Need help on replacing 4.0 sohc Head Gasket

[albeegood]

Hello everyone, i just brought a 98 explorer sport with a 4.0 sohc but it turns out the reason why i got it so cheap is because it has blown head gaskets. Im thinking on replacing the gaskets myself and would greatly appreciate any tips on what special tool i need and in greate need of any videos showing the proccess . I do wonder if it could be the lower intake gasket that can be the cause for the leakage of coolant. I must admit i have always been a Chevy Guy and hardly got any smarts on fords. But its something about those little ford rangers i like. Maybe if this head job comes out right i can someday transfer the engine and trans on a nice ranger body. It runs very nice and strong and yet not overheating, want to fix it before it gets worst. ALL TIPS WELCOME' THX.

 

[2000StreetRod]

SOHC or OHV V6?

Are you sure that your engine is the SOHC V6 and not the OHV V6? There is no engine coolant in the SOHC V6 upper or lower intake manifolds. However, there is coolant in the OHV V6 intake manifold. Check your VIN. If the 8th digit is an "E" then you have the SOHC. If the 8th digit is an "X" you have the OHV.
The SOHC V6 has a "plastic" thermostat housing that is prone to crack and leak. Also, the engine temperature sensors in the thermostat housing thread into metal inserts in the plastic that frequently leak. The coolant runs aft in the valley between the heads and then down the rear of the block.
Replacing the head gaskets on the SOHC V6 requires retiming the camshafts that normally requires the use of the OTC-6488 timing tool kit. A used kit can often be purchased on eBay for around $150. I doubt that you can find one to rent at your local auto parts stores but you might try first.

Correctly timing the camshafts is rather involved and the engine can be damaged if the process is not followed exactly. It normally takes two people to remove and install a head. One person to guide the chains while the other person handles the head. I suggest making certain the head gaskets are blown before attempting head gasket replacement. Have you performed a compression test?

 

[albeegood]

First of all thx for your reply and sorry for the late respond, my wifi is acting up among everything else. No, i have not done a compression test yet, im thinking on buying the block test / blown head gasket test that test the coolant for blown head gaskets. But anyway today i noticed something that steered me away from thinking its something else other than my heads. Today I noticed it leaks somewhere in the front near the thermostat housing AND ONLY WHEN THE THERMOSTAT KICKS IN, only when the hose gets hot its when it leaks. Not to mention the exhaust leal stops when the engine warms up, it is not mixing oil/coolant and it does not overheat, not even when i took off thermostat and let it run for up to two hours did not even got close to hot when giving it a Bluedevil treatment which did not work. My question to you is if it were the head gasket it shoul still always lek out the exhaust right? and not stop when it warms up. Also keep in mind its not mixing oil or smoking