Here is a write-up of the headgasket change I recently did on my EF.

It's not meant to be in depth, just a very basic overview with pics for
those contemplating doing it themselves. There are heaps of threads about this job to also read.

I used an AU gasket and AU headbolts, both from Ford.
I also got a VRS kit which had the other gaskets & bits & pieces needed, and some new coolant.
I used a reconditioned head, so it was a direct swap in & out job.

I didn't have any oil in the coolant, and it ran pretty good. But it had that dribble
along the exhaust manifold. And it was also rattly when it idled at proper temp.
It would start-up and idle nice & smooth, but after a few mins you would hear a rattle like
a worn lash adjuster start to build up. At full temp it was a constant rattle like a diesel.
This noise had me stumped because the HLA's were all new. This noise went after the
new gasket.

Here is what it looked like at the start.


Tell-tale green under the exhaust manifold.


Rocker Arms & Cam Off, Exhaust & Inlet Manifolds Unbolted, Cam Sproket Cable Tied.


Don't forget to undo this bolt, or you'll snap the timing chain guide
when you lift the head out.


My headbolt weapon. Used a 14mm single hexagon impact socket.


Head off. This is what the top of the gasket looked like.


Definitely blown. It was leaking water into a few cylinders.


The old head & gasket. The rip at the front of the gasket was me getting it off.


Now time to clean up the block. I used a drill with wire brush attachment for a while.
Then switched to a sharp scraper & wd40. Clean up was turps & lots of paper towel
until it was spotless. Vacuumed out the cylinders & wiped clean.


Now it's getting clean.


I cut a slot into an old headbolt with an angle grinder. Used this to clean up the headbolt threads
in the block.


It also did a good job of bringing up some oil in about 3 of the holes. The oil must have worked
under the headbolts & run down the bolt to the bottom. These bolts must have stretched, as they
were pretty easy to get off from memory. Only two bolts were actually really tight. The others
didn't create much resistance at all.


The hole where everything must now go in. The cam gear just rested there without any problems.


The AU bolts were beafier around the top than what I had. Both in the diameter and thickness of the
integral washer.





Not sure whether this extra diameter is because they were ford supplied bolts. Some people have
said they had to grind them smaller, & that's what I had to do. Ground out the roundness on the
edge of the washer till is just came straight down. In hindsight this wasn't enough. Another
quarter to half a mm over that would have been better. The clearance to the rocker arm assembly
was a bit tight in places. I had to relieve the rocker arm assembly with an angle grinder in one
place also, wasn't nice, but I wasn't going to pull out the bolt. (Maybe I could have, but I
wasn't game).


Silicone around the timing cover, going under & over the new gasket.




It all went together ok. Took about 12 hours, but was not hard, just time consuming.
I put the car on car ramps to raise it up a bit, & was glad I did. Otherwise it would have killed
my back all that bending down.
Starting it up caused alot of steamlike stuff to come from the exhause area. There was also a
pronounced rattle on idle for a few seconds, then pronounced rattle when I revved it. It was
a bit disconcerting, but went away after 15mins of idling. I think it might have been a
lash adjuster pumping up again. The steamlike stuff was oil burning off the exhaust from
where I had touched it.

Now it runs really smooth & idles great. Just like a Ford should.

Cheers

What a fantastic write up!

Excellent!

Only disliked one thing,
Not to dis you, but u never use a drill and wire wheel on a deck.

I did note you added 'for a while then switched to a sharper scraper, but if this is a guide, others might go the hack on the drill and damage oil galleries and rounden other area's without intending to.

saving this one great can be applied to other falcons

yer mate good right up

krytox, no probs, good pickup
i thought better of it after a few minutes
the scraper was better & safer
i wonder how the do it at the shops, as the scraper was slow
cheers

wire buffs and the little whizzer wheels are no good at all. They end up taking metal from the block and can cause the deck to become uneven, and leak worse than before you started. Have seen a guy spending 2 days with a stone to try and redress the block

great write up. Well done!

nice write up good pics!

does the head commonly need any attention at the same time as the swap? did you get it shaved or anything like that?

It was a reconditioned exchange head, so it was all ready to go, wrapped in plastic.
I put that one on, and then gave them my old head back.
They then do up mine & sell it to someone else.

Well done! Makes me feel a bit more confident to do it when the time comes.

ahh ok, cool... how much does that cost? a mate of mine got quoted 2.5K to do a head gasket on an EB and obviously was just going to throw it away... but i reckoned we could do it for ~ 500 or thereabouts...(parts cost)?

reco head $385 was best price, most common price was $550
bolts $70 (ford au), aftermarket about $40 or so
AU gasket $70 ford
Intake & Exhaust Manifolds I can't remember, but these won't be much

I rekon I'm $600 in front or thereabouts by doing myself
If you're existing head is ok, & you can wait to take it to a head place then it will probably be cheaper again.

Yes, never use anything other than a scraper.

Guess what the lazy f**k Ford mechanics used on my block. Might have attributed to the 3 headgaskets I did in 35,000km.

Instead of using a wire brush, use a plastic brush/wire attachment and then clean up using some 800 wet and dry sandpaper.

after using a scraper i use 1200 wet and dry, never had a problem