Just want to sound off...I'm another victim of the timing cover oil leaking on to the alternator and shorting it. Short story - if you see any sign of an oil leak, fix it ASAP. Mine was just a tiny drip but it still did the job. It's unfortunately a real pain to fix. The real expensive part isn't the alternator, or re-sealing the cover, it's the labor involved in getting to it.

My car hasn't even done 20k (19995 to be exact). I still think it's more reliable than the Jags of old, but damn dude I've never had such a catastrophic failure at such low mileage. I might look at a LC500 convertible down the road to trade into if it continues to give me problems.

The real bummer is that I just got the 2-piece Girodiscs on. Still haven't really put it through its paces yet, and now possibly looking at another month sitting in the shop in the worst case...fml.

 

Did you notice any oil leaks under the car before the alternator shorted?

I try to remember to check the floor of the garage every so often for leaks. Your story will remind me to look more often.

Sorry to hear about the expense!

 

Just a damp sheen. I knew the timing cover was having a very small seepage way back from last year when I did the last oil change, but postponed looking into it and eventually forgot about it. It was only after the alternator died that I looked up the issue and realize a lot of people went through the same thing.

 

Do you have any pics? or a link to the issue? I'd love to check mine

 

It's already sitting at the shop, but it's relatively easy to visual check. Just take off the engine cover and look around the timing cover on the side where the alternator sits. Pay particular attention to area surrounding the alternator. There's also a left (right?) side as well to visual check while you're at it.

As for links...just search google for "f-type timing cover leak alternator," you'd be surprised at the results.

I just don't understand who thought it was a brilliant idea to put the alternator down there...typically it's way higher up.

 

Thank you for the location check post. My 2017 was built late 2016, had the flanged coolant pipes, now replaced, but this oil leak may be a possibility.