Head Gasket Going??? Whatcha think?
Thread Starter
|
New User
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 19
Likes: 0
From: Juneau, Alaska
Head Gasket Going??? Whatcha think?
hello there,
I have a 1980 F-100 with the inline six. I've noticed a white-green foamy stuff under the oil cap, water on my dipstick, coolant disapearing from the radiator, and the engine dosen't want to idle good. I'm thinking blown head gasket. Does that sound right?
I heard something about this could also be caused by an increase in crankcase pressure if my PCV died. What's a good way of checking my PCV valve?
Boy, one thing after another :-)
Thanks,
I have a 1980 F-100 with the inline six. I've noticed a white-green foamy stuff under the oil cap, water on my dipstick, coolant disapearing from the radiator, and the engine dosen't want to idle good. I'm thinking blown head gasket. Does that sound right?
I heard something about this could also be caused by an increase in crankcase pressure if my PCV died. What's a good way of checking my PCV valve?
Boy, one thing after another :-)
Thanks,
Senior User
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 177
Likes: 0
Yep, sounds like a head gasket alright! Any white smoke out the tailpipe, or a lotta water being puked out? Pull the plugs, take a look at 'em! Bet one's fouled with coolant residue! Maybe more than one (the question: are they #5 and #6?)? And fix it, willya please, before you crack the head or hydraulic the cylinder or something! 
PCV valve: pull it and stick yer thumb over it. The idle should drop. If the valve cover baffle is really crusted up, when you put the PCV back in, your idle will drop too (like you'd really notice if it's idling all over the place
.) If the PCV has vanilla fudge on it, guess what you'll find under the valve cover gumming things up?
Brother, I feel your pain. The previous owner left me all sorts of things to improve upon. Big punch list, halfway done! It's like the Domino Theory sometimes: fix one thing, something else breaks
. I'm looking at the beginnings of the same situation on the two rear plugs. Nothing in the oil, though, but Mr. Snap-On Head Gasket Leak Detector says it's just starting to happen, so me nip in bud. Me thinking bad seal between #5 and #6. Just the kick in the butt I need to get this ported head on 'er while it's raining...
PCV valve: pull it and stick yer thumb over it. The idle should drop. If the valve cover baffle is really crusted up, when you put the PCV back in, your idle will drop too (like you'd really notice if it's idling all over the place
.) If the PCV has vanilla fudge on it, guess what you'll find under the valve cover gumming things up?Brother, I feel your pain. The previous owner left me all sorts of things to improve upon. Big punch list, halfway done! It's like the Domino Theory sometimes: fix one thing, something else breaks
. I'm looking at the beginnings of the same situation on the two rear plugs. Nothing in the oil, though, but Mr. Snap-On Head Gasket Leak Detector says it's just starting to happen, so me nip in bud. Me thinking bad seal between #5 and #6. Just the kick in the butt I need to get this ported head on 'er while it's raining...
Laughing Gas
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 896
Likes: 6
Yor PCV is just a tube that runs from the air cleaner to your valve cover. The vacuum in the air cleaner pulls fumes out of the engine through the valve cover. There should be a little screen or sponge where that tube goes into the air cleaner. Try pulling it out and running the truck, it won't hurt anything to run it for a while that way. You can also check for a bad head gasket by filling the rad with coolant, leaving the cap off and starting the truck. If you see big gurgle bubble you have a bad head gasket.
Thread Starter
|
New User
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 19
Likes: 0
From: Juneau, Alaska
i actually have a PCV valve on the rear of the valve cover, and there are some vacuum lines from it to the intake manifold. On the oil fill cap, there was a hose running to the air filter. that hose is long gone :-)
when i shake the valve, it does rattle like there is a ball inside.
but i'll won't be driving her till i get a new head gasket put in, and since i'm there, i'll replace the intake/exhaust gasket also. and i'll put in a new thermostat too.
is there anything else that i should replace and/or look at while the head is off.
thanks for all the advice!
when i shake the valve, it does rattle like there is a ball inside.
but i'll won't be driving her till i get a new head gasket put in, and since i'm there, i'll replace the intake/exhaust gasket also. and i'll put in a new thermostat too.
is there anything else that i should replace and/or look at while the head is off.
thanks for all the advice!
Senior User
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 177
Likes: 0
EEPS! 
I so do hate when that happens! 
Sometimes the head cracks too...
If you see a big gurgle bubble SHUT IT OFF IMMEDIATELY as the motor, she is very thirsty, and you might bend a rod if you haven't already! A steamy weep or a tiny pee-hole might not bubble so much, but it will show up as yellow in the ol' radiator sniffer! And there might be a bit of brown goo in the coolant! Mine ain't quite there...yet! God, I hope the block isn't cracked! Just my luck!
Make sure the block deck and head is true (yard-long straightedge and feeler gauge after cleaning the deck mating surfaces). It's usually S.O.P. to have the head resurfaced once it's off, especially if it's been overheated. Check the valveseats for leakage ("solvent test"), if the solvent dribbles out in considerable volume (face it, all hi-mile heads leak a little bit, especially the exhaust valve which gets pitted on the seat...) then it's valve-job time! If you feel up to it, now's the time to go mining for power with an air die grinder, a carbide burr, and some sandpaper rolls...
I so do hate when that happens! Sometimes the head cracks too... If you see a big gurgle bubble SHUT IT OFF IMMEDIATELY as the motor, she is very thirsty, and you might bend a rod if you haven't already! A steamy weep or a tiny pee-hole might not bubble so much, but it will show up as yellow in the ol' radiator sniffer! And there might be a bit of brown goo in the coolant! Mine ain't quite there...yet! God, I hope the block isn't cracked! Just my luck!
Make sure the block deck and head is true (yard-long straightedge and feeler gauge after cleaning the deck mating surfaces). It's usually S.O.P. to have the head resurfaced once it's off, especially if it's been overheated. Check the valveseats for leakage ("solvent test"), if the solvent dribbles out in considerable volume (face it, all hi-mile heads leak a little bit, especially the exhaust valve which gets pitted on the seat...) then it's valve-job time! If you feel up to it, now's the time to go mining for power with an air die grinder, a carbide burr, and some sandpaper rolls...
Thread Starter
|
New User
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 19
Likes: 0
From: Juneau, Alaska
boy, i hope it's just a head gasket, i really need to just put a new one in, do some other little things and get back to driving. the whole truck ain't worth a couple hundred dollars, but she's transportation and it's payed off ;-)
Trending Topics
Senior User
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 377
Likes: 0
i just took care of mine on my 85. it was sipping a little bit but had a coolant smell to the exhaust, and of course right after i put the headers on and less than a week before collage started back up. Mine was a bad seal on the front cylindar and the coolant passage. a piece about the size of a pencil eraser was missing but i think i drove it for about 8 months before symptoms of coolant burning were there. LAst october after i put my plow mount stuff on my truck it started to run hotter than normal. I replaced water pump, rad with bigger one, flushed everything. Funniest part was i could cruise 70 down the highway with the plow all the way up and it would barely make to 150F, above 55 and it would be 220.
FTE Stories
Ford Trucks for Ford Truck Enthusiasts
Top 10 Most Expensive Ford Trucks Ever Sold on Bring a Trailer
Joe Kucinski
2027 Ford Super Duty Buyer's Guide (Every Model, Engine, & Package)
Brett Foote
Top 10 Ford Truck Tragedies
Joe Kucinski
AEV FXL Super Duty - the Super Duty Raptor Ford Doesn't Make
Brett Foote
Lobo Vs Lobo: Proof the F-150 Lobo Should Be Even Lower!
Michael S. Palmer
Ford's 2001 Explorer Sportsman Concept Looks For a New Home
Verdad Gallardo
10 Best Ford Truck Engines We Miss the Most!
Joe Kucinski
2026 Shelby F-150 Off-Road: Better Than a Raptor R?
Brett Foote