95 5.0 Cracked Head and Bad Water Pump
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Joined: Feb 2004
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From: GOING BACK TO TEXAS!!!
95 5.0 Cracked Head and Bad Water Pump
Buying a 95 5.0 XLT with about 157k for $900 today. It has two big problems for the time being (diagnosed at a auto salvage yard)- one of the heads is cracked and the water pump is bad. I think the salvage yard was trying to rip the guy off (wanted $350 to $500 for a "cracked head replacement and water pump replacement" with labor)
How can someone tell if a head is cracked instead of it being a blown head gasket without ripping the engine down to the head and doing a visual/magnaflux inspection? To my knowledge (which is VERY limited) a compression check and a "leak down" test would point to both of these problems. Anyways, I'm going to buy the head gasket set and begin tearing it down today, hopefully finding a cracked gasket.
The water pump is the original, and I'm not 100% sure what to check for it other than wobble at the main water pump bearing. Any other ideas? For 35 bucks, I'm going to put in a new one while I have the motor torn apart. And it might get a heavy duty fan clutch for good measure.
Tim
How can someone tell if a head is cracked instead of it being a blown head gasket without ripping the engine down to the head and doing a visual/magnaflux inspection? To my knowledge (which is VERY limited) a compression check and a "leak down" test would point to both of these problems. Anyways, I'm going to buy the head gasket set and begin tearing it down today, hopefully finding a cracked gasket.
The water pump is the original, and I'm not 100% sure what to check for it other than wobble at the main water pump bearing. Any other ideas? For 35 bucks, I'm going to put in a new one while I have the motor torn apart. And it might get a heavy duty fan clutch for good measure.
Tim
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Senior User
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 212
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From: GOING BACK TO TEXAS!!!
I forgot to add the findings to this thread that I started!
August: I tore the engine down in the garage, which makes a royal mess. The passenger side head had a cracked exhaust valve on the number seven cylinder. After removing, I checked the valve mating in the head, everything was fine after a good cleansing. A new exhaust valve in, pulled all of the old valves, cleaned the heads and the valves, put it all back together and onto the motor. Not fun when you are doing it by yourself. Buttoned everything back together. New waterpump up front, new thermostat, new head bolts, new plugs (the P.O. used platinums, now we are back to the cheapos), and the motor ran great. I did break the air injection return tube to the egr when reassembling, creating a bad exhaust leak under the upper intake manifold. Two weeks to get the pipe in if I order it today. Replaced a couple of the plastic vaccum hoses with some spare washer hose that I had (now Max A/C works that way it should). Cost: $150
Early September: Next job was the ball joints (lot of play at top and bottom of tire when jacked up). The rental ball joint press is great if you use an impact gun on the c clamp instead of a wratchet like the directions state. After putting the discs back on, and trying to re-install the original automatic hubs, the dirve shafts stayed locked in on both sides...back to auto parts store for warn manuals and spindle nut kit. The hubs and nut kit are a great addition and an easy install once you purchase the spindle nut socket. Cost: $180
And yesterday, instead of getting a new air injection return tube for the egr, I went to the local hardware store and bought a pipe plug that fit into the reducer that comes out of the lower intake manifold. If anyone else needs to know the size, it is a 1/2" outer diameter bung. Installed the bung with teflon tape and some high temp rtv (I know that it was going overboard, but it makes me feel better about the seal). After putting back on the upper intake manifold and throttle body back on, and waiting a half hour for cure time, no more exhaust leaks! Cost: $0.97 for bung
Last thing to take care of was the passenger side window motor. I took off the interior door molding, carefully removed the weather plastic, and got to the motor. I had to drill out two areas to be able to get to the bolts that hold the motor to the window lifting arm. I removed the motor, disassembled the motor, cleaned out all of the corosion and old grease, added new grease, and reassembled. I tested the motor in the door by plugging it in and pressing the window button. After making sure it worked, I reassembled everything. After it was all back together, I pressed the power window button and now up works as down and vice versa. (I put the window motor back together backwards). Oh well, it stays like that until I have a reason to get back into the passenger side door. Cost: free!
Guys and gals, thanks for letting me brag about what the "backyard mechanic" did on his own and for what price. My wife only cares that the stuff works, not how it got to that point.
Thanks again!
August: I tore the engine down in the garage, which makes a royal mess. The passenger side head had a cracked exhaust valve on the number seven cylinder. After removing, I checked the valve mating in the head, everything was fine after a good cleansing. A new exhaust valve in, pulled all of the old valves, cleaned the heads and the valves, put it all back together and onto the motor. Not fun when you are doing it by yourself. Buttoned everything back together. New waterpump up front, new thermostat, new head bolts, new plugs (the P.O. used platinums, now we are back to the cheapos), and the motor ran great. I did break the air injection return tube to the egr when reassembling, creating a bad exhaust leak under the upper intake manifold. Two weeks to get the pipe in if I order it today. Replaced a couple of the plastic vaccum hoses with some spare washer hose that I had (now Max A/C works that way it should). Cost: $150
Early September: Next job was the ball joints (lot of play at top and bottom of tire when jacked up). The rental ball joint press is great if you use an impact gun on the c clamp instead of a wratchet like the directions state. After putting the discs back on, and trying to re-install the original automatic hubs, the dirve shafts stayed locked in on both sides...back to auto parts store for warn manuals and spindle nut kit. The hubs and nut kit are a great addition and an easy install once you purchase the spindle nut socket. Cost: $180
And yesterday, instead of getting a new air injection return tube for the egr, I went to the local hardware store and bought a pipe plug that fit into the reducer that comes out of the lower intake manifold. If anyone else needs to know the size, it is a 1/2" outer diameter bung. Installed the bung with teflon tape and some high temp rtv (I know that it was going overboard, but it makes me feel better about the seal). After putting back on the upper intake manifold and throttle body back on, and waiting a half hour for cure time, no more exhaust leaks! Cost: $0.97 for bung
Last thing to take care of was the passenger side window motor. I took off the interior door molding, carefully removed the weather plastic, and got to the motor. I had to drill out two areas to be able to get to the bolts that hold the motor to the window lifting arm. I removed the motor, disassembled the motor, cleaned out all of the corosion and old grease, added new grease, and reassembled. I tested the motor in the door by plugging it in and pressing the window button. After making sure it worked, I reassembled everything. After it was all back together, I pressed the power window button and now up works as down and vice versa. (I put the window motor back together backwards). Oh well, it stays like that until I have a reason to get back into the passenger side door. Cost: free!
Guys and gals, thanks for letting me brag about what the "backyard mechanic" did on his own and for what price. My wife only cares that the stuff works, not how it got to that point.
Thanks again!
