Thank you for your reply . Isn't there a " drain plug " on the oil pan ? The head-mechanic/owner ( 25-30 years of experience ) initially refused to acknowledge ( that something went wrong in the process ~ Aug 2020 ) other than advised me to look for " oil leaks " after he finished the oil pan gasket replacement and AC service ( found a hole and local Ford dealership confirmed AC lines leaking in March 2021 ) . I responded " WHERE " and he said " here ... there ... anywhere " . At the time, it didn't cross my mind he could make that big of a mistake . 2 days later, I found a puddle of oil leak behind the passenger tire so I called him . He said " bring your car next week " . I took my car there the following week . He was quite busy that day, came out to my parked car and went under both headlights with flashlight " drain plug .... drain plug " . He didn't have time and told me to come back next Tuesday. So I went back, he said it's the valve cover gasket so I paid him to replaced it . That did not fix the oil leak, then he said it's the crankshaft seal that is leaking oil. So we replaced that too. The oil leak problem remained, SAME spot(s)/location behind the the passenger headlight below ( close proximity to ) drive belt/tensioner etc.
I think you might be RIGHT . I went back to that shop yesterday/Feb 7 and talked to head-mechanic/owner about what went WRONG on the day he replaced the oil pan gasket & serviced my AC . He admitted to " misdiagnosed " the source of the oil leak on the ground ( that's why back then/2020 he suggested valve cover gasket & crankshaft seal replacements but those 2 repairs didn't stop the oil leak ). He NOW thinks " timing belt cover " is actually the CULPRIT and he couldn't tell me the location 😒 of the timing cover because he's not similar with 2001 Ford Taurus. Just this morning @ 9:30 am, I popped open the hood to see/inspect WHERE the white smoke coming from . It's from behind & below the alternator, exact area of the oil leak on the ground . I also asked him about smoke coming under the hood on occasions ( not everyday or every time I drive ) and he answered " it's oil leak onto exhaust causes that " and he ensured
me that the car would/will not catch fire .
Here is something that you can try. I had a Taurus that left puddles on my garage floor. After doing quite a bit of work with both pan gaskets, that was as much work that I was willing to do. Replacing the timing cover gaskets on the DOHC engine requires engine removal & I wasn't capable of doing that. After those new gaskets, I still had puddles, a bit smaller than previously. Although I don't usually use or recommend additives, it was a case of try it, what do I have to lose. So here is what I used:
Then, get an inexpensive metal drip pan from Wallyworld (auto section near the oil) you can drive the car over when parked and keep the oil topped off. Like they about the Duratec engine, "If there ain't no oil under it, there ain't no oil in it", lol.
I don't recall seeing any oil leaks or puddle of motor oil on the ground until 2 days after that shop owner replaced the oil pan gasket ( then he advised me to look for oil leaks " here ... there ... anywhere ". Lucas is a top brand, will consider it after timing cover repair.
The shop's head-mechanic/owner ( 2/7 Monday ) also fessed up the oil leaking from ABOVE the oil pan. Instead of acknowledged what he saw and went wrong, he " manufactured " 2 phony repairs ( valve cover gasket/$636 was leaking & then it was crankshaft seal/$165 ) to cover up the botched repair work that created/started the oil leak on the ground and now smoke from under the hood. He even directed me to " muffler " shop to take a look at exhaust issue last year . A despicable shrew .
That day ( 2/7/2022 ), I brought up my receipts aren't actual invoices ( every copy is either " estimate " or " draft " ~ NOT invoice# ) and how did he report those " repair earnings " to IRS and he got a glimpse of print out of Bureau of Automotive Repair complaint form along with receipt copies in my hand. I think that frightened him a bit and also I drove only 9,000 miles ( since Aug 2020 ) which still covered by warranty. There's no oil leaking from valve cover gasket, but the crankshaft seal is a botched repair ( it's popping out of place and leaking oil ).
$650-$700
Seems pretty reasonable for the TC replacement. Oil pan seems high but together the cost is reasonable.
2 other shops quoted me for $1,700 TC gasket/oil pan gasket/water pump replacements & $2,760 for re-seal TC/water pump/1 oxygen sensor
