My father-in-law's '92 3.0 areo 2wd has (hopefully ) blown a head gasket after over heating last week. white smoke out tailpipe, oil looks good though so I'm crossing my fingers.

anyway.... to swap out those bad boys... should we drop the motor or try to do this with the motor in place ? it looks really tight in there and it has me worried.(nothing like working on my '73 F100 ) He and I will probably start tearing into it this evening. should be .... an experiance.

Thanks for any advice in advance!!
Tony

 

Do a search. A while back someone posted about pulling the engine thru the front. IIRC they even hated pictures and a great description.
Although I haven't actually done it, it doesn't look like something for the "faint of heart" if you know what I mean.
To pull the motor, Fords Better Idea was to raise the van and remove it from underneath, go figure.

-reever

 

Don't try it with the motor in the van. You don't have room to work in there and you'll end up with something not right i.e. broken parts, mis-aligned gaskets etc.

I haven't done my Aero (yet) but I have done full-sized vans. I find it convenient to remove it from the front. First I have the front wheels on ramps so that the engine hoist has the right angle to get in and over the motor. You still have to install the intake after the motor is installed.

I suppose if you had the equipment to drop it from below, it would be nice to have the engine fully assembled before going back in. You would really have to raise the body high and have some sort of cradle to move the motor up and down in.

BTW - once the motor is out, it's a great time to rebuild the frontend.

 

The Haynes manual says you can service the heads with the engine in the van. My mechanic replaced both heads on my '92 with the engine in the van, and when I asked him, he said it was less trouble than dropping the engine. That was one job I was glad I hired out instead of trying to do it myself.

 

On my last response it should be posted, not hated. I apologize for not checking the spelling....

-reever

 

Pulling the motor out the front is a lot of work, but it's the only way to do it in your driveway or garage. I replaced the motor in my 92 shorty 3.0 about 2 months ago and the only advise I can give you is to take your time.
Also, if you have air conditioning, you dont have to do an evacuation / recharge, just carefully swing the condenser and the rest of the components off to the side and tie them there.
I should also mention an experience I had with another car (not a Ford) ... Same situation as yours, overheated and white smoke...
Day 1, replace head gasket and drive car.
Day 2 find coolant in the oil take head off again and replace with a good one (one without a crack, should have had it tested)
Day 3 car burning oil severely, take engine apart for the third time in three days!! and replace siezed piston rings.
The moral of the story is that it's too much work to just "Hope" that it's only the head gasket that needs to be replaced.
Be carefull and good luck.

 

Here is the site for pulling the engine out the front <click here>

I did the head gaskets myself on a 4.0 in the driveway. It wasn't that bad. I had the heads check while I had them off. Your choice.

edit: for some reason the link isn't showing up. Go to http://jthill.herringtontech.net

 

I suppose if you wanted to you could do the heads from inside the engine compartment.
Listen to Aerocook. Also, you must have a lot of miles on that motor, why not pull it and "freshen" it up with a new oil pump, timing chain etc. Cylinder work is an option also.
What are your plans for this van?

 

UEMF:

After doing it twice.......The Wife's 89 Aerostar and My 89 Aero.

If your going to go to the trouble of pulling half the engine apart to change the HeadGaskets why not go all the way and do a complete rebuild.

One of the MOST IMPORTANT things that needs to be done is the Freeze Plugs.
If they're not replaced and are the steel ones they rust out, your water will leak out.

Just think, Your driving down the freeway at 70MPH..........Overheated engine, blown Headgaskets....Maybe even warped Heads.

Like they say "Measure Twice, Cut Once" But with a Engine "Do it right, Do it Once".

Good Luck,
Jay
http://jthill.herringtontech.net

 

Actually the motor comes out the bottom. There are Six long bolts (Three each side) that connect the frame too the lower A-Frame and cross memember.

Remove the Lines, Hoses, and Wires. Remove the Three long bolts that tie the A-frame to the upper frame on each side. Remove transmission cross memember and jack the front of the van up. The engine will rest on the lower frme cross memember with the rack and pinion and tires still mounted.

You can leave the motor mounted on the cross memember or remove it. Make sure you put the body and frame on stands and mark all your connections.

 

Muffinman:

There is ton more stuff you have to take off/do then just that.
If you drop it from the bottom,
You have to remove the front brakes and calipers,
Take loose the brake line bracket from the frame,
Take loose the steering shaft,
Remove the front stabilizer bar,
Wrap the lower control arm with a safety chain so when you break loose the upper ball joints from the spindle the coil spring doesn't jump out knock your head off.
Plus, plus, plus...........................

It is Way, Way easier and safer to pull it through the front.

Jay
http://jthill.herringtontech.net

 

Do not pull the engine just to replace head gaskets. That would be a tremendous waste of time and effort. Not to mention risking breaking more than is already wrong with the van. Both head gaskets can be done with the engine in place. I did both in my 3.0 aero in a day. It really isnt very hard at all. It will be just a matter of remembering where everything goes when it comes reassembly time. All I can say it take lots of pics and label every power connector, hose, or vacuum line. It will help a whole lot.

 

pulling engine depends on engine condition totally, if uncertain, pull engine for complete check of heads, pistons rings, block, bearings, seals, etc.
how long was it run in overheated condition and how hot did it get. just white exhaust steam for less than 5 minutes-maybe ok, or engine smoking smell-not good.

if engine was shut off immediately after exhaust steam was seen, replacing head gasket may be safe option if $cost is a limiting factor . in any case, have heads professionally tank solvent cleaned, inspected for cracks and align ground for flatness.

if hi mileage, or ran for some time hot, then pull engine and do rebuild. with steam out the exhaust, I can guarentee water/coolant in the oil. intake stroke sucks in coolant to combustion chamber, exhaust stroke forces it out the exhaust valve and down past the rings.
ethelene glycol in oil is like sugaring an engine, rings and bearings are toast. replace water pump, overheating turns seal and bearing grease to monkey poop with coolant in bearing-not good.

use new head bolts only per Ford requirements. Ford V6 head bolts are permanently stretched under torque, one time use only. follow Ford's torque specs and torque pattern exactly. I would shoot my Aero if I had to do the head gaskets twice in same week because of improper installation leak.

Jay has a great site for engine removal with clear descriptive pictures. as he says mark and label everything.
dang, where did that strange extra bolt come from?

 

It's not any slower or harder. It saves you time in the long run.

Steering is one bolt that's it.
Brake Lines no big deal
The springs will not fly out. Just jack up the car. It's no different then replacing upper bushing in the van.
Fuel, starter, etc still need to be removed if you take it out the front.
The stabalizer is four bolts.


The plus side is no broken Grill, Hood, Fenders, No need to pull Radiator, AC hoses.

Also a engine puller is too high to go in right. You end up bending the engine compartment just getting in there. If you read his post he said he had to take the intake off just to get in there and have room too lift it.

 

Muffinman:

NO........What I said was, that it would of been easier to pull out by taking the intake off first. It will still come out without bending anything. The pictures is of my wife's Aerostar. It was the first one I did and I didn't want to take anymore apart then I had too.
But the 2nd one I rebuilt (my 89 Aero) I pulled the intake off before I pulled it.

By myself I had the Trans pulled and sitting by the van, the engine out (pulled through the front) on a engine stand & stripped apart in less than 7 hrs. That was taking time out to eat lunch and a couple of breaks to get some Ice Tea.

Just to let you know I called 10-15 shops before I decided to tackle the job. I asked about pulling the engine through the front or dropping it from the bottom. Not one of
them said that they ever dropped it through the bottom. The all said that they pull them through the front...........Even the Service guys at the 4 FORD dealerships I called.

Jay