Headgasket...sweet...

[91NaviJoe]

Well I don't know if anyone remembers me but a month or so ago I posted a few times. I posted a list of problems and what not and you guys were very helpful. Earlier today I was PMed my pokodan about his 4x4 switch and it got me thinkin about my truck again so I went to go work on it for a little while. The engine bay had a tons of crap in there so I went and degreased it. Then I was looking at it again when I got home. The driver side headgasket is leaking :roll:. So I'm going to be replacing head gaskets for the next week or so wish me luck . I'm just going to do both while I'm in there to avoid mismatched compression and any other problems.

 

[JPR600]

have the heads checked for cracks while they are off.

 

[91NaviJoe]

I'll add that to the list thank you

I plan on getting a whole gasket rebuilt kit. The ones that come with everything from the head gaskets up. I also plan on getting a new water pump. An electric fan and a few other things that are a PITA. This is probably a stupid question, but will I need to set the timing again?

 

[marragtop]

Make sure the kit includes new head bolts. Ford uses stretch bolts, so you shouldn't reuse the old ones.

 

[91NaviJoe]

Damn I was afraid of that. Hopefully this baby will run like new and I can get back to wheelin. We've had some wonderful Washington weather the past 2 days and I haven't been able to get anymore work done. I need a garage =(

 

[MDewell]

Keep us informed! I'm interested to know how hard it is on these 4.0's..

 

[91NaviJoe]

I finally got a nice day!!! It was perfect for wheelin!!!!!!!!! The exhaust mani's are givin me hell. I PBed them to death so I'm gonna hit them again tomorrow afternoon. I'll take some pics and write up a little how to if everything goes smoothly.

 

[Alanslinky]

Good luck dude. I just spent the past year replacing the same head gasket on my 94 (I always found better things to do on my day off). I had the same problem with the manifold bolts, and ended up breaking a few in the process. I actually just got my truck running again recently, though not quite well. I seem to have ended up with a lot of extra vacuum hoses, so I'm in the process of putting that puzzle back together and remembering where they all go.

 

[Rogue1987]

I'm going to be doing this in the next week or so, so any advice from your experience would be appreciated.

 

[91NaviJoe]

Stuffs comes off easier than it goes on! This whole project I've been keeping bolts in a zip-lock and labeled! Also, hit the exhaust manifold bolts with some PB Breaker from day one. It will help a lot and will save you a headache. When you do the vacuum lines you can use some white tap and write a number on the hose and the same on the place where it plugs in. Fluids can be a pain. I forgot to drain all the coolant while the engine was able to run and got a nice surprise when I removed the thermostat . But I have to say so far it's been fairly easy. Then again I'm use to a sideways 4-banger with no room to work. If you can get everything to come off without breaking and you don't loose anything, you should be ok.

Edit: I forgot to add, while it's apart replace some things. I see you've got a '92. Have you ever replaced the water pump? Like I said a few posts up, I'm doing my water pump, replacing the fan with an electric one. Hell If I get this job at Ford I'm might just pull the engine.

 

[Alanslinky]

definitely label the vacuum lines. They were the only thing I didn't label figuring it shouldn't be too hard to figure out where they go back, but nope. It's a pain... especially since I took them off about a year ago.

 

[adamhc]

I Did this last year on my 93 XLT. Take a sharpie marker and label your pushrods. I did this by coding them with the side of the engine and the number from front to back. I put an arrow pointing to the top of the push rod. Also inspect them for wear and make sure that the ends are not badly worn and that they are not bent. I found that the best way to do this is to get a mirror and roll them on it looking for any bending of the push rod. When you have the heads off look at the valves and look at the small spot in between the valve seats and look very closely to see if it is cracked. Ford re-casted these heads later in the life of the first gens because the original heads were prone to cracking if the even mildly overheated. If you do have to replace the heads and you decide to go new MAKE sure that the cylinder head shop sells you the newer cast. You can definitely tell a difference in the weight between the old and new casts.

Last but not least be careful with that plastic vacuum line that runs to the fuel regulator. It is not very flexible and I broke mine I had to tear the top end of a motor apart at the junk yard just to get a replacement. Best of luck. Mine took about a week to complete.

Best of luck.
P.S. I had to Dremel a couple of the exhaust studs. But since I was replacing the heads I did not care.

 

[Alanslinky]

Another thing I did was I took pictures during various stages of disasembly which helped me a lot when putting it back together, though I found myself wishing I had more.

 

[safn1949]

The big thing is to label everything,I did this for a living and got good at remembering where things went,but not any more,don't mix up your pushrods,take a piece of cardboard and label it front with an arrow and then just poke the pushrod thru it and all is in order,take pictures if you can ,anything to make it easier to get things back in place,buy good gaskets,I use felpro and have never had a problem,spend some money on good parts.If you buy cheap,you get cheap crap.

 

[91NaviJoe]

Well project's on hold. Got a $550 ticket. Pulled over tonight in the 'scort and my insurance car was ripped. ####### cop said it wasn't usable evidence since it had been 'tampered' with. The best part of it was, my buddy was right in front of me in his F250. It has a 351 with flowmasters, expired Oregon plates (I'm in WA), and his driver side head light was out. Good to know my Escort draws more attention =)

 

[FATALERROR NBFX]

im going

down that road of replacing the heads on my"92 ford explorer stock" this will be my first time doing something that major so before i get started im looking on this web site for hints and tips cause this site rocks!!!extremly useful i was gunna film it and post it to you tube in incremenatl bits but for some reason i cant upload to them im starting this tomorrow thursday august 7 2008

 

[alphamale]

Head Gaskets

I replaced my headgaskets, heads and all the other goodies that goes along with that job. Easy task. Don't forget when you torque the headbolts make sure you turn them an addition 90 degrees. I don't recall why. I believe it calls for it in the chilton manual. Eversince i did the job I have nothing but problems with my cooling system getting hot. I thought it was becuase of the electric fan i put on. (not drawing enough air through radiator). So i put the factory fan back on and i am still having the same problem. My next step is to pull the thrmostat to see if it is working properly. This has been driving me nuts. Almost acts like there is an airpocket stuck in the system.

Either way have fun with the task and make sure you label the vacuum hoses. A real pita if you forget.

alphamale.