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Head Gasket problems
I have a '97 taurus om working on that has blown the head gasket. These are cast iron heads and block. When i removed the heads the number 1 cylinder was burning coolant due to a blown gasket. I removed both heads and checked for any warpage. The customer was complaining that when he shut the vehicle off that all of the remaing coolant would come out of the expansion tank and he would have to refill with water at every stop. Now he drove it like this for at least a month. I told him there may be multiple problems due to the neglect of repairs over time. I checked the heads and block for warpage and all seemed ok. I put engine back together and ran the car about 5 miles to get hot and see if everything was ok. The problem still exists. So now i Expect a cracked head. I disassemble the engine once again and have the heads reworked at the machine shop. They said the heads where not cracked or warped but said they need to be resurfaced. The head gasket looked as if it had been digging into the head. Both heads where resurfaced and valves where reseated. I resassembled the engine and test drove once again. Everything was much better. Got ready to deliver vehicle and i thought i check all fluids once again after test driving all day. The Coolant level was low again. I felt a little uneasy after seeing this so i filled to full mark and took one last time for test drive. The car just died when coming to stop. Towed back to shop and removed spark plugs. plugs where overheated on 2 and 4. Somthing is way wrong. Everything has been done by the book and im still scrathing my head. My next move is a thicker head gasket but im not doing anything until i know the heads are not cracked. And when i drain the coolant it does have a small amount of oil in it. If you know something i dont please share. All my options are open. Thanks
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