Questions and Answers
Famous Ford Head Gaskets
Q. Dear Sir, I am a single woman and know nothing about car repair. I desperately need your help! I have Ford Taurus 1995, 3.8 liter, automatic transmission, 65,000 miles, fuel injection, ABS brakes, A/C, power steering.
The car began to smell "burnt" and temperature run very high. A friend said the coolant may have leaked. So I brought it to a Ford dealership. They fixed the head gasket free under some extended warranty for the head gasket. However, the dealer wants another US $1,500.00 to fix timing cover leak, oil pump, rod bearing, oil pan and gasket.
I simply cannot afford the repair and want to know if the blown head gasket caused the timing cover problem. Should I pay for the additional repair or should Ford pay for it? If I have to pay, how long can I delay the repair? What is going to happen if I do not fix the timing cover thing? Thanks so much for your help. I really appreciate it!
Best regards,
SandyA. The work that the Ford Dealer says you need is some hefty engine work. Judging from the list you provided I would recommend not driving the car until it is repaired. An alternative to the dealer is, of course, an independent repair shop. They can do the work for less money than the dealer. Besides, getting a second opinion will be a good idea.
It is possible the bad head gasket could have caused the problems in the bottom end if coolant got mixed with the oil. However this may be difficult to prove at this point since they replaced the head gaskets and replaced the engine oil.
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