Head Gasket

[Craigerz]

Well my family has a 92 F-150 that’s been passed down and passed around since it was new. 302 with the E4OD 2WD. 330k miles now. My mom was driving it a month ago and the radiator cracked and it blew a head gasket. I know this because I just pulled them off.

First head job I’ve done. Any advise? I haven’t bought anything I wasnt sure if it was a cracked head or not. Lubes? Sealers? What if the stuff on the block? It looks like a sealer but maybe that’s just the material off the gasket? Any sealer go on the head gasket?

Only thing besides the gaskets I know of doing is replacing the head bolts. Yes is this going to be a head gasket only job and back together.

I know this isn’t an Explorer but 302 none the less figured most of it would be the same.

 

[Craigerz]

What about the cylinder walls leaving them open like that? It’s going to be 2 weeks or so before I can get them back on. It has a closed hood. Spray them with PB?

 

[imp]

Well my family has a 92 F-150 that’s been passed down and passed around since it was new. 302 with the E4OD 2WD. 330k miles now. My mom was driving it a month ago and the radiator cracked and it blew a head gasket. I know this because I just pulled them off.

First head job I’ve done. Any advise? I haven’t bought anything I wasnt sure if it was a cracked head or not. Lubes? Sealers? What if the stuff on the block? It looks like a sealer but maybe that’s just the material off the gasket? Any sealer go on the head gasket?

Only thing besides the gaskets I know of doing is replacing the head bolts. Yes is this going to be a head gasket only job and back together.

I know this isn’t an Explorer but 302 none the less figured most of it would be the same.

Check cylinder walls closely with a bright light, looking for any evidence of cracks. Are you having the heads reconditioned? Normally, a simple overheat from coolant loss will not so greatly an engine's top end. How long was it driven after the radiator gave out? Was that the first evident sign of trouble?

If heads are being retained, remove all valves and check areas between valve seats for cracking. If usable, valve and seat grinding is recommended if very high miles are present, seat widths appear excessively wide on the valves, and it is expected that the vehicle will be kept and used as long as possible.

All sealing surfaces, block and heads must be clean and flat. Flatness is usually checked using a precision straight-edge and feeler gauges, though an automotive machine shop might use an indicator gauge with the head mounted on a milling machine table.

A lot of the decision-making here depends on: fix, get running, sell; or, fix well, get running, keep. Don't worry about the cylinder's condition while exposed, so long as water does not enter them. Spray them with any good spray lubricant; that will help provide good compression upon starting for the first time after buttoning it up. I like to squirt about a teaspoon of very light oil in each cylinder.

As an aside: we recently started up a brand-new 5.0L HO bought from Ford Motorsports in 1997, which had stood all those years untouched, with the exception that I squirted oil in each cylinder back then, replaced the plugs, and waited 20 years before needing the engine. Most "experts" recommended the engine would be scrap, cylinders rusted, etc. I reasoned if i can turn the the crank with a wrench It's OK. It started up nicely, never gave even a wisp of smoke! imp