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head gasket replacement

hi
any tech tips or print outs on replacing the head gasket on a 1984 cougar with the 3.8 engine? im getting the coolant lose in the radiator, not much. but it is now coming out in the exhaust. it doesnt come out when your driving , just when you idle. no coolant has leaked into the oil or trans.
jcassity i know you said something about checking compression, but do you have to if your going to replace the head gasket anyway.
i did do one head gasket about 3 years ago on my 1989 lincoln continetal, i think the cougar should be easier :)???

thank you
eddie
eddie

my rides well some of them work:hick:

1995 towncar in black 246 K non running
1989 continental 110K waiting for a part
1984 cougar head gaskets done almost ready!
Yikes the daily ride ...1998 chevy lumina:hick:

head gasket replacement

Reply #1 –
Once you get past all the emissions  on the passenger side, it should be pretty easy. Just like a v-8, but less bolts and lighter heads. Was the conti front or rear wheel drive? If you need help finding things, it will amaze you at what a hayes or chiltons manual can help you find.
Quote from: jcassity
I honestly dont think you could exceed the cost of a new car buy installing new *stock* parts everywhere in your coug our tbird. Its just plain impossible. You could revamp the entire drivetrain/engine/suspenstion and still come out ahead.
Hooligans! 
1988 Crown Vic wagon. 120K California car. Wifes grocery getter. (junked)
1987 Ford Thunderbird LX. 5.0. s.o., sn-95 t-5 and an f-150 clutch. Driven daily and going strong.
1986 cougar.
lilsammywasapunkrocker@yahoo.com

head gasket replacement

Reply #2 –
I believe you can't re-use the head bolts on a 3.8. not sure about that year though.
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Pretty much every panel on my 87 is new, rebuilt, or re constructed. :D
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head gasket replacement

Reply #3 –
Are you sure what you see out the exaust is not just condensation or does it leave green drip on the ground???

head gasket replacement

Reply #4 –
You definately need to replace all the bolts with a new set.  Be sure to get the heads to the machine shop to make sure they are absolutely level.  Being that it's 25 years old you may discover that the heads are too corroded to reuse.  They corrode badly around the water ports and that could be part of the reason you have a bad gasket.  The machine shop can advise you whether or not to reuse them.  You may find that you need some valve seat work too.

I had my engine in my 85 Cougar apart in less than 3 hours and I had no trouble with manifold bolts or any other breakage taking it apart.
Armed Forces Car Club
Eastern Sierra Chapter, California
WEB:  armedforcescarclub.com

head gasket replacement

Reply #5 –
you should do a compression check anyway, its not a terribly invasive procedure.

does it run hot or overheat? is the overflow empty?
does it smoke? all the time or just untill its warmed up.

like said water out the tailpipe could aslo just be condensation. a waterfall would obviously not be normal.
be sure to get the right headgasket set, there are a few different ones.

theres a very nice print out on how to change your headgasket in a haynes manual.
"Beating the hell out of other peoples cars since 1999"
1983 Ford Thunderbird Heritage
1984 Ford Mustang GT Turbo Convertible
2015 Ford Focus SE 1.0 EcoBoost

head gasket replacement

Reply #6 –
never overheats.... and the overflow is full ... clouds of white smoke when the car idles, but when you have your foot on the gas it does not do it. and you can smell the coolant burning from the exhaust.
eddie

my rides well some of them work:hick:

1995 towncar in black 246 K non running
1989 continental 110K waiting for a part
1984 cougar head gaskets done almost ready!
Yikes the daily ride ...1998 chevy lumina:hick:

head gasket replacement

Reply #7 –
my 84 mustang did the same thing, around the same mileage and it was the intake manifold gasket. this was some years ago but if i remember correctly it leaked at the front drivers side cyl between the coolant passage and intake port. no milky oil and didnt overheat but smoked quite a bit at idle. was worried it was a cracked head at first(since these tent to do that ive read).
$20 at pepboyz and about an hour of work. about half the work of a headgasket but when you do it youll know if that was your problem since youll be in there anyway.
"Beating the hell out of other peoples cars since 1999"
1983 Ford Thunderbird Heritage
1984 Ford Mustang GT Turbo Convertible
2015 Ford Focus SE 1.0 EcoBoost

Need some Expertise on Intake Manifold Gasket

Reply #8 –
Quote from: Ductape91;302872
my 84 mustang did the same thing, around the same mileage and it was the intake manifold gasket. this was some years ago but if i remember correctly it leaked at the front drivers side cyl between the coolant passage and intake port. no milky oil and didnt overheat but smoked quite a bit at idle. was worried it was a cracked head at first(since these tent to do that ive read).
$20 at pepboyz and about an hour of work. about half the work of a headgasket but when you do it youll know if that was your problem since youll be in there anyway.


I have the same symptoms as you indicated.  So I removed the intake manifold tonight.  I snapped some pictures in hopes that a few of you that have experienced similar issues will be able to tell me what my next step will be.  Either that there is some indicators on the old manifold gasket that would lead you to believe a new gasket is in order or that I need to keep taking it apart and replace the head gaskets.

To recap: I have the same issue as blackcat85:  It never overheats and the overflow is full.  I have clouds of white smoke when the car idles, but when you have your foot on the gas it does not do it. And you can smell the coolant burning from the exhaust.

When removing the bolts I notice each one was torqued down differently.  Some took little effort to untighten while others took quite a bit of force.

The vehicle is a 1987 Thunderbird with the 3.8l.

At any rate, this is the most engine disassembly I have ever done.  So, I have no frame of reference.  Any insight would be helpful.
1987 Ford Thunderbird Base model 3.8l  Bone stock.  Trying to get it to perform the best it can.  Wanted:  Nice set of 4 bolt wheels.

More pictures

Reply #9 –
Some more pictures.
1987 Ford Thunderbird Base model 3.8l  Bone stock.  Trying to get it to perform the best it can.  Wanted:  Nice set of 4 bolt wheels.

And some more pictures

Reply #10 –
More pics
1987 Ford Thunderbird Base model 3.8l  Bone stock.  Trying to get it to perform the best it can.  Wanted:  Nice set of 4 bolt wheels.

head gasket replacement

Reply #11 –
any pics with the gaskets pulled off the heads?
it was obvious where the leak was between the ports, you could noticably see where it wicked, burned up and wore away the gasket between them. i cleaned the  out of the intake manifold(every hole all the way thru) and what i could of the heads before i put it back together.
my memory is a bit outdated but yours doesnt look like mine did from what im seeing here, your crud is at the back of the heads.
all of your intake ports are way dirtier than mine were though.
"Beating the hell out of other peoples cars since 1999"
1983 Ford Thunderbird Heritage
1984 Ford Mustang GT Turbo Convertible
2015 Ford Focus SE 1.0 EcoBoost

head gasket replacement

Reply #12 –
Quote from: Ductape91;314095
any pics with the gaskets pulled off the heads?
it was obvious where the leak was between the ports, you could noticably see where it wicked, burned up and wore away the gasket between them. i cleaned the  out of the intake manifold(every hole all the way thru) and what i could of the heads before i put it back together.
my memory is a bit outdated but yours doesnt look like mine did from what im seeing here, your crud is at the back of the heads.
all of your intake ports are way dirtier than mine were though.


Yeah, the gaskets looked okay to me as far as being in tact.  But the back of the heads look pretty bad, so I was not sure if that was normal or not.  I will get some pictures up later today with the gaskets removed.
1987 Ford Thunderbird Base model 3.8l  Bone stock.  Trying to get it to perform the best it can.  Wanted:  Nice set of 4 bolt wheels.

Pics of head with intake manifold gasket removed Passenger Side

Reply #13 –
Passenger side pictures
1987 Ford Thunderbird Base model 3.8l  Bone stock.  Trying to get it to perform the best it can.  Wanted:  Nice set of 4 bolt wheels.

Drivers side pictures of head with intake manifold gasket removed

Reply #14 –
Drivers side
1987 Ford Thunderbird Base model 3.8l  Bone stock.  Trying to get it to perform the best it can.  Wanted:  Nice set of 4 bolt wheels.