Coolant leaking from heads... - Ford Forums - Mustang Forum, Ford Trucks, Ford Focus and Ford Cars

Beefchief · 06-06-2003, 07:06

At recent services at my local Ford dealership I was told that "coolant was leaking from the heads". The only other thing they told me that it was approximately a $1,000 and a 3 day job to fix. Until then they said I can prelong it by topping up the coolant with water every so often.

What advice can you guys give me? Should I get it fixed soon to avoid something worse happening? Would that be a fair price or are Ford dealerships usually a ripoff when it comes to this kind of repair? If I go ahead with the job, is there any performance or quality parts I should consider fitting on during the repair instead of stock parts?

Please excuse my lack of knowledge in this area; $1,000 worth of repairs is a lot for me and I want to make sure that I do it right.
I have a '95 EF Futura with a 4.0 litre I6.

Thanks for any help.

Martin · 06-06-2003, 08:04

$1000 is a bit rich, you should be able to get it done for $600.

Or if you handy with a spanner you should be able to do it for less than $200

302_supra · 06-07-2003, 01:49

man that might be a blown head gasket...ef falcons from factory suffered some heating problems. Has the car ever overheated? Have you checked the oil...does it look milky? Does the coolant look like there's oil in it? My advice is get a head gasket test kit from somewhere, and then you'll know if that's your problem...if it is the head gasket..it is possible for you to do it yourself, but you'd better know what you were doing...otherwise itll blow again and cause bigger problems..

xr6wgn · 06-07-2003, 03:12

Hmm that sounds familiar - I was also told this by a dealer - put the car on the hoist, shone the torch up and yep coolant leak - around a thousand bucks, 3 days and they'll also do the radiator. No thanks!

Took it to my local repco fixup shop who confirmed a slight leak - they have monitored it for the last couple of services and has basically said that if it gets any worst then we'll do something about it.

I wouldn't do anything without a second opinion. What area are you in - there's a place around the Parafield area (Headfix) that quoted me somewhere in the $800 region and they knew about using the AU head bolts etc. Worth a phone call

If you don't want to mention the dealer online PM me - I'm curious

Paul B
XR6WGN

302_supra · 06-07-2003, 04:04

yeah man but definetly have it checked ay...leave it too long and if it overheats it can cause the head to warp/ crack...then you will have more than $1k to spend.

06-07-2003, 04:07

Just do it yourself, it'll take you about 5 hours to do and about $200. It really is easier then you think!

If it was an EA, i'd say get the head reco-ed as well while it's off(around $200), but seeing it's a EF it should be in pretty good condition. Just whack on a new head gasket and some new AU bolts and away you go.

Beefchief · 06-08-2003, 07:52

Thanks for the replies.

I don't think it is a blown head gasket or else someone should've told me. I've also been to West Torrens Dyno to fix my cam troubles and they didn't mention it.

I usually take my car to Rebel Ford in Elizabeth for services and that's what they quoted me. Thanks for the tip Paul, I live a short drive from Pooraka. I think I know which company you're talking about, isn't it the one with the "quality head jobs (or similar)" sign on Main North Road? I'll go see them during the week anyway.

I probably would attempt to do it myself if there was a comprehensive step-by-step DIY with illustrations, otherwise I'll just hand it over to the professionals.

Rollin · 06-09-2003, 03:08

Quote:

At recent services at my local Ford dealership I was told that "coolant was leaking from the heads".

im just bit concerned about the way they say 'heads' considering its a 4.0L...they only have one.....

i would ring around for a few quotes before getting anything done...you might as well get the head ported a little while its off the car

i would anyway!

ebxr8240 · 06-09-2003, 04:01

I bet the head bolts are loose or lost there tension,broken!! Check when cold...