taken apart. I'm assuming the answer is yes, even if the leak isn't coming from those areas as its probably an eventuality.

 

[xsn10s]

At 150k miles it's best to do the water pump and timing chain. If possible I'd consider the headgasket too because those are prone to lead on 460's. At the min I'd do the water pump and timing chain. My 460 developed a head gasket leak at around the 150k mark. So I did the water pump/ timing chain at that time. Plus I had the radiator done. I wish I still had that rig.

 

[TaperPin]

I also have a ford with the tiny little gas sipping 460. Oil leaks are hard on hoses so it’s good to fix those.

If it needs it or not I’d replace that short 90 degree hose that’s heater hose size. In the middle of a trip across Idaho that hose gave out and it’s not easily replaced with normal heater hose - the nipple cracked trying to force it.

I never knew how to test them for functionality before they went out, but my truck has gone through a couple of fan clutches - usually in the middle of nowhere going up a steep grade is where it became apparent.

New replacement parts are a crap shoot for old fords - Napa has gone down hill quickly and many auto parts are refurbished by the same companies so I don’t think there is a clear winner as far as reliability.