I'm helping a buddy of mine do a valve job on a 93 ranger with a 2.3 that has 8 plugs
When we got it apart we found #3 exhaust valve had a chunk out of it .
The only thing we could come up with is that one of the plugs electrode come apart and went thru the valve ?? every thing else looked good .
The main concern now is we were told that these heads are noted to crack when reinstalling them ,has anyone ever hear of this and if so what do we need to know to keep this from happining
thanx

 

I have done several head jobs on 8 plug 2.3s. Never once have I had an issue with a cracked head. Having said that, I also have never heard about a problem with the heads cracking on 2.3s. Make sure you clean the mating surfaces very well, clean the spots in the head where the alignment pins go in, and be sure to torque the head EXACTLY as specified according to ford. Try to get the specs out of the ford manual if you can because I have had issues in the past where there were inconsistencies between the ford and the haynes/chiltons.

 

thanx for the reply
should a guy get new head bolts ??

 

Not sure about the 2.3 specifically, but I often reuse bolts as long as they are not torque-to-yield bolts, and not damaged. Otherwise the original head bolts should be just fine to use.

 

I too have not heard of cracking cylinder heads on the Lima. The 2.3 in the Tempo/Topaz was a noted cracker, as was the 2.9. The 1600/1900 in the Escort tracer was also subject to cracking when overheated.
The 2.3 Lima head is cast iron, and quite heavy for its size. The valve likely found the weakest spot, or had a flaw, and that spot got hot. It got too hot, and started to erode the valve material away. It then didn't seat on the head any more and transfer the heat from the valve to the cooled head. Doesn't take long with torch like temperatures going past a small aperture to make it into a large aperture. The other cause would be a stuck lifter, holding the valve away from the head, and the process works the same way.
Some heads had a 'slug' of metal in a hole near the rearmost corner on the drivers side. If it was there, put it back. I think it was an anti-drainback valve to keep oil in the head after shutdown, and prevent all the lifters and cam bearings from dry starts.
tom