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Yet another blown head gasket on an EF :/ 

 

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 Post subject: Yet another blown head gasket on an EF :/
Posted: Wed Aug 31, 2005 1:28 pm 
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hello everyone

I've been lurking around these forums for a while now, but the time has finally come for me to ask some advice from the Fordmods sages :)

Looks like my EF falcon has done a head gasket. Symptoms include really bad idle on startup, bad idle at lights, losing coolant, starter motor jams up trying to turn it over when it's been sitting for a while (water in the cylinder I'm told), positive for carbon monoxide in the coolant in a chemical test and the cooling system is overpressurising.

Pretty conclusive I'd say, but if anyone thinks it's something else I'm all ears.

Anyways, I was wondering if any of you guys know a good mechanic in Brisbane who could fix it up for a decent price. Been quoted a couple of worst case scenarios @ $1500 (worst case being the head is buggered and needs a reco replacement) that's including everything installed. Obviously it'll be cheaper if my head isn't completely rooted but I prefer to work with worst case price since it can only get cheaper from there.

I'd do it myself but the car is under a used car warranty so home jobs are out. Warranty doesn't cover the head or gasket, but I'll blow the lot if I pull it apart myself apparently.

Any advice is appreciated :)
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Posted: Wed Aug 31, 2005 1:32 pm 
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Get a metal AU head gasket from Ford put in, should see this problem never happen again.

 

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Posted: Wed Aug 31, 2005 3:02 pm 
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Head gasket & bolts AU $220 Ford

Head machine / surface $77
Emerald Engine reconditioning

replacment and labor. $ 350 Middlemount engineering.

coolant, oil, filter $75

total $772 when i got mine changed 2 months ago could have got the head gasket cheaper tho. and my head was not warped just needed a surface grind.

 

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 Post subject: Re: Yet another blown head gasket on an EF :/
Posted: Wed Aug 31, 2005 6:39 pm 
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uberkatas wrote:
hello everyone

I've been lurking around these forums for a while now, but the time has finally come for me to ask some advice from the Fordmods sages :)

Looks like my EF falcon has done a head gasket. Symptoms include really bad idle on startup, bad idle at lights, losing coolant, starter motor jams up trying to turn it over when it's been sitting for a while (water in the cylinder I'm told), positive for carbon monoxide in the coolant in a chemical test and the cooling system is overpressurising.

Pretty conclusive I'd say, but if anyone thinks it's something else I'm all ears.

Anyways, I was wondering if any of you guys know a good mechanic in Brisbane who could fix it up for a decent price. Been quoted a couple of worst case scenarios @ $1500 (worst case being the head is buggered and needs a reco replacement) that's including everything installed. Obviously it'll be cheaper if my head isn't completely rooted but I prefer to work with worst case price since it can only get cheaper from there.

I'd do it myself but the car is under a used car warranty so home jobs are out. Warranty doesn't cover the head or gasket, but I'll blow the lot if I pull it apart myself apparently.

Any advice is appreciated :)


Welcome to my world mate.. Im getting a whole new head, ported/polished/decked, and a performance cam for a touch over that 1500 mark.. ;) so be sure you don't get ripped.

but yeah, use an AU metal gasket
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Posted: Wed Aug 31, 2005 9:39 pm 
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the ford head bolts are way too expensive. i'd try get them aftermarket

 

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Posted: Wed Aug 31, 2005 9:49 pm 
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Id buy the Ford ones, for a whopping $40 I would hardly consider them expensive!

 

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Posted: Sun Sep 04, 2005 12:02 am 
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make sur that whoever carries out the head gasket replace retentions the head after 100km
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Posted: Sun Sep 04, 2005 2:29 am 
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Maxxr6 wrote:
make sur that whoever carries out the head gasket replace retentions the head after 100km


out of curiosty, why is that?????

 

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Posted: Sun Sep 04, 2005 3:00 am 
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nannas_ed wrote:
Maxxr6 wrote:
make sur that whoever carries out the head gasket replace retentions the head after 100km


out of curiosty, why is that?????


Exactly, moden head gaskets don't need retorquing. But yeah as has already been mentioned make sure your mechanic uses new head bolts and a decent head gasket like the AU MLS gasket, and get the head decked. You should be able to get away with $600-800 for the whole job.
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Posted: Sun Sep 04, 2005 3:53 am 
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EDXR8 wrote:
nannas_ed wrote:
Maxxr6 wrote:
make sur that whoever carries out the head gasket replace retentions the head after 100km


out of curiosty, why is that?????


Exactly, moden head gaskets don't need retorquing. quote]

I'm not a genius on this stuff, I have had this happen to me before. But if the head gasket is corroded and not completely level, wouldn't it need to be retorqued after a new gasket was put in?

 

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Posted: Sun Sep 04, 2005 4:00 am 
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FordZombie wrote:
But if the head gasket is corroded and not completely level, wouldn't it need to be retorqued after a new gasket was put in?


If the head or block surface isn't level you need to machine them before fitting a new head gasket, retorquing won't do anything to help seal a unlevel gasket surface.
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Posted: Sun Sep 04, 2005 3:07 pm 
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people with an alloy head when you torque it up first it is cold right, when you drive away it gets hot when alloy gets hot it gets soft not alot just a little so when you get it retentined you will get aroung 1/4 to 1/2 a turn out of each bolt garanted as a machanic i have done countless head gaskets on falcons old and new even with a metel shim gasket you need to do it its just an alloy head thing, one mistake people make when retentioning is you need to back a bolt of then tention it again not just set the torque wrench to what it needs to be and tighten it if you do it the later way it wont go up.
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Posted: Sun Sep 04, 2005 3:13 pm 
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But the new head gasket materials and their torque specifications take this into account, they even specify no retorquing.
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Posted: Sun Sep 04, 2005 3:40 pm 
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even when they specify no retorquing you can still get allest 1/4 of a turn out of the bolts
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Posted: Sun Sep 04, 2005 4:00 pm 
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Maxxr6 wrote:
even when they specify no retorquing you can still get allest 1/4 of a turn out of the bolts



if you try hard enough you could get a full turn out them too.

the bolts are down up using a torque and degree setting. you couldn't even if you wanted to re-torque them. you would only over tighten the bolts and damage them.

ACL mono torque gaskets are just that, torque them once and thats it.
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