i just found that my right cyl. head is now leaking and plan on pullin the heads and replacing the gaskets, but i am wondering if i need to have the heads milled to make sure this wont happen again or am i safe to just get the revised head gaskets and make sure all is straight and clean the surfaces and just put the heads back on? any info would be much appreicated.

thanks for any help that can be given
Mitch

 

The right side is the one that has classically had the issue with head machining problems from the factory. '99 is one of the years effected. Do you have the 5.4?

 

yes its a 99 expedition i love the truck and dont wanna get rid of it just yet and plan on pullin the heads some time soon just need to figure out what all i need to plan on doing to fix the issue. i use to be a auto tech but have never done this before so i just wanna know what i need to be prepaired for. i should say i have not done this on a f150/expedition before.

 

There have been a number of discussions on this and the 4.6/5.4 Modular forums regarding this issue. It seems that there were a large number of these engines that had a poor finish on either the heads or block deck surface. I don't remember if the revised gasket was all you needed to do or if it was a more indepth repair.
I think there was some mention of a recall or TSB about this, so I suggest you check out that forum or just do a search for head gasket leaks.

 

i have done all of this and i have yet to see if the heads will need to be milled to fix the issue. so if any one has any insite on this please let me know

 

The two times I have had this issue the heads were milled. I think when the pros do this job they take the body off the frame. The charge on both of my jobs was around 2k, but I got assistance on both of the fixes and paid 500 and 750 if memory serves me.

 

ok thanks for the info. that tells me that i need to plan on a little more than a weekend of work. im hopin to just do it the hard way of leavin the body on. talked to a guy and he knows of a guy that pulled the engine in a f150 this way and that has givin me some faith on pullin heads this way.

 

I just did my head gasket back in april, I only did my passenger side, per tsb, all I did was pull the head cleaned it checked for flatness and put it back together, while I had it out I replaced the exhaust studs took about 8 hours of work and goofing off, and I left the engine in the expedtion and I also left the body on

 

Dan, I sure wish you lived closer to my house, I'd let you come over and show me how to do it the easy way. Why I'd even provide the tools, beer and even dinner for the tutorial.

Actually, I'm still waiting for some better weather, I just don't want to go out in the cold, the wet or the snow. I'm going to pull the engine on the next warm(er) day.

 

wow that sounds awsome ill just plan on checkin for flatness if it needs milled ill just worry about it when i get to it. thanks for all the info guys i feel better goin into this now

 

I just hope the needed area is the head and not the block, for your sake.

 

this is the tsb you need
TSB
03-6-2 ENGINE - CYLINDER HEAD DECK LEAK - 4.6 AND 5.4L ENGINES - NEW "SERVICE-ONLY" GASKET AND CYLINDER HEAD KITS AVAILABILITY

Publication Date: March 14, 2003

FORD: 1999-2002 CROWN VICTORIA, MUSTANG
1999-2001 E SERIES, EXPEDITION, F-150, SUPER DUTY F SERIES
2000-2001 EXCURSION
LINCOLN: 1999-2002 TOWN CAR
1998-1999 NAVIGATOR
MERCURY: 1999-2002 GRAND MARQUIS



Article 02-22-7 is being republished in its entirety to update the Model Year and Model Line coverage.

ISSUE:
Some vehicles equipped with the Romeo built 4.6L 2V engine or 5.4L 2V Windsor and 5.4L Supercharged engine may exhibit an oil leak or oil weepage from the cylinder head gasket at the right hand rear or the left hand front of the engine. Oil weepage is not considered detrimental to engine performance or durability. An oil leak may be caused by metal chip debris lodged between the head gasket and the block, chip debris between the cylinder head and the head gasket, or by damage to the cylinder head sealing surface that occurred during the manufacturing process.

ACTION:
Once an oil leak is verified with a black light test at the head gasket joint, replacement of the head gasket can be performed. If the head was damaged by chip contamination, the head should be replaced. A revised "Service-Only" gasket is now released for both of these cases.

SERVICE INFORMATION

Cylinder heads damaged by brinnelling (depression marks from original gasket) of the head may still be reusable. The revised "Service-Only" gasket has a feature by which the embossed sealing area does not follow the same sealing path as the original gasket. This area is surrounding the High Pressure Oil Feed (HPOF) area. It is triangular in shape and is found in the rear of the passenger side cylinder head, or, in the front of the drivers side cylinder head (Figure 1 and Figure 2).

Required for service are:

A straightedge (machine flatness toleranced to 0.0002" per foot in length) (available from Snap-On or as provided by Ford Motor Company)
Motorcraft Silicone Gasket Remover (ZC-30)
Metal Surface Prep (ZC-31)
Service-only gasket (3U7Z-6051-BA for drivers side and/or 3U7Z-6051-AA for passenger side) with the new embossed area
The engine should be allowed to cool before removing the head or warpage may occur in deck flatness.

The cylinder head and block decks should be cleaned before performing a flatness check. Dark metal stains below the surface of the metal are normal. Do not attempt to polish off the stains with grinders or scrapers. Use a plastic scraper (or plastic ice scraper or equivalent) to pull away any residual silicone RTV with ZC-30 and ZC-31 applied in sequence.

The Workshop Manual and Service Labor Time Standards have been recently updated for both cars and truck using 4.6L 2V and 5.4L 2V and Supercharged 5.4L engines. These include instructions to remove the engine prior to removing the cylinder head. Service Labor Time Standards allow for extra time in engine removal and cylinder head deck leak repair out of vehicle.

Cylinder Head Kits are available on most applications. Refer to the current Parts Catalog Listing for applicability.

Cylinder Head Kits include:

Complete Head assembly, with Cam and Valves
Head Bolts
Service Only Head Gasket
Both Intake Gaskets
Exhaust Gasket
One Rocker Cover Gasket
One set of Exhaust Studs and Nuts
If it is found that only one head is leaking, it is not necessary to remove the other head. Only repair the side for which leakage occurs.

For detailed information on these subjects refer to previous articles on general cylinder head gasket repairs, machining of aluminum heads and blocks, gasket cleaners/removers, and straightedge procedures.

PART NUMBER PART NAME
ZC-30 Motorcraft Silicone Gasket Remover
ZC-31 Metal Surface Prep
3U7Z-6051-BA Service-Only Head Gasket - Left
3U7Z-6051-AA Service-Only Head Gasket - Right



OTHER APPLICABLE ARTICLES:
01-12-2, 01-21-10, 02-1-4, 02-11-4, 02-21-13, 02-2-3, 02-17-2

SUPERSEDES:
02-22-7

WARRANTY STATUS:
Information Only

OASIS CODES:
401000, 402000, 403000, 490000, 497000, 499000




Figure 1 - Article 03-6-2

 

Hello, I have a 2002 Expedition built in Michigan with 4.6. Now leaking oil down and over the starter. could this be the same head problem?

 

it could be, it's possible you have an early build truck with a older engine, check to see if the leak is coming from the valve cover or head

 

Thanks, that is what I was afraid of. Since my post, I went out to see what I could find. there is some seepage from the rear corner of the pass side vale cover though it is not wet. Down below that is where the oil seems wetter. View is covered by exaust pipe so I had to use mirror.