I think I have a blown head gasket but I want to make sure before I do anything. I was going down the highway when I started to bog down, looked at my gauges and my temperature needle was buried and smoke everywhere. Got it towed and started to look around at it. I have a lot of smoke coming out of my tailpipe, oil in the throttle body, melted plug wires (wire was off of the 3rd plug on the right side), a hole in the upper radiator hose, and a crazy shake at idle. I did a compression test and the third cylinder is showing 15psi while the others were around 150psi. So I know I need to replace the gasket but with a 15psi in between two 150psi cylinders that seems like a huge difference. Is there a good chance this thing is warped? Is there a way I can inspect this head myself instead of sending it to a machine shop? And what would have caused all of this? My best guess is the right side motor mount collapsed raising the left side of the engine into the upper coolant hose and the ac compressor rubbing a hole in the hose emptying my coolant. Maybe the heat caused the plug wire to fall off? Any help is much appreciated.

 

I would be very concerned about cracks in the head, I would at least have it professionally checked for cracks. If you have a straight edge you check check for warpage yourself.

 

Sorry Rhonda. From what you have descibed, it sounds like the classic symptoms of a melted head gasket. Now, If it were me, I think you should take the head to a machine shop to resurface the head. Also have them pressure test the head and check the valves for any bent valves. As for the block, you can check that yourself with a machinist straight edge and a set of feeler guages. If you are going to keep the truck I would recomend several new parts also, like themostat, waterpump, all heater hoses, radiator hoses, plugs,wires, simply because of the temperatures reached. Any sensors realted to the cooling system should be replaced also. Another route is to check on a remanufactured engine. It would probably surprise you that replacing the engine wouldn't be alot more expensive and most come with a 3 year unlimited mileage warrenty on them now.Always call every auto parts house in your area when pricing your parts, most of them price match. Good luck.

 

I have to vote for a failed valve. If the head gasket failed, most times it fails between two cylinders, as that is the narrowest part of the gasket. That would drop the compression in both cylinders.
A failed valve would explain the low compression, the miss and the oil in the throttle body.

The 2.3 cylinder head is not noted for cracking. It is made of cast iron, and almost, repeat ALMOST, indestructible. I doubt it is cracked or you would have had the coolant geysering all over the place. You can remove it, and have it professionally checked, valve guides checked, and the valves ground or replaced as necessary for likely less than a few hundred dollars. Gaskets and parts would run around $50, maybe more if you replace all hoses, thermostat, and coolant along with changing the oil and filter.
If you want to do your own work, you can compress the hydraulic valve follower supports, remove the followers, and then remove the valves. Clean the head, the combustion chamber, and the valves. Either lap them, or have them ground, and re-assemble. Your choice, but I'd bet the head is ok, and you lost a valve, not the head gasket.
tom

 

Found a replacement 2.5 with 75k on it (half of what the truck has). Hopefully the replacement will go smoothly.

 

With a minimum of maintenance, they regularly last to 300k. Miles. Just keep 'em fed, watered and lubricated. A bolt in engine swap will go quicker than doing a cylinder head, but you might want to change the timing belt before hoisting it into place. Just a lot better access.
tom

 

I'll try to explain to her to pay attention to the gauges and when it gets hot pull it over and shut it off. I know these motors are built to last and I'm pissed I have to do this. Thanks for the help everyone. The exhaust bolts wont come off with my 3/8 impact so I'm waiting on a torch. This shouldn't be happening but it is what it is.

 

Heat 'em with a torch, and then press a candle to 'wet' the threads. As the wax melts, it will draw down into the threads. PB blaster is reported to work well also. Don't rush and break off a bolt unless.. Oh wait, who cares about the old head. Never mind.
tom

 

Was talking about the manifold to exhaust pipe bolts. I wonder if I should replace that gasket also.

 

Yup, and I was thinking that they are rusted into the OLD cylinder head that you will be sending to Lima heaven or a boneyard. If the bolts break off in the old head, it wouldn't bother me, as I can buy a few new bolts at the hardware store, and, if I wanted, but anti-seize compound on the threads.
In your case, the manifold to exhaust pipe bolts need to be functional... So, why not just remove the manifold to head bolts, and leave the manifold on the pipe. You can use some coathanger wire to hold the pipe and manifold out of the way while you do your engine maneuvers.
I don't think there is a gasket between the manifold and the cylinder head.
tom

 

It is actually very common for the 2.3L head to crack, not sure about the 2.5L head. The cracks normally only occur only after a major overheat or detonation. Obviously they won't always happen, but I would not call them uncommon. My project engine has a cracked head, got it by random luck of the draw.

If it were mine, head gasket failure is a side effect of overheating, which means that your cooling system failed for whatever reason, so whether you fix your old engine or swap a replacement in, I would replace the entire cooling system. Use only Motorcraft thermostats, others are know to cause issues. You can use other brands on pretty much everything else to save on money. If you replace the radiator, which I do recommend, try to go for one that is better than stock, either a Performance Radiator brand, or one that has a slightly thicker core or dual core. Don't use tap water in your antifreeze, either purchase some distilled or RO water, or use premixed antifreeze. Otherwise you get a lot more corrosion later one, and the minerals can clog the radiator.

 

KhanTyranitar, your head is the first I have heard of a Lima cracking. Since 1974. When I owned one brand new which I drove for 80k trouble free before tiring of the car.
One of my brothers had a Turbo-Tbird, the valves needed re-seating, but the head did nothing even when he pulled the MAP like boost limiter vacuum(pressure?) line and cranked it up. His friend had an SVO Mustang with a 2.3 that scared the beans out of me when my brother took me for a spin after we changed the clutch. I didn't know that little thing could put out that HP. I have a Ranger with a Lima that is 26 years old, still poking along. One of my sisters had a 2.3 Pinto, no problem, then she bought a Capri with a 2.3. Same thing, but she did have a porous casting that hydrolocked...?? Another brother had a 2.3 that had a bad cam, but no cracks occurred, and a second Pinto 2.3 that worked fine.
All this to the point that I have yet to see one head crack. Apparently your experience differs. Maybe all statistics are anecdotal.
tom

 

I really don't know what caused the overheating. The ac compressor rubbed a hole in the upper hose and emptied the coolant but I don't know why that happened.

 

No to try to disagree with anyone here, but when I took the head off my project engine, I was originally hopping to just have larger valve in stainless steel installed, and to port the intake and exhaust, found a crack between the intake and exhaust ports on the #3 cylinder. The machine shop informed me that they had 3 other 2.3L cast iron heads that they bought from junkyards and all of them were cracked as well. Fortunately they had a reconditioned head in their shop they had sitting from another customer that ordered the wrong one. Not that I'm in any rush on that, the engine I'm working on is a project anyway, its just convenient that they had the exact right head on hand.

Just because they are cast iron doesn't mean they can't or don't crack, but it is unlikely that they will crack unless the head gets overheated.

Again, just because you've had one for a long time doesn't mean that things can't or don't happen, and just because you know lots of other people with the same engine that have never had a problem. This problem of cracking only occurs on engines that have not been properly maintained and have overheated. My dad has a '96 Ranger with a 2.3L and his has never had an issue either. But its also always been taken care of.

 

I will only add that Ford had problems with two engines, make that three, with cracking heads:
the 2.9 V6, the 1600 Escort and the 2.3 Tempo/Topaz.

That trio, from memory, was the most susceptible to cracking of any engines they ever made. The only head that was Al in the trio was the Escort, cast in Italy. Does that tell anyone anything? I think it was the first FoMoCo engine using 'torque to yield' head bolts. I know I about fell over when I heard the price of a valve grind gasket set.
The 2.3 was a new design with CVHH or some other such designation that used 'squish' and stuff to try to minimize emissions. It was re-designed quickly after problems surfaces. The 2.9 was a re-design of the Cologne, and I think, the 1st of that series to use hydraulic valve lifters, which could have called for a cylinder head re-design.
Eh, what do I know. I just drive 'em, and fix what needs fixing.
tom