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Blew a headgasket

  • Thread starter Thread starter XxMustang281xX
  • Start date Start date Jul 29, 2008
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XxMustang281xX

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Jun 9, 2004
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Everett, PA
Jul 29, 2008
#1
  • Jul 29, 2008
  • #1
Racing a 3000 GT the other night I blew a headgasket...or thats what I'm thinking and hoping it is. My question is, how much $$ will it be to replace?? On a supercharged 4.6 I know it will be alot but exactly how much do you guys think? Thanks guys..
 

SaleenGT2001

Well-Known Member
Jul 18, 2005
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58
Four Oaks NC
Jul 29, 2008
#2
  • Jul 29, 2008
  • #2
i have never heard of any blown head gaskets on a 4.6. they are usually very hard to blow out. what are the symptoms?
 

mazen189

Member
Jul 31, 2007
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I.E. southern california
Jul 29, 2008
#3
  • Jul 29, 2008
  • #3
ouch, i blew a head gasket, but i did a pi swap right after..

its jus the options you want to go with....new(used) engine with low miles,

or rebuild the heads, either way, motor has to come out.

and on that note, they are hard to blow....what are the symtoms?
 

XxMustang281xX

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194
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Everett, PA
Jul 29, 2008
#4
  • Jul 29, 2008
  • #4
lots of white smoke. will start, idles very rough, then shuts off, smells like raw fuel. only smoking out drivers side head. when u start, smokes out tailpipe. if its a headgasket why would the motor have to come out?? it better not be the motor its a $4,000 block.
 

CobraRed_96_GT

Active Member
May 20, 2006
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UCSD/La Jolla
Jul 29, 2008
#5
  • Jul 29, 2008
  • #5
is their oil in your coolant?
 

XxMustang281xX

Member
Jun 9, 2004
194
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Everett, PA
Jul 29, 2008
#6
  • Jul 29, 2008
  • #6
dont know...car is at the garage.
 

mazen189

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Jul 31, 2007
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Jul 29, 2008
#7
  • Jul 29, 2008
  • #7
yeah thats a head gasket problem. and im pretty sure theres oil in your coolent, check your dipstick too.
and from my experiance, i have never seen anyone change the heads without removing the entire engine on a 4.6, there doesnt seem to be enough room....or maybe i just have a virgin mind still.
 

CobraRed_96_GT

Active Member
May 20, 2006
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UCSD/La Jolla
Jul 29, 2008
#8
  • Jul 29, 2008
  • #8
mazen189 said:
yeah thats a head gasket problem. and im pretty sure theres oil in your coolent, check your dipstick too.
and from my experiance, i have never seen anyone change the heads without removing the entire engine on a 4.6, there doesnt seem to be enough room....or maybe i just have a virgin mind still.
Click to expand...
Done a full swap and now taken off the heads again with the engine in their in the past 1.5 months, mater cylinder and such gets in the way - and torqueing the heads in sequence with them on is a PITA, but it's doable for sure.
 

mazen189

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#9
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CobraRed_96_GT said:
Done a full swap and now taken off the heads again with the engine in their in the past 1.5 months, mater cylinder and such gets in the way - and torqueing the heads in sequence with them on is a PITA, but it's doable for sure.
Click to expand...

the 96-98 have a lot more room in the engine bay compared to the 99-04 to work though when i look at them. but i can imagine what you mean when its a pita torching the heads down.
 

Gearbanger 101

Straight Outta Locash
20+ Year Stangneter
Aug 10, 2002
9,457
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Ontario, Canada
Jul 29, 2008
#10
  • Jul 29, 2008
  • #10
Sounds like a good excuse for an Explorer engine swap.
 

urban96

bubb rubb says:"woo woooooo"
Founding Member
Sep 24, 2002
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Syracuse, NY
Jul 29, 2008
#11
  • Jul 29, 2008
  • #11
do a compression test and do a pressure test on the coolant system.

it can turn out to be something as simple as one of your intake tubing couplers poped off so start there
 

eliteJAE

Member
May 29, 2007
0
1
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Stanford University
Jul 29, 2008
#12
  • Jul 29, 2008
  • #12
hmm i've seen plenty 4.6's blow head gaskets.

mine being one of them.

they replaced my head gaskets, with the motor still in the car, for $700 including parts (all sorts of gaskets and seals, plug boots, timing chain guides, fluids, etc.). It was a dealership mechanic who did it on the side and took two weeks.
 

Stark77

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Tallahassee, FL
Jul 29, 2008
#13
  • Jul 29, 2008
  • #13
two weeks! ouch!
 

four six

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Jan 19, 2006
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18
Hobart, IN
Jul 31, 2008
#14
  • Jul 31, 2008
  • #14
Pre built ebay racer FTL
 
S

SilverBullet00

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Jul 5, 2004
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Wichita, KS
Jul 31, 2008
#15
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It took my 40 hours to do mine in my garage... of course I had long tubes that I had to take off first... The dealership wanted 2500 to do it, and thats not including the longtubes. you can get a headswap kit from summit for 119.99 and do it yourself. If you have the stock manifolds it really shouldnt be all that hard.
 

bhuff30

Founding Member
Dec 11, 2001
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129
Olathe KS
Jul 31, 2008
#16
  • Jul 31, 2008
  • #16
Yikes: 40hrs? 700-2500$?

On my 2.3, I can change the head gasket in 1.5-2 hrs and it costs all of 11$ for the gasket. If you want to include the price of an oil change, then it sky rockets to about 27$.
 

blckstng96

Member
Apr 13, 2004
208
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16
Jul 31, 2008
#17
  • Jul 31, 2008
  • #17
yeah,very uncommon for 4.6 to blow a headgasket even though i have myself but there were other issues there,a failed waterpump lead to such.anyway you can deff do the head/heads in the car it just sucks.reason i did not get head studs when building my motor was so i still had access to getting my heads off in the car and what do you know,after 8k miles i gotta pull my pass. head now bc i broke a valvespring.anyway check your oil for a coffee lookin substance.i thought i blew a headgasket before too and then when i pulled over and looked around it just turned out to be a blown heater hose.also check you intake manifold,same deal and sometimes its hard to actually see where it has blown out.
 

tank_567

Active Member
Mar 19, 2007
731
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Raleigh, Nc
Jul 31, 2008
#18
  • Jul 31, 2008
  • #18
mazen189 said:
the 96-98 have a lot more room in the engine bay compared to the 99-04 to work though when i look at them. but i can imagine what you mean when its a pita torching the heads down.
Click to expand...

there the same size engine bay. Also it should not take more than 12 hours for some one to do this repair. They just need to drop the k-member/engine and take off the heads.
 

deftsound

Please ask me how much my supercharger cost
Apr 6, 2004
945
1
39
Texas City TX
Jul 31, 2008
#19
  • Jul 31, 2008
  • #19
im at a loss for words...retard thats what you get for street racing
 
S

SilverBullet00

New Member
Jul 5, 2004
1,150
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0
Wichita, KS
Jul 31, 2008
#20
  • Jul 31, 2008
  • #20
bhuff30 said:
Yikes: 40hrs? 700-2500$?

On my 2.3, I can change the head gasket in 1.5-2 hrs and it costs all of 11$ for the gasket. If you want to include the price of an oil change, then it sky rockets to about 27$.
Click to expand...

It took me 40 hours because I had to drop my kmember, take off my longtubes, bolt the kmember back on, take the heads off, get them checked out, put them back on, drop the k member, put the long tubes back on, put the kmember back on, reassemble everything.

I didnt think 40 hours was too bad considering I did everything solo. Putting the k member up by yourself is not fun, there was a beer break after each time!!

Needless to say most of my time was spent with the long tubes, if you dont have those its not bad at all. If you dont have cams, now is a good time to install them!
 
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