in my e350, i was driving today when i started to smell coolant. temp gage was normal, then a mile later i started blowing white smoke out the pipe. another mile later i was able to get off the road, let it cool down a bit, and studied it from there. we're blowing tons of white smoke and drinking quite a bit of coolant. i'm also getting a bit of a knock, which is disturbing me.
for months, i would turn the engine off at home and hear a quiet bubbling from the radiator overflow bottle, meaning air/steam was leaking past the cap, but it always had good pressure when i squeeze the upper hose. i'm now wondering if that was the an early sign of a head gasket problem.

since it happened, i've filled it up a couple times, and on a couple occasions when i've gone to start it after, a piston will come up against some water and stop. so i "bump" the key to push the water out, then it starts right up but runs rough. i'm under the impression that this confirms a head gasket issue and not a cavitation issue.

the engine was fully rebuilt 90k miles ago for the previous owner, and while its run low a few times in the past, its been staying full since i changed the heater core last spring.

to try to get myself home, i poured 2 bottles of barrs leaks into it, and plan to have about 10 gallons of water with me, stopping as often as i must to fill it up. i'll see how that goes

i made the bad decision of starting the engine with the radiator cap off, and holy crap, had a pillar of steam pouring straight up until i revved it slightly, then it volcanoed.

at this point, i'm considering the options of fixing it, swapping engines, or buying another van. what do you guys thing? i know IDIdieseljohn did a head gasket job on his with the engine in the van.

any insight would be appreciated

 

oh, and i killed the radiator too

so as of now i'm a AAA member, and will be getting myself a ride home on the back of a flatbed

 

No good brotha, definitely a head gasket from the sound of it.
How did you kill the radiator?

 

The radiator split the seam where aluminum meets plastic. Hopefully its warranty will cover it cause its only like a year old

 

Just don't tell them you blew a head gasket! Companies will do anything to get out paying you.

 

its from a parts store i know, and they know me. hopefully they'll cover it, cause thats one expensive radiator!

 

Its just a head gasket.. so i have to ask. Why wouldnt you just fix it? I see rigs for sale all the time that need headgaskets in the valley. Granted a few are smaller cars with OHC so its a bit more invasive, but alot are older v8s.

Anywho, ive changed headgaskets in vans with the engine in before... easiest headgasket ive ever done. Granted, the IDI heads weigh a bit more than a smallblocks, but shouldnt be too hard. Use the bolt holes in the ends of the head, a couple bolts and some chain to make a handle for it, and have someone help ya set the thing off.

 

The more I think about it, fixing it is my only real option. Craigslist has nothing suitable, and any other vehicle I could buy would require all my customizing to be redone.

 

well i'm tearing into it tonight. i'm taking pics as i go, and i'll be posting them in this album https://www.dropbox.com/sh/yqyzndbsor78nzl/Q2s5iApfRS as i take them. i'll keep you guys updated

 

so far a couple questions have come to mind.
1) should i re-use the existing headbolts, replace them with new headbolts (supplier?), or spend the extra money and go with studs, even though i have no plan of running a turbo
2) with all due consideration of the fact that my engine only has 90k miles after the rebuild, and the fact that the oil cooler is leaking from its gaskets to the block, would i be wise to just replace the gaskets where it mates to the block, or is something more advisable?
3) is there anything i wouldn't think of that needs to be replaced as i'm here? my current plan is to send the heads in to my local machinist to have him check them for cracks and warpage, resurface as needed, and do a valve job if needed. i also plan to replace the IP and injectors, as they have 90k on them, and will be off anyway for the project, and the IP is a PITA to get to in a van. as i'm at it, i'll be going through the fuel lines, new hose where needed, new olives, all that stuff.
i'm planning on a new thermostat (i know, only motorcraft for this), and am undecided about the water pump - its not too hard to get to and still seems to be in good shape, but i'm here anyway....

i'll get the heads off in the morning and post back with more pics and questions i'm sure

 

well i can tell u i just pulled my motor after my head gasket whent once it was torn down to a short block i said hell few more bolts and i can inspect the whole motor so i did and i put about 1500$ into it (rering kits all i needed ya get what ya pay for the cheap kits on Ebay have crap gaskets so i whent with a felpro head gasket kit and vally pan dont have to change it hurd its reusable but mine was just bout rusted tho so all said and dont after mechine work and turbo im just tiping 2300 bucks and i cant be happier just my thoughts

 

BTW most rering kits come with new oil cooler gaskets ..

 

i just got done getting the second head off, so we're making progress. the rear cylinder on the left side was badly flooded, along with severe gasket damage. a couple cylinders on the right head showed minor gasket damage as well, but only had a tiny bit of water in them, so don't appear to be a major problem. i plan to send both heads in to the machinist to get checked for cracks and resurfaced.

the head bolts were another point of concern. some of them were quite tight, probably requiring 150 ft-lbs to crack loose, while others were so loose that it only took about 50 ft-lbs to get them off, with all torque values being a rough estimate. some of the bolts had very deep pitting, while others looked brand new. the worst one was down to about half what it should be at the worst point. and a few were hard to slide out because of all the loose rust in the holes.
so obviously i'm planning on new bolts.

i was fortunate that the previous rebuilder used anti-sieze on the exhaust bolts, so they all came out easily.

the left head came out without much trouble, i was able to get all the bolts and pushrods out before moving the head, then used a ratchet strap from the roof to carry the front end of it, while working it forward from behind as far as i could easily reach. then i went forward and pulled it out.
the right head was a little more challenging. 3 pushrods couldn't be removed with the head in place, and 2 head bolts were also unable to come out until the head was moved. i used the same method as on the other head, but had to fight a bit more. the combination of having to be careful with pushrods, getting stuck on the headbolts that wanted to fall back down in the way, and the general closeness to the body, all worked together to make it a little more challenging, but not impossible. it might prove a fight to install it alone, so hopefully i'll have some help, or i'll have to get creative

and i'm adding pics to the album i linked to above

 

Glad youre making progress. The headbolts were pitted? like under the valve cover? As far as headbolts, i cant remember which youre not supposed to use again, studs or bolts, maybe both, but i think its the bolts because they stretch.

 

regardless of what the rule is on the bolts, some of mine are definately not useable, so i'll replace the whole set. those that suffered pitting were from various positions, some under the valve cover, some exposed on the exhaust side. it was always on the smooth shoulder of the bolt, mainly in the region from about 1/2" to about 2" below the head. i'll go shoot a few pics of them and have them up tonight

usually if bolts are considered single use, their torque spec is something like 50 ft-lbs plus 90 degrees or whatever, while ours are a simple torque number.

speaking of which, what is the proper torque spec for the head bolts? chiltons shows 65-90-110 for 87-93 diesels, but i've got the 7/16 headbolts of the 6.9, and i see in ididieseljohn's thread https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...l#post12352407 we see a spec of 40-70-80.
so am i right in guessing that chiltons gave me numbers for the 7.3 with its 1/2" headbolts, and the numbers i pulled from john's thread apply to my 7/16 bolts