weasel318
Member
- Joined
- March 22, 2018
- Messages
- 47
- Reaction score
- 4
- City, State
- Temple City
- Year, Model & Trim Level
- Explorer Sport 1999
Hey guys. So my explorer had a Lean condition for both banks. I changed out the upper intake gasket and with my data logger it was still running lean. So I drove it and then it started smoking badly a few months back after I pulled into my driveway.
So I finally have time to deal with it and here is what happens.
Compression test showed that all cylinders were good at around 150psi. The scanner said Cylinder 6 was misfiring so i focused on that cylinder. It had 150 psi. However coolant was getting into the cylinder since the compression tester filled with coolant after a few cranks. So definitely a blown headgasket or cracked head.
So when I crank the motor with the spark plug or compression tester installed in Cylinder 6, the coolant will gush out of the radiator. Without anything installed in Cylinder 6 spark plug hole no coolant would gush out, but coolant will spray out a bit from the spark plug hole.
So after the tear down, it looks like it was just the gasket that was bad. The Cylinder 6 gasket ring was compromised. With a visual inspection both cylinder heads look alright without any cracks in the usual places like between the valves.
I dont plan on selling it since I did a 4x4 swap on it and other work already. My question to you guys is should I still throw any money in magnafluxing the heads and checking if they are any good or just skip that and go straight to buying new casting heads from Kings or Clearwater? Thank you!
Forgot to list my vehicle. It is a 2000 Explorer Sport Manual 4.0 OHV. Was a 2WD now its 4WD. It currently has 151k
A little more info. The headgasket has been changed before by a semi shady shop. It was originally my godmothers car and she said it overheated once and she got the headgasket changed. They used felpro for everything. Im not sure if these are the original heads or if they are aftermarket new casting. if someone knows what numbers to look for on the heads please let me know that would be a big help. I tried the search but all it comes up with is for the 95 and 97tm heads. I had the 98tm heads for sure since its a heart shape and the ports are circular.
So I finally have time to deal with it and here is what happens.
Compression test showed that all cylinders were good at around 150psi. The scanner said Cylinder 6 was misfiring so i focused on that cylinder. It had 150 psi. However coolant was getting into the cylinder since the compression tester filled with coolant after a few cranks. So definitely a blown headgasket or cracked head.
So when I crank the motor with the spark plug or compression tester installed in Cylinder 6, the coolant will gush out of the radiator. Without anything installed in Cylinder 6 spark plug hole no coolant would gush out, but coolant will spray out a bit from the spark plug hole.
So after the tear down, it looks like it was just the gasket that was bad. The Cylinder 6 gasket ring was compromised. With a visual inspection both cylinder heads look alright without any cracks in the usual places like between the valves.
I dont plan on selling it since I did a 4x4 swap on it and other work already. My question to you guys is should I still throw any money in magnafluxing the heads and checking if they are any good or just skip that and go straight to buying new casting heads from Kings or Clearwater? Thank you!
Forgot to list my vehicle. It is a 2000 Explorer Sport Manual 4.0 OHV. Was a 2WD now its 4WD. It currently has 151k
A little more info. The headgasket has been changed before by a semi shady shop. It was originally my godmothers car and she said it overheated once and she got the headgasket changed. They used felpro for everything. Im not sure if these are the original heads or if they are aftermarket new casting. if someone knows what numbers to look for on the heads please let me know that would be a big help. I tried the search but all it comes up with is for the 95 and 97tm heads. I had the 98tm heads for sure since its a heart shape and the ports are circular.