cracked head
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Freshman User
Joined: May 2003
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cracked head
well i took my truck to the shop cause i thought i had a blown head gasket, and well it turns out its alot worse. so i decided to just replace them with new ones, and i'v been looking for better heads some performance heads or somthing. but i can't find anything, so i thought i'd asked u experts on were to look. thanks in advance.
Post Fiend
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 8,600
Likes: 4
From: Iowa
What engine is it? If it's the 2.9L, world products makes some great heads that dont crack. If it's a 4.0L, get some welded up cylinder heads. I did on my '92 explorer, and hasn't had a problem since.
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Freshman User
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hmm well i talked to my dad and he's saying that it'd be better to just get new heads. so i guess thats what i'm gonna do, i'v been trying to find some just plain stock ones for now, cause the ones i want i don't got the money for right now and i need my truck for work. so can someone point me to were i can them at a good price? i'v been looking and calling the autostores here. advance says they have them for 200 bucks a head so that 400. does this sound like a deal?
Post Fiend
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 8,600
Likes: 4
From: Iowa
Well I figured that they never fixed the problem, which apparently they didn't from '92 up 'till at least '98. So I figured that new heads would crack too. Thus, welded up heads. I've got 80k miles on mine and they work great, FWIW. 
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i got just alittle more than 95k on these. i'v read that they got a problem with the heads cracking in the 4.0's why is this?
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Laughing Gas
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 1,148
Likes: 1
From: Richmond, VA
I replaced the 4.0L cracked and cracking heads on my 92 Explorer. The cost for both of the new heads including shipping was $330. I can get you information if you still need them.
Also DO NOT EVER use welded (repaired) heads. Cast iron is very hard to proper weld if not impossible and you are just asking for trouble in trying to save a few $$s.
Reg
Also DO NOT EVER use welded (repaired) heads. Cast iron is very hard to proper weld if not impossible and you are just asking for trouble in trying to save a few $$s.
Reg
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Freshman User
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wow 330, well we got the new heads it was 500 something close to 600.we picked them up at O'Railey's, oh well. i got my truck back this past weekend, then the engine check light came on 
the o2 sensor went out. what next lol
the o2 sensor went out. what next lol
Post Fiend
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 9,748
Likes: 16
From: Connecticut
I've heard of the earlier 4.0L heads cracking, but a '98 motor with only 95K cracking a head kind of surprises me. Was the engine running hot at all? Losing coolant? What kinds of signs did the cracked head give? You said you thought it was an intake gasket. Speaking of which, did you have the shop replace the lower intake gasket while they were in there?
This is from a credible article on the subject:
This is from a credible article on the subject:
Many of the heads that were produced for the 4.0L in ’89 and ’90 tended to crack around the spring pads on the intake side and had porosity problems down in the corners where the oil drained back into the valley. The cracks on the top can be found by Magnafluxing the heads, but the porosity problems won’t show up unless the head is pressure tested at about 70 psi. Some of the later heads have cracks around the oil drainback holes and quite a few are cracked in the chambers, so they should all be carefully inspected before being rebuilt. The threaded plugs on the top tend to leak, too, so they should be removed and reinstalled with sealer on the threads. Ford says they should be torqued to 80 ft.lbs after resealing them.
Rebuilders should also be aware that there are new aftermarket heads available from several different sources. Some shops have found that it’s cheaper to buy new ones than try to repair the used ones that have a lot of cracks.
Source
Rebuilders should also be aware that there are new aftermarket heads available from several different sources. Some shops have found that it’s cheaper to buy new ones than try to repair the used ones that have a lot of cracks.
Source
Post Fiend
Joined: Jan 2003
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From: Connecticut
Originally Posted by Rockledge
I've heard of the earlier 4.0L heads cracking, but a '98 motor with only 95K cracking a head kind of surprises me. Was the engine running hot at all? Losing coolant? What kinds of signs did the cracked head give? You said you thought it was an intake gasket. Speaking of which, did you have the shop replace the lower intake gasket while they were in there?
Senior User
Joined: Jul 1999
Posts: 246
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From: Monroe, NC
My brother who lives out in Socal had the passenger side head crack, he only has about 60K on his 99 Explorer 4.0 OHV. The stealership showed him the crack, it was visible, no Magnafluxing needed. I asked him if it had ever run hot and he said no. I find it hard to belive that if you don't run something hot or are not losing coolant that a head should crack. Especially with only 60K on the motor. He had an exteneded warranty so it only cost him $100 for the repair.
Junior User
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 95
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From: Mid-Atlantic
Well for my money the World heads were worth the money. I went the cheap route and bought the bare castings and stuck my valves and rockers on it. Just had to spend an afternoon lapping valves. Just got my Bronco II running and the peace of mind in a good set of heads for $350.00 can't be beat. You'd be lucky to find a good set of used heads for that price.