Stop my head gasket from blowing! - Ford Forums

XRated · 09-02-2003, 08:27

Hey all,

Basically, as the title of this thread suggests, I am trying to do everything to prevent a head gasket from blowing in my ED Falcon. My ED has racked up close to 170,000kms and I am unsure whether the previous owner had the head gasket replaced, or not.

I just read about 10 previous threads talking about head gaskets in E-series Falcs, however, the threads seem to die after a while or only offer advice on what happens when the head gasket has already gone.

Some information I have gathered from my thread-mining expedition:
Use an AU Head Gasket,
Use AU Head Bolts,
Get a Radiator Flush.

What forseen problems may I encounter if I were to get the head gasket from an AU? What other parts would I need? What other work can be done to the head if it was to be taken out, and the benefit(s) of this?

Ultimately, is it too much money to convert to an AU head gasket and bolts if the problem is not there? It would purely be for a preventitive measure. I take it that the labour is the killer when it comes to the total cost(s); bearing in mind that I would do NONE of the work myself, except for sourcing the correct parts.

Please forward any advice/suggestions and/or experiences with my dilemma.

Cheers.

**donuts2001** · 09-02-2003, 11:09

Why fix something thats not broke?

My advice is if you have overheating problems, fix it immediately. Don't thrash the motor until it's warmed up fully. Do the holey thermostat mod if you have a jumpy temp guage(stops sudden hot/cold spikes).

And most importantly use only good quality 50/50 ratio coolant and water, changing every 12 months. After pulling the head off mine you can see the corrosion around the head water ports, and I think this is one of the big killers of E-series heads.

If you make sure the engine doesn't overheat, doesn't have sudden fluctuations in temp, and the coolant is good quality and changed regularly I don't think your head gasket will ever blow.

SiX_iN_a_RoW · 09-03-2003, 00:20

Read this section of my website

http://www.geocities.com/xmfordfalco...stem_Woes.html

TopGhia · 09-03-2003, 01:59

Good work Six.

That's always the question, did the blown head gasket cause it to overheat, or did it overheat and blow the gasket.

cheers

Aussiblue · 09-03-2003, 06:46

Always change coolant and thermostat at least once a year.

I have a 1980 LC Lancer with an alloy head that I have had since new and its done 280,000 plus km without the head having ever come off. I think the annual coolant, radiator cap and thermostat change (a good t stat ensures the engine doesn't run too cold and thus too rich causing accelerated bore wear) plus Redex at every fuel up it's what has kept it going (plus this car/engine has a good reputation for reliability anyway).

XRated · 09-03-2003, 23:33

Thanks for the advice guys. My car barely reaches the blue section on the thermometer in the car... Always been suspicious about that and wanted the thermostat checked out. How much can I expect to pay for one fully installed?

Cheers everyone.

LowSmoothNC · 09-03-2003, 23:43

i had my themostat changed today. And it always (ever since i got the car) stayed around the blue line. After 3 years NOW i know why.
it cost me today: Thermostat + gasket $27.36
labour $55/hr or so (prolly won't take that long).

Evil Roy · 09-04-2003, 04:46

I'm thinking about similar matters.

My 1989 EA head seems fine, done 233,000km.

Like others, it just touches the "normal" zone. Reasonably steady there - dips a little, but you'd have to be looking for it. NEVER goes more than a mm into the normal zone.

Problem is during the cold weather, you turn on the heater and get a lukewarm blast of air.

I want HOT air, dammit!

Now, i thought about replacing the thermostat with one that will make the engine a little hotter, but am worried about that. I figured it would be better running cooler because of the 'overheating head' problems that EA's can suffer.

I now figure that I can replace the thermostat, and run another (cooler - like my current) one when the weather gets warmer.

I am a little worried that it's running so cool - could account for poor economy.

So what's the advice?

Stick with current one (because it's getting towards summer)?

Change as required, putting current one back later, in a couple of months?

Rollin · 09-04-2003, 06:14

i personally reckon that they would go best sitting around the NO part of normal, engines run a lot better with some temp in them, the bit that kills is sharp changes in temp, like if you top up your coolant with cold water when the engine is already hot etc.

Kieron · 09-04-2003, 06:31

Roy, you will probably find your current thermp is stuffed rather than purposely running at a cooler temp. Just get a new one (make sure its dual acting) at the normal operating range and then engine will be happier running hotter than it is now.

If that doesn't fix your heater, then delve deeper into the cooling system, check the heater tap operation in particular.