I think my heads might be blown...I need help

I know this probably sounds dumb,but it does happen.Did you install the the thermostat in the right direction?It only goes one way,And if you put it the wrong way (Assuming it will fit in backwards) it will act like a plug.Also make sure you got a thermostat for the correct temperature range.Too high and you could over heat.Stock thermos usually operate at around 190 degrees °F .

You may also want to check your oil for signs of coolant.Milky colored in some areas or condensation would tell you a gasket is leaking coolant into the oil.Also check the coolant for signs of oil.Rainbow colors in the surface...black or brown thick globs within will show if there is a leak.You mentioned foam from possible residual flushing cleaner.It may not be the cleaner that foam is coming from.A head gasket leak in certain areas can cause this effect.To make sure your system is completely flushed out ..get a hose (Make sure it is filtered water)...pull the thermostat housing off.Put the hose into the coolant passage on the lower intake where the thermo housing bolts on to.Turn the hose on all the way.Starrt the car but let it idle.Don't rev it.And ALWAYS keep the hose running into the coolant port at it's highest output.Make sure your motor is cool before you attempt this as you don't want to run cold water through hot cylinder heads.You only need to do this for about a minute.

I know some people who would object to this as they may think engine damage could occur.As long as you keep the hose on at it's highest setting and...one small detail.While the hose is running,Keep changing the direction the hose is facing,from right..to left..to right...etc.There are coolant passages running both ways (2 cylinder heads..ehh).

Also,with that many miles on your engine,I wouldn't be suprised if it was due for a gasket/s.94-96 V6's are notorious for head gasket failure.

overheating

Mine did the same thing! It was the head gasket. Ford actually had a recall and extended warranty for this to 100,000 miles and 10 years.
Bruce (TX)

hole in the radiator?

Like LX said, check for wite film or condensation in the oil. That would mean it's almost definitely the heads or at least the head gaskets. There was a recall on those for the '94, but not for the '95s (odd in my opinion scince they're basically the same). My head's are going in my '95, but I haven't had any overheating problems. I would check all your hoses and the like for cracks or crimps. Check the entire cooling system for anything out of the ordinary. Sorry if that's not a whole lot of help but its about all I got.

The heads and the block are made of different metal and they heat expanded at different rates causing the head gasket to leak. I thought Ford fixed it in 96 as I have a 96 with 115K miles on it and never replaced the gasket.

I saw here, they make a special head gasket you can use to solve the problem, I'd ask my Ford dealer what kind. I think it was a metal gasket.

They make a head gasket checkers and this is the best I could come up with on Google. http://www.forparts.com/hon2.htm The one I saw was nothing but a radiator cap with a clear tube attached, put it on and make sure the cooling system and tube are full of water, run the engine until it is warm and if you have a gasket leak you'll see bubbles coming up the tube through the water.
Try going to a radiator repair shop or ask around at garages and I'm sure you'll find one.

Is your thermostat bad? Easy test, put it in a pot of water along with a thermometer that goes up to 250. Turn the stove on and watch to see when it *starts* to open, 200 degree stat should start to open at 200, not be fully open, and as it exceeds 200 open more and more and should be fully open at about 212F.

In the old days a friend had a radiator repair shop and I pulled a few wrenches for him. Before he put a new stat in he always checked it using the above method.

Needless to say, the cooling system is one of the most important components of an engine but is the most neglected.

I think there is a leak in the radiator.. Finding a leak with just water in the radiator is hard because the heat evaporates the water. Put 25% anti freeze in it and run it, make sure your pressure cap is good so you get 15 lbs or so of pressure. The antifreeze will come ouf the hole and not evaporate like water and you will see what appears to be a wet spot where it's leaking.

Most of the time they leak around the flues/tubes on the top or bottom plate, and in that case best to recore it, if it can be recored. If it's been leaking a long time you may see a white crusty build up around the hole(s). Now adays they use high tech composite material that is crimped and they're throw aways.

Radiator caps: Look at the seal and if there is an appreciable groove in it, replace it. Stant makes good caps and the spring-center valve design provides extra system sealing protection over that of the drop-center model; it is less vulnerable to contaminants interfering with the seal. In order for the cap to do it's job, which is cusing pressure on the water, the seal must be good. Take an old cap holding 5 lbs of pressure on a car that requires a 15 lb cap, yup, it'll overheat. The water filler neck where the seal rests, keep it clean.


One more tip, don't dog it until the temp comes up because while it's warming up things are going on expanding and the oil is warming up and just not good to dog an engine until it comes up to operating temp. Hope all this helped, good luck. Huney.

Forgot to tell you. They make a special machine to flush cooling systems and if you ask around you should be able to find a shop that has one. They take the stat out and hook the machine up to the engine and radiator and use a cleaning agent and run it through one way then reverse the flow and does a heck of a good cleaning job.

I had the same problem with my wifes 94 vert. I ended up being the passenger side rear freeze plug. It finally gave way on her. I replaced the freeze plug and took the precaution of rebuilding the heads. I haven't had the problem since. That was 2 years ago and about 30K miles. The leak from the freeze plug didn't show, since it is under the AC unit at the firewall.

post the codes when you have a chance.

Removal of intake is about the hardest part, keeping all of the parts sorted out.

Once you get to removal of the heads, you will definitely want to have NEW head bolts and gaskets in hand. You have to use new head bolts because the old bolts have stretched in the engine, and will not have the holding power required for long life.

Depending on the gasket material, there may be a graphite coating that will need to be cleaned. I used a gasket scraper, then a razor blade along with wiping it down with sandpaper and a wipe down with an industrial cleaner. Clean both the head and the engine block.

Can't remember all of the rest of the steps, but once you get it down to that point, you'll be rolling