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Clanking sound coming from engine near passenger side. Possibly water pump related?

ContourStrike said:
...The oil was extremely dirty. The oil had this grayness to it... very very dirty. To me it looked as if it was a watery lead-type mixture.

What the hell could it possibly be? I don't know what to do.
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Maybe headgasket leak.
 
zorrex said:
I agree. Did you smell the oil at all? Did it smell of coolant? I know sometimes it's difficult, but I always try and be involved with what the mechanic is doing so as I believe what he is telling me...
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Actually yes. The oil burning smell is quite prevalent in fact. The car has always had that smell to it though, but lately it has been a bit worse. Me having to replace the coolant makes sense too.... gasket eh?
 
ContourStrike said:
Actually yes. The oil burning smell is quite prevalent in fact. The car has always had that smell to it though, but lately it has been a bit worse. Me having to replace the coolant makes sense too.... gasket eh?
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Went to the mechanic and he thinks its the timing chain. If it were the gasket...why would that kind of noise be produced? :cry:

Edit:

Best case scenario: timing chain is replaced.
Worst case: Needs a new engine... in which case I may just get a new car. =(
 
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zorrex said:
So what was the diagnosis with the sound :confused:
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Timing chain.

Nothing on the car was touched and I picked it up today at the mechanic. The acceleration was way off. It faltered a bit before actually moving. After first gear, it was "fine". It was painful driving it away.

Before I part with this thing, is there anything I can do? $2000 is a ton of money, and if it's something else, then I sure won't be spending $5000 on a new engine.
:( :(:(:(:(:(

Otherwise, I'm going to get rid of it on the cheap.


Edit: Woah woah woah... http://consumerguideauto.howstuffworks.com/1995-to-2000-ford-contour-2.htm

Check out the cost of the timing chain replacement. The mechanic said he was going to replace anything else in there, but how the hell would it go from less than $200 to ten times the amount? :shrug:
 
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I replaced headgaskets and gaskets,all the tensioners, tensioner arms and assorted sensors on my V-6 in June. Parts with a discount were close to $1600. I also install a new cluch set $200. I did the work myself, it is a big job. If it is $2000 with his labor that seems reasonable.

With metal specs in your oil I would be worried about the engine bearings also.
 
I had the same noises that correlated with the RPM movement. Turned out to be the alternator, bad bearings I think is what they said. It was internal on the alternator so the whole thing was replaced.
 
ContourStrike said:
(I took way too long to post the previous response.)

I'll definitely look at the battery today and alternator tomorrow if need be but... The sound is still a mystery. Sorry to sound like a noob (and my haynes manual is lost somewhere in time), but I've never dealt with the alternator before. It IS on the passenger side is it not?
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yes, you can KINDA see it on the duratec if you look down the accessory drive belt at the back of the engine bay.

Replacing a duratec alternator isnt THAT bad, its bad but with the right tools, can be done in a couple of hours by an amateur.
 
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