Doing a headgasket on 98 exp 5.0

[99awd50]

So I purchased this 98 ...5 liter explorer with 91k miles, gold, awd of course and it has a blown something (headgasket). There were mass amounts of water in the oil. The oil looked like cake batter when I drained it. took the heads in to check for cracks and straightness. Ended up getting a valve job done, heads were fine, surfaces cleaned up and the bill was 250 dollars. The only thing that I could see where water went into the oil was possibly the intake to head water port on the front of the intake. the headgaskets themselves looked relatively fine. But get this...one of the water pump/timing cover bolts that bolt to the block where the water goes in and out of the block was completely loose and was thinking maybe thats where a seal failed and water dripped into the oil pan.

Tearing down the motor was straight forward. drained any coolant that was left. removed coil packs, wires and plugs, removed throttle cable, upper intake and all attached. removed lower intake and all the valve train to include the valve covers. removed the stock headers. removed both sides of accessories to include water pump, balancer and timing chain. removing the radiator was a *****. did lots of cleaning of all the nasty oil crud that was present, especially in the valve covers and the lifter valley. i cleaned all surfaces of the block, reinstalled the heads with new arp bolts. installed all the now clean valvetrain, torqued the stock rockers to 21 foot pounds. installed the lower intake and hopefully did not slide the lower too much to cause the RTV bead on the back of the block to not keep oil from escaping. installed all the connections, sprayed the throttle body bore with wd-40 because it looked a lil moldy-ish. of course i did not list alot of the small stuff like the crank sensor removal. The one delima i figured i would have issues with was the water pump bolts. i did have to have my cousin help the bolt out as i wrenched it out. need to retap those holes still then install better bolts. I did break off a intake bolt in the head. it was front front driver side bolt. the machine shop removed that during the valve job.............................................................................................................. The only really things left to do is run a tap in all the upper timing cover/water pump bolt holes, redrian the oil from all the brakes parts cleaner that i sprayed in the lifter valley. Install a new water pump, install all the hoses, all the accessories and brakcets, install the radiator, fill fluids, check all connections and fire her back up. Hopefully this will happen by Saturday morning.
......Of course after the first couple of hot cycles i will drain the oil while still hot and change it so ensure all the nasty water in oil mix has been eliminated. This headgasket job was obviously similar to a Mustang but a lil more of a pain in the ass with it being a explorer and having to get on a step ladder for the rear of the motor access.
......I still cannot deicide if i want to keep this thing when done or sell it and triple my profit. I do daily drive a 2003 Cobra that makes 461/454 at the wheels and has 89k miles. so maybe its time to park the Cobra and drive the explorer. I need to pull the Cobra motor and do a couple of maintenance things to it to include another clutch. anyways.. i will post pictures of the progress in a few days.. thanks.

 

[99awd50]

wanna hear something F'd up about this whole thing.. its all done but i left the oil pan drain plug out for the ULTIMATE last troubleshoot. As soon as I got to the 3rd gallon of water, the water came out of the oil pan like it was cool... TRANSLATION...CRACKED BLOCK. I just ordered a new shortblock from www.50resto.com today for 839 dollars to my door. I am go9nna start the whole tear down this weekdn of the existing motor and get it all ready.. i was kind of pissed it was a cracked block.. but i saved so much money by doing this myself. I still made out overall. The explorer was 1000 dollars and after a shortblock replacement and a valvejob, i basically have a brand new motor that costed me 2500 dollars max. Plus the body and interior is in awesome shape. :exp:

 

[local7teener]

I'm in the middle of the same project. Only my mountaineer had almost 300k and it was time to replace it. It's taken me over a week working evenings on it, but I got a little **** on the project. Lowering the front differential, painting the whole engine bay, retaping the wire harnesses, rebuilding the transmission, lots and lots of paint etc. It's quite a handful. The hardest part was to find places to put all the brackets, intakes, manifolds, etc.

 

[99awd50]

I'm in the middle of the same project. Only my mountaineer had almost 300k and it was time to replace it. It's taken me over a week working evenings on it, but I got a little **** on the project. Lowering the front differential, painting the whole engine bay, retaping the wire harnesses, rebuilding the transmission, lots and lots of paint etc. It's quite a handful. The hardest part was to find places to put all the brackets, intakes, manifolds, etc.

when u pulled motor did u pull motor and left the tranny in?? this is how i am pulling mine this weekend. i really do not want to pull the trans and i am imagining pulling the motor with the trans in place is pretty straight forward. just undo the bellhousing and flexplate to converter bolts and along with the motor mount bolts, then i should be able to lift away. of course all other motor related attachments detached to pull motor. I have a lower intake plate to help in the aid of pulling motor.

 

[reserved50]

you have to bend the sheetmetal crimp on the transmission tunnel with a prybar to access the bellhousing bolts on the drivers side I think?

 

[99awd50]

you have to bend the sheetmetal crimp on the transmission tunnel with a prybar to access the bellhousing bolts on the drivers side I think?

hmmm did not notice.. not that I looked or anything.. that doesn't sound too bad...just as long as i can access it and bend whatever it is u are talking about.. as far as accessibility to the bellhousing bolts.. i should be ok with extensions and universal joints unless that part is easier than my 03 cobra.

50resto called me yesterday to tell me my shortblock was not shipped friday because someone noticed a nick on top of one of the pistons.. so they halted the shipping of it and were gonna pull in another one... i said wait a minute.. i told that dude that called me to go look at it...if it is so damn minor to a point where when i get it i can file it down so there is no dings in it... to send me the damn thing.. i minor nick in the piston is no big deal to me.. now a nick in the cylinder wall would of been more alarming to me.. anyways.. worst case senario is the shortblock shipped out today vice last friday!

 

[local7teener]

Not to hijack, but i'm desperate for some ideas.. http://www.explorerforum.com/forums//showthread.php?t=240003

 

[99awd50]

you have to bend the sheetmetal crimp on the transmission tunnel with a prybar to access the bellhousing bolts on the drivers side I think?

Well, i got the motor pulled out and OMFG!!! talk about a big pain in 2 *****. I was able to get the motor out with the radiator still in.. placed carboard in front of it. I did not want to remove the radiator because its a PITA to get out. front timing cover, water pump and harmonic balancer still attached. In order to get this out i had the front of the motor raised about 20 degrees. The bellhousing bolts were easy as hell... recommendation is to remove the heads FIRST, this makes it much easier to get the bellhousing bolts off. All but 1 bolt was removed from me positioned on top of the shortblock. I took a 2 or 3 foot prybar and ran it accross the front driveshaft and accross the pass side torsion bar, with proper positioning, it rested against the tranny perfect...used as lil tape to keep it in that position, when motor came out, tranny went NOWHERE. I do not know if this lady i bought the explorer from was baking cookies at 350 degrees because when I initially got the original motor back together and poured in the radiator water...water came out the oil drain plug hole.. BUT when pulled the lower intake off, there was obvious water puddles in the damn lifter valley... so now i am wondering if the shortblock is good and possibly the lower intake is warped or cracked. I wil have the intake mating surface of the heads rechecked for piece of mind also. I think i might buy the professional products 5.0 EFI intake to replace existing one.. unless ford can get me a stock replacement lower for under 200 bucks. All in all, I was glad to get the motor out and I am not in the middle of transfering parts and accessories to the new shortblock. This will take me the course of 10 to 15 days because I still need to order gaskets, oil pump(and shaft), lifters, intake replacement blah blah blah. AND THE DAME TRANNY COOLER LINES THAT ARE ATTACHED TO TH BOTTOM SIDE OF THE MOTOR MOUNT LIFT PLATE.. that pissed me the hell off becuse i was trying to figure out why the shortblock had a huge lean in it while i was lifting the motor up. And as far as the converter to flexplate bolts. that was pretty easy... just remove the starter and use the access hole where the starter was to remove the converter bolts.. do not forget the scatter shield bolts, i forgot one and was trippin as to why the motor would not seperate from the trans. all in all.. it was straight forward. (if i spelled anything wrong, owell)

by the way.. since i have a rebuilt set of heads and ordered me a new shortblock from 50resto...when i get this all put together i will have basically a BRAND new motor.. with 180 degree thermostat i will make sure no to have a explosion on this motor unlike what the previous owner did.. i might even go out and get me a electric fan because i hate that damn fan that connects to the water pump.. not my idea of fun...all that harmonics attached ot the snout of a water pump.. thats askin for issues!!!

 

[99awd50]

cell phone pics

I have about 4 cellphone pics to share if someone could PM me their phone # if someone has the capability to put cell phone pics on here.. thanks

 

[CDW6212R]

Do you still need an intake, they don't really go bad? They can be had easily on the Corral forum, under $75 each. Don't buy the Chinese intake, they aren't an improvement over the stock GT40 intake.

For pictures you might do better to start by posting them on a hosting site, and then you place the internet location in your posts.

 

[Turdle]

Don't buy the Chinese intake, they aren't an improvement over the stock GT40 intake.

Oh, Don.
This Professional Products manifold is way way better than stock!!! Don't beleive everything you read. I think it is a rumor started over at Edelbrock--and they should be upset. It is identical to The big "E" performer.





The ports are larger, and straighter. , you can get into the upper to modify it, and it doesn't look too bad. Just clean up a bit of casting flaw and you should be set.

 

[CDW6212R]

Sorry Jon, I couldn't resist bashing the Asian product. I like Edelbrock parts a lot, but copies of patented stuff bothers me.

The GT40 intake is a great match for an Explorer 302 engine.

 

[99awd50]

i hear ya on the intake thing.. i will let you all know.. i might just have someone cut me a straight edge so that i have one on hand.. i am gonna have the intake mating surfaces rechecked for straightness because it looked like the water filled the block and then leaked into the lifter valley when i went to fill the radiator.. now from exactly where and why, that is the question and concern.

 

[CDW6212R]

I understand that concern. I have intake gaskets to install mine with that have the nice bead around each port. I have only used that kind once before, but not on a special engine. I asked my engine builder what he thought of those. He suggested that he still uses a light skim coat of RTV on them also. Use a good 3/8" thick bead on front and back, toss the cork crap. Be sure to retorque the intake bolts several several times, and only to specs, no more than that.

 

[99awd50]

I understand that concern. I have intake gaskets to install mine with that have the nice bead around each port. I have only used that kind once before, but not on a special engine. I asked my engine builder what he thought of those. He suggested that he still uses a light skim coat of RTV on them also. Use a good 3/8" thick bead on front and back, toss the cork crap. Be sure to retorque the intake bolts several several times, and only to specs, no more than that.

yes on the torquing.. when I torqued it down a couple weeks ago I did it to 24ftlbs but i went thru the sequence like 4 times because when you go thru the sequence once some of them are not torqued all the way due to uneven pressure.. i used a stock intake gasket that had a lil RTV on it.. i think i will be going with a felpro 1250 intake gasket this next time around or a thicker style to assure the best seal. and YES i always use the RTV bead on the front and rear of the block.. i laugh when people use the cork.. Hell,, i even have long studs i use to screw into the heads, then place the intake on by lowering it over the studs to ensure proper alignment...pull out the studs and place the bolts on and torque away.

 

[reserved50]

I have seen the original chinese edelbrock intakes and they needed lots of porting to line up the castings. they probably improved by now, been almost 8 years or so

 

[robertoa1a]

Anytime you did as much work to do what you did to replace the head gaskets, I would seriously be thinking about an engine rebuild. How ever much it takes to blow head gasket makes me wonder about the dammage did it did to the short block? I feel ya' on that!

On the radiator, I never understood why, on a ford truck would it would be assembeled that way. I'm trying to design a way to re-install an Ex radiator so it aint like that.

 

[99awd50]

yep

yeah, I am about to tear down the shortblock that is sitting in my garage and start transferring **** over to the new shortblock. just waiting for my oil pump to come in (today) then I can start putting the bottom together (oil pump, shaft, pickup and pan). CHECK THIS OUT. i come home from work on monday and there was atranny fluid everywhere under the explorer. well, i guess i uplodged the trans dipstick and everything at dipstick level and higher is not on the ground.. that sucked! i pushed it back in and heard it snap back into place. I am sure putting the shortblock back in and lining it up to the trans is gonna be fun!!!

 

[robertoa1a]

Yeah but it's funny how when all is said and done, we tend to forget about all the hard work, when all the bugs are worked out and we are cruising again.

 

[local7teener]

I got mine done and running LONG TIME COMING. Working on it for a few hours every day when i got home from work it took me 3 weeks to to the motor and transmission. Having some issues still, but nothing like before. Its a lot to explain, but its worth a look. Don't rush like i did HAha..

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums//showthread.php?t=240003