This is a 97 explorer V6, that has had radiator issues but not overheated, kinda. He had his radiator rebuilt,and the mech said check to make sure you dont have water in your oil, there was evidence of moisture but thats about it. So on the way home from the shop it starts heating up, stops tops off the rad. and gets home, now he has water in the oil, and wants to drain the oil to make sure 1) that this is now the next issue and 2)verify how quick the water is entering the oil. After draining the oil/ water, a 4-5mi drive home the result is alot of water in the oil. I know, dah! So another mech and the guys at the rad shop say its probably intake gaskets or cracked intake, now that I've got both intakes off I have questions for the experienced with this eng.

I could see water leaking, externally,where the thermostat housing attaches to the front of the pass side head, but from what I can see at this point I dont see how that would cause water to get into the oil.

And I dont see water passages in either intake to cause the leak, even if the gaskets/ intake were cracked. Unless water sitting on top "in the valley" is leaking in, but think its more a pressurized area problem due to the amount of water in the oil. I suspect that the leak is in one of the heads or the block, and figure we yank the heads and go from there.

In reading the posts here someone noted that man hrs is the same for heads as it is for pulling the eng, with 140k on the eng which direction is best, r/r the heads or swap out?

From reading the posts there seems to be experience here and not a bunch of bone head answers and remarks so, thank you for the assistance ahead of time.

 

It sounds like you have a SOHC engine from the description. Coolant cannot get into the oil from an intake leak on SOHCs. The other guy was thinking of the pushrod 4.0L. You prob have a blown head gasket. Be careful yanking the heads off, you need special tools to set the cam timing or you will bend valves.