front timing cover fun......weee -_-

[shiryu0]

ok, so about 2-3months ago i replaced my idler pulley for the second time since ive owned my LSC....when i got my car i replaced both tensioner and idler (may '05)........and now i think i know why they went out this time around......this past week i started hearing this distant 'tick-tick-tick' very faintly, when i put the car in gear........i was freaking out thinking it was a tranny problem, but started looking around the engine bay for the sound......so narrowed it down to the pass side of the engine, checked my tensioner pulley, it looked ok, then took off my idler pulley.......and the part of the front cover were it rides off of, came off with it.......... ........ yay ....... so i tried to torque it down at 15lbs, that just took off 3 threads off of the cover , so i just got some thread lock on the bolt and got it back in there and hand tightened it, about half the bolt is still holding on the cover, this was friday night, its holding no problem so far.......maybe somebody before me, or me, might have tightened too much



so.....are timing covers the same 93-98?

 

[torquemonkey]

Nasty...I wonder how long mine is going to last as I had over-torqued mine when I first installed my idler pulley, way past the recommended 15ftlbs.

 

[Frat-man-du]

Wow that stinks. I hope it holds!

 

[vr4]

weld it back on and helicoil it.

 

[Redwingvksm]

weld it back on and helicoil it.

Good luck weilding to aluminum in that spot, with out going through that thin cover... :shifty:

 

[shiryu0]

yeah, thought about welding it.........but aint gonna do that .......the aluminum looks so weak to start with :shifty: , anybody change one? doesnt look that hard......i took off many chrysler engines apart when i worked for them and the covers werent that hard to get off, just loosen stuff here and there, crank pulley out, get the cover off, i have the service manual for mine, seems pretty much the same.

 

[vr4]

Good luck weilding to aluminum in that spot, with out going through that thin cover... :shifty:

a good wleder could do it....and its not that thin.


pulling it isnt that bad. valve covers and all the :q:q:q:q infront of the engine.

 

[94m5]

I could TIG that back together with no problem. Any welding shop worth it's pay should be able to do that with no problem also.

 

[Dr. Paul]

I could TIG that back together with no problem. Any welding shop worth it's pay should be able to do that with no problem also.

+1 Have the boss milled/cut out, make a new one out of aluminum round stock, and have it TIG welded back in place. Ford aluminum castings aren't bad at all - you should be able to weld it just fine provided the guy behind the torch knows what he's doing.

Paul.