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Ok well my EF i6 Falcon has recently started to leave water/oil/coolant?
 marks on my driveway, and on the last service at a Ford dealer they said that I will need a new head gasket, at a cost of $1600   I havent replaced it yet as I am only a uni student and find it hard to come up with that cash but the car has now started to go through coolant quite heavily so I guess its time..  and now I have a few questions, could I possibly replace it myself? is it fairly simple? i have replaced an exhaust gasket on my cortina but that was somewhat different and if I were to take it to a different mechanic would I be expecting the same cost? Sorry for the lengthy post...
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| Spider_GT |
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Easy job
Grab yourself a AU Metal Shim head gasket from ford $90 New set of Head Bolts, Take your exhaust manifold and intake manifolds off take off rocker cover and rocker gear and do all thsoe bits and pieces take the head off then remove old head gasket and clean up area put new one on and put it all back together. Simple.half a day to full day job |
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| Andrew J |
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An exhaust gasket is pretty basic compared to a head gasket but. I cracked a pair of heads in my EB (two occasions) and got them repaired at a local mechanics. First time cost me 1300 (and thats with repairing the head), second time got it done under some sort of warranty.
_________________ The problem with America is stupidity. I'm not saying there should be a capital punishment for stupidity, but why don't we just take the safety labels off of everything and let the problem solve itself?
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| [S] |
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Thanks for your feedback guys, I'd be willing to do it at the mechanics if I could find one willink to do it for around $500 or less, but $1600 seems ridiculous to me. I think i will have a crack at fixing it myself though is there anything I could damage if I do anything wrong?
as on several occasions ive been told I simply need to remove the rocker cover , slap down the gasket and thats pretty much it lol, but other times i've been told I need to scrape all this other crap off the head etc , adjust some torque on some bolts? and some crap
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| smoke_ |
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if you're mechanically minded, go for it.
if you're not, leave it to a mechanic
_________________ NEW RIDE - FPV FG F6 6spd Auto. 12.26@114MPH, 1.88 60FT on Cheapy Tyres with 38PSI - Stock except K&N filter! |
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| madmax |
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smoke_rubber wrote: if you're mechanically minded, go for it.
if you're not, leave it to a mechanic Agree. $1600 is typical of Ford dealerships. I had mine done last year by my local mechanic for a little over $700 which included the head being machined and examined by All Head Services. Comes with 12mths warranty. For me to do it myself was going to cost around $400 with the Head gasket kit, Genuine AU around $220, New Head bolts About $80, new coolant $35 and machining which can cost around $80-100. Of course if you do it yourself the only warranty you get is yourself.
_________________
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| msman |
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if u wanna do it your self see this,
http://www.eafalcon.com/techpages/mecha ... /index.htm otherwise save up abt $500-700 for an mech to do it. $1600 is typical ford price.
_________________ why do u write in here. |
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| frd_xr6 |
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Like others have said unless your confident and know what your doing best to leave it to a mechanic. Ring around some places i got qouted between $700 (at a small private business) to $1200 (at major repair/service place).
I ended up getting it done for $1000 including replace gasket, thermostat etc, remove radiator and sent it off to radiator place where it was checked and completely flushed (was about 30% blocked if i remember correctly), got the head sent off and pressure/crack tested etc then they put it all back together with new hoses and stuff. Also came with a 12month/20 000km Australia wide warranty whereas the cheaper places only offered 0-3 month warranties.
_________________ 1996 5spd EF2 XR6 - Genuine AJR's, full kit........ |
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| [S] |
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Thanks alot guys, lookink at that site, I think I will be sending it down to a mechanic soon. Probably not Ford though, i'll try and find a place that will do it for around the $1000 mark. Can anybody recommend any mech's in Melbourne ( preferably western suburbs ) and also how long can i expect to continue to drive around with this problem before it is absolutely nessecary.
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| Punnisher_42 |
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Changing a head gasket is a headache - thats why mechanics charge 1200-1600 to do it.
I've done mine with the help of a mechanic friend, and i found it to be a lot of work and all in all a pain in the a*** to do. also, you are going to need some specific tools ie torque wrench, breaker bar - might not be a problem for some, but i don't have any of these tools.
_________________ Regards, |
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| nannas_ed |
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Punnisher_42 wrote: Changing a head gasket is a headache - thats why mechanics charge 1200-1600 to do it.
I've done mine with the help of a mechanic friend, and i found it to be a lot of work and all in all a pain in the a*** to do. also, you are going to need some specific tools ie torque wrench, breaker bar - might not be a problem for some, but i don't have any of these tools. yep, you will find that the reason a head gasket job is a bit pricey is because its something like an 6-8 hour job. therefore most of the money spent goes on labour.
_________________
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| Punnisher_42 |
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mmm. the mechanic gave me the tedious job of scraping the old gasket off the block while he sat back and had a break. that was when i realised why they charge - if i was doing that for someone, i'd want twice what i usually charge - or at least $200 and engine just to scrape it back - it's not difficult, just tedious repitition
_________________ Regards, |
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| falcon4250 |
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My recent Head Gasket DIY on my EA Falcon.
ACL Head Gasket VRS Monotorque Kit $150 Head Machining $120 Head Bolts $60 Blue Silicone $10 New Air & Oil Filter $40 Penrite Oil HPR30 5Ltr $30 Coolant $20 TOOLS $110 Spark Plugs, Ignition Leads & Dizzy Cap $70 (While I was at it might as well replace worn items.) TOTAL COST $610 Labour = (3 Days) DIY bloody HARD!!!! and some bruise & scratches. Lots of oil, grease & grimes. One man job. Car running better now and also more responsive... but don't ever want to go through that ordeal again. 
_________________ #### Was formerly falcon4250 (My old EA) ####
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| madmax |
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nannas_ed wrote: Punnisher_42 wrote: Changing a head gasket is a headache - thats why mechanics charge 1200-1600 to do it. I've done mine with the help of a mechanic friend, and i found it to be a lot of work and all in all a pain in the a*** to do. also, you are going to need some specific tools ie torque wrench, breaker bar - might not be a problem for some, but i don't have any of these tools. yep, you will find that the reason a head gasket job is a bit pricey is because its something like an 6-8 hour job. therefore most of the money spent goes on labour. Only if the mechanic is working with one thumb up his a***. I was charged for 5 hours.
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| Punnisher_42 |
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madmax wrote: nannas_ed wrote: Punnisher_42 wrote: Changing a head gasket is a headache - thats why mechanics charge 1200-1600 to do it. I've done mine with the help of a mechanic friend, and i found it to be a lot of work and all in all a pain in the a*** to do. also, you are going to need some specific tools ie torque wrench, breaker bar - might not be a problem for some, but i don't have any of these tools. yep, you will find that the reason a head gasket job is a bit pricey is because its something like an 6-8 hour job. therefore most of the money spent goes on labour. Only if the mechanic is working with one thumb up his a***. I was charged for 5 hours. Don't they all?
_________________ Regards, |
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