Warning if you have a Ford 3.5 Duratec engines.

[NIKAL]

Make sure YOU keep a copy of that 2 yr extended warranty paperwork safe and in a handy place where you know where it is. He says he does not keep records and requires you to bring in your copy for proof of the warranty. I some how lost my copy (not sure how I think we have every receipt ever brought into this house in the last 19yrs in a file cabinet) so I was SOL as far as the warranty extension. I will say that he was nice enough to look at the issue on my WJ and attempt to diagnose it for no charge. 

Yes good idea. Not sure how long ago you dealt with Richard at Action. But now he has a warranty form that you sign, and he says his wife files. But it’s important to always keep a copy, which I have with my receipts. Because like you said if he can’t find it you could be SOL! Plus I got a print out from Ford showing they have the short block in my records attached to my vin. 
 

This was my first time doing business with Richard & Action. But I was happy with the results, and when we said the AC was not blowing as cold as previous, he made no excuses, he evacuated and re-charged the system a second time. 
 

 

[D-n-Tyke]

Yes good idea. Not sure how long ago you dealt with Richard at Action. But now he has a warranty form that you sign, and he says his wife files. But it’s important to always keep a copy, which I have with my receipts. Because like you said if he can’t find it you could be SOL! Plus I got a print out from Ford showing they have the short block in my records attached to my vin. 
 

This was my first time doing business with Richard & Action. But I was happy with the results, and when we said the AC was not blowing as cold as previous, he made no excuses, he evacuated and re-charged the system a second time. 
 

He rebuild my motor about 3-1/2 4 years ago. Yep, same procedure. Separate form sent/given to his wife.

 

[DeepBusch69]

saw this, made me think of this thread

 

[FordFlexMamma]

Ford’s V6 3.5 Duratec engines which were put in many Ford models. Edge, Explorer, Flex, Fusion sport, Taurus, F150, some Lincoln & Mazda SUV’s have a huge design flaw!

The water Pump!! 

I just learned last week that Ford designed this engine to have an internal water pump. What that means is the water pump is behind the timing gears and is driven off the timing gear. 

The issue is that when the pump leaks or fails the water goes directly into the oil pan! Great design Ford!!  When this happens it destroys the engine. 

There was a lawsuit that Ford got thrown out as they claim the water pump is a maintenance part that should be replace between 100K and 150k miles. Cost is around $1500 to change as the engine needs to be dropped. 

My wife has a 2012 Ford Edge that just turned 100k miles. Cars always garaged, not a scratch, and was always serviced by the Lincoln dealer, as I had a relationship with them. So it’s in great condition!  I was planning on scheduling for its 100K service when she was driving it on the freeway and the dash lit up. She barely got off the freeway before it stalled. When I got to the car, I checked it and it started and seemed fine, minus the check engine light. So I drove it a few blocks to get the code read. It showed a crank sensor failed. I had it towed to the shop to find out the water pump was leaking water in the engine and it’s basically destroyed. 
 

So now I’m putting a brand new Ford short block in it, reusing the heads from the original engine. They will get fully rebuilt but it’s cheaper then a long block. When all said & done I’m in it for $5500. Totally sucks, but the car is in great shape and is worth more then doubled the cost to repair. New cars are hard to get and over priced right now. So for now we will fix and drive it. But ouch! $5500!!! BTW I’m not using the dealer as the price would be another $2 grand + more. I’m using a engine shop recommended to me by another repair shop I trust. 
 

If you have a Ford with a Duratec V6 you might want to check this, as without warning you could have your water pump leak right into the oil pan destroying your engine. It happens in minutes without even knowing or getting a warning. 

My 2015 Ford Flex only has 75,500 miles on it. I took it to one Ford dealership to tell them I need the water pump replaced. Even though I had told them what the problem was, they insisted that I still had to pay a $225.00 diagnostic fee. I decided I was not going to do that, so took it to the Quick Lube, which is a Ford sponsored repair shop. They inspected it for free but told me that it was in fact the water pump but they were not equipped to handle such a repair and recommended that I do take it to a Ford dealership for repair. So I did and was quoted at $3,025.00 for just the water pump replacement. Thankfully I caught it in time and there was no noticeable damage to the engine. However, they did also find that the oil pressure switch was cracked as well. After much research on this issue and the disappointment with Ford and the judge that threw out the lawsuit on this matter, I discovered that this particular vehicle requires strict maintenance to be adhered. Coolant flush and change no more than every 30,000 miles or 2 years and oil changes religiously at every 3,000 or three months (depending on how you drive). In the past I could skirt these dedicated maintenance schedules because we could repair things ourselves if needed. However, with the water pump being located inside the motor casing and attached to the timing chain, I did not want to risk additional damage or not putting it back together properly. I do wish that this information regarding the water pump would have been available at purchase, and it is a lesson learned for any new vehicle purchase. I feel for anyone that had to pay much more than I did or had broken down on the road, but I am grateful that I caught it in time. I hope others can take our experiences and learn from them.