3.8L timing cover

July 27, 2008, 06:37:03 PM

Will the timing cover on the 3.8L V6 come off with out removing the oil pan? This is in a 86 T-Bird. The Chiltons manual says you have to remove the oil pan but I thought some years ago I pulled one off without pulling the pan. Maybe I'm mistaken but any insight would be appreciated.Thanks.

3.8L timing cover

Reply #1 – July 27, 2008, 10:41:09 PM

Yes, it most certainly will.

Easy enough to do the job in car. I didn't even pull the radiator, but did have to drain the coolant.

Yank the balancer, WP, move the PS/AC bracket outta the way, take off the diagonal braces for the Alt. bracket and move it, bingo, timing cover is exposed.

I had a long-block put in mine about 4 years ago. Dealer did a half-a$$ job of installing the gaskets. They started to say something about maybe my old cover was warped/cracked when I showed back up with it dumping coolant on the ground. Umm, YOU put a "NEW" TC on it because the OP failed, remember? Or did you? "Well, it must be the hoses." Whatever the case, I would call that a defect in labor. Took lots of photos when I went after the leaks. 3 of the WP bolts/studs were loose, and two of those were the studs that go all the way through the TC too.

Dunno if you've done a TC gasket set before, but take your time, wash everything with alcohol, especially the lip of the OP. I used degreaser first, the followed that up with alcohol to make sure it was absolutely dry, and the RTV would bond to it.

One other thing I've learned, is that TC has many evolutions. The '84 version, had no recess for the cam thrust button. The TC installed by the dealer is clearly an 84 (embossed in the casting) as well as has a hole for a mechanical fuel pump. The dealer cut a piece of can to put over it, which is the ONLY engine oil leak I have now. I need to cut a piece of 1/4" plate to replace it and put a proper gasket on it.

The 86 cover DOES have the recess for the thrust button. Make absolutely sure when you fit the cover back on, that the thrust button is in that recess. Otherwise, it will walk out and the button and spring will fall down in the timing chain. This even will be marked by very loud and probably terminal noises from your engine.

I've also done this job on a '90 MN12 V6. That one has a cast oil pan, not steel. I found the '86 a little easier to do the job on.

I highly recommend some sort of gasket adhesive when you put the gaskets on. My favorite is PermaTex HyTak, the purple stuff. Stays soft/pliable after it cures, yet not leave any beads that can get caught in an oil galley. I don't like RTV on engines at all. I learned some things the hard way about RTV with my VW. I prefer a gasket that fits with HyTak on it, or just HyTak on the surfaces if it's metal to metal. That stuff is STICKY!!. It'll help keep the gaskets from wandering while you're mating the parts back up.

I did use RTV between the cover and the pan, though, because HyTak can't be stacked up that thick. Just take your time, and use a razor to trim the sealer at the edge of the block where the pan meets it, and make sure to put a good bead of RTV there. Won't hurt to let it sit for 30 minutes or so to form a cured skin over it. Then, when you squeeze it with the parts, it'll make a really nice seal.

I started the cover job on a Friday night, and drove the car on Saturday evening. The trickiest part to the whole job is the oil pump drive shaft. There should be a clip on it to keep it in place when you pull the dizzy, but don't count on it. There wasn't one on mine, whether left off by the mechanic that did the cover job for me the first time (which led up to the long block) or whether the dealer left it off. It CAN, and WILL fall out if the clip isn't there. If you're lucky, like I was, mine came flying out behind the dizzy when the dizzy let go and I landed on my keester. No biggie, though, because I was taking it apart anyway. Use some white lithium grease to hold the shaft in the bottom of the dizzy when you're stabbing it back in.

When you fill the coolant back up, make sure you leave one heater hose disconnected, and turned up slightly higher than the top of the radiator. That will properly 'burp' the system. The last thing you need is a bunch of air trapped in the system. It will eventually burp itself by dissolving the air into the coolant, and then bleeding it through the cap, but it takes forever, and you'll be topping off every other day for a while.

Good luck with it, but it really isn't that bad a job.

3.8L timing cover

Reply #2 – July 28, 2008, 05:51:29 PM

Thanks Old Paint. I was pretty sure that I pulled a 3.8 timing cover some years ago without pulling the pan. I remember not being able to get the cover off and then found that allen bolt under the oil filter mount. So when I read in the chilton manual that the pan had to come off I started doubting my memory. I thought this forum would be the place to ask. I have an 86 T-Bird that i've put well over 100K miles on. It now has 216K miles and have not been in the motor except for resealing the intake and valve covers. It is time to reseal the timing cover. It is seeping coolant. I should probably take a good look at the timing chain and the cam thrust button too. Thanks again.