Gasket Change ! Help!

OscarGT95

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Nov 7, 2016
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Inglewood CA
I Have a GT 95' 5.0 (idk if Im in the right chat) but uhh only problem i have is the head gaskets need to change them

car DOES NOT over heat just blows white smoke when it warms up as to having a leak through the gaskets.


THIS IS FIRST TIME doing a gasket job and I need a walk thru on how to change them on my own .. PLEASE HELP! Any help will help!
I'm going to need tourqe specs as well
 
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That symptom alone wouldn't make me think head gaskets.

Habe you done a compression test? Are you losing coolant? Have you drained oil and verified no coolant in oil?




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That symptom alone wouldn't make me think head gaskets.

Habe you done a compression test? Are you losing coolant? Have you drained oil and verified no coolant in oil?




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Yeah did those , compression was still good and coolant had no oil what so ever had a mechanic do a gasket check test as well and figured that it was just my gaskets
 
There are other ways coolant can get into the engine. Not just the heads. For instance, lower intake manifold has coolant paths than can leak into the cylinder. Is the intake stock?

IS the smoke even from both tailpipes? If a gasket was popped, you would notice the smoke favor one side over the other.

Unless running forced induction, blowing a head gasket on a 5.0 is not that common in N/A form. What's your list of mods?
 
You can try using a combustion leak tester. Most parts stores let you use the tool, but you'll have to buy the fluid.

Are you losing coolant?
 
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Two simple ways to check for leaks

1st, start engine cold, remove radiator cap and look for formation of small bubbles in the coolant. A cold engine will generally reveal small leaks better than a warm one. Bubbles in the coolant will generally reveal engine compression escaping past the head gasket, into the coolant.

2nd, hit up your local autozone and pick yourself up a "block tester" kit. It's not as accurate at detecting where the leak is, but it will detect the presence of hydrocarbons in the coolant system.
 
He stated he had a mechanic perform a "gasket check test" and stated it was probably just gaskets. I'm gonna go out on a limb and guess he used a block tester..
 
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There are other ways coolant can get into the engine. Not just the heads. For instance, lower intake manifold has coolant paths than can leak into the cylinder. Is the intake stock?

IS the smoke even from both tailpipes? If a gasket was popped, you would notice the smoke favor one side over the other.

Unless running forced induction, blowing a head gasket on a 5.0 is not that common in N/A form. What's your list of mods?


Yeah intake is stock w a spacer , I have stock heads as well I basically just have a mild e303 cam and shorty BBk headers , and yes only left pipes blew smoke out
 
There are other ways coolant can get into the engine. Not just the heads. For instance, lower intake manifold has coolant paths than can leak into the cylinder. Is the intake stock?

IS the smoke even from both tailpipes? If a gasket was popped, you would notice the smoke favor one side over the other.

Unless running forced induction, blowing a head gasket on a 5.0 is not that common in N/A form. What's your list of mods?
There are other ways coolant can get into the engine. Not just the heads. For instance, lower intake manifold has coolant paths than can leak into the cylinder. Is the intake stock?

IS the smoke even from both tailpipes? If a gasket was popped, you would notice the smoke favor one side over the other.

Unless running forced induction, blowing a head gasket on a 5.0 is not that common in N/A form. What's your list of mods?


I'm having problems w My rocker arms on the right side they all are loose can this be a problem to why my car is blowing out white smoke through tail pipes??
 
I'm having problems w My rocker arms on the right side they all are loose can this be a problem to why my car is blowing out white smoke through tail pipes??


Is the smoke equal on both sides? Usually if a head gasket is leaking, one side will spew way more than the other.

Are you losing coolant? It should be quite noticeable. What did the mechanic say who did the check?

Do you drive this car? If you idle it in the driveway/garage, and never really take it out to get it nice and warmed up, it's possible the smoke you are seeing is just condensation from the exhaust.
 
Is the smoke equal on both sides? Usually if a head gasket is leaking, one side will spew way more than the other.

Are you losing coolant? It should be quite noticeable. What did the mechanic say who did the check?

Do you drive this car? If you idle it in the driveway/garage, and never really take it out to get it nice and warmed up, it's possible the smoke you are seeing is just condensation from the exhaust.


No it spits out more from my left pipe, yeah it's a daily and no I'm not loosing any coolant. He said just my head gaskets need to be swapped out to new ones nothing else was mentioned
 
Wow, I don't know, did you check the head bolts to see if they where torked to specs? Check to see if you have the right rocker arms and push rods, if you do start it up again and when its smoke'n smell it, antifreez has a very distinct smell when it gos through the combustion process.
 
White smoke when hot, your obviously mixing coolant into combustion chamber. Either way your looking at tear down. The loose rocker arms wouldn't cause white smoke. It would be noisy as hell on that side, you did not mention any noise. Also if your rockers were loose, you'd be down on power big time, from valves not fully opening and closing. Did you have any coolant spray out of any cylinders when you did compression test? If it was me I'd tear it down. If you have coolant in your oil , you will destroy that motor quicker than you can imagine. When torn down I would also have a machine shop pressure test your heads for cracks. Normally I'd say have block pulled and magna fluxed but since your not overheating, a good visual of all eight cylinder bores should be good. You also want to inspect along block where gasket seals very carefully for cracks. When you pull gaskets, look around each sealing ring that seals head. I think you had a bone head throw together your motor in the past. Torque ing a cylinder head is one spot in your vehicle that is mandatory, can't cheat and expect a good sealing/running engine. Factory 302 head torque is 65 to 72 ft lbs. if you use aftermarket bolts like arp go by specs on package. Well theirs my 2 cents.


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White smoke when hot, your obviously mixing coolant into combustion chamber. Either way your looking at tear down. The loose rocker arms wouldn't cause white smoke. It would be noisy as hell on that side, you did not mention any noise. Also if your rockers were loose, you'd be down on power big time, from valves not fully opening and closing. Did you have any coolant spray out of any cylinders when you did compression test? If it was me I'd tear it down. If you have coolant in your oil , you will destroy that motor quicker than you can imagine. When torn down I would also have a machine shop pressure test your heads for cracks. Normally I'd say have block pulled and magna fluxed but since your not overheating, a good visual of all eight cylinder bores should be good. You also want to inspect along block where gasket seals very carefully for cracks. When you pull gaskets, look around each sealing ring that seals head. I think you had a bone head throw together your motor in the past. Torque ing a cylinder head is one spot in your vehicle that is mandatory, can't cheat and expect a good sealing/running engine. Factory 302 head torque is 65 to 72 ft lbs. if you use aftermarket bolts like arp go by specs on package. Well theirs my 2 cents.


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Yeahh' I had noise in there took it to the mechanic and said rockers where shot out so
Wow, I don't know, did you check the head bolts to see if they where torked to specs? Check to see if you have the right rocker arms and push rods, if you do start it up again and when its smoke'n smell it, antifreez has a very distinct smell when it gos through the combustion process.

Yeah my rocker arms were completely shot and worn down , bonehead did not know what he was doing I just needed a new set , quick question : could there have been a oil leak thru any of the rocker arms or pushrods that were loose n worn out ? I just want to know of its even possible for oil to leak thru those two parts*NOTE ITS JUST A QUESTION , NOT A PROBLEM I HAVE**
 
It never ceases to amaze me when I read this column, how many members, or past owners of These Mustangs , either throw on high performance parts, without knowing their compatability with the other parts, or if the computer will even accept, or adapt to them. The other thing that's amazing, is how many don't adjust their rocker arms properly. Oscar, it sounds like your drivers side head gasket has failed. You could take a chance and replace the one side, although I would do both. As I stated earlier, have the heads checked for cracks, and be sure you have the proper rocker arm setup for these heads. And be sure to set up your valve lash properly when assembling. One last note, be sure to measure cam lobes to be sure your whithin spec. It would suck to find out you have one or more worn lobes on your cam.


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Karthief I hear you. I learned working on cars way back in the days of platform shoes, and no computers. We didn't have obd diagnostic tools to help us narrow down problems. If you were lucky enough to work at a shop or dealer, they had huge Sun diagnostic scopes. If you worked out of home, you had to diagnose old school way. We learned how to tell if your miss was electrical or fuel. Their were no dtc codes to narrow your search. You got good using a volt/ ohm meter, and how to tune a carb. One thing you never messed up on was torquing cylinder heads. One of my biggest gripes these days is the crap quality of parts. Even brand name part camshafts, pistons/ rings, fail so quick these days. Well that's what happens when you want parts to be the same price as 1990. It just doesn't work. All the jobs that Trump promises here are great, but are you willing to pay $1500.00 for your I phone 8?


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