Hello

I have a Ford Explorer 1991 motor V6 4.0 L

The head piston gasket fail ...

I want to fix this problem by my self ...

I have some mechanicals skills & I have tools (torque bar) etc.

I don't want to buy a chillton book .. for Ford Explorer

How can I find the instructions OnLine with photos to fix the head piston gasket for my Ford Explorer 1991 motor V6 4.0 L
??


Thanks in advance

 

im not good with fords but ill try, unbolt the head, pull the head straight up, after the head is off, get some high temp silicone and gob it onto the block where the head goes, then place ur new gasket onto the silicone and bolt ur head back into place. hope this helps you.

 

You mean just a head gasket, right?

This can be a fun project and very satisfying if you feel up to the task of all the dismantling and reassembly.

But you really do need some sort of guidance, especially with the amount of work that needs to be done to avoid any possible problems.

Here is a little bit of what may help you:

You need to be very organized and tape/mark parts and do anything else to help you with the sequence so when all done you get every part back in place without having to retake stuff apart.

With overhead cam engine you will be dealing with the issue of the belt and gear up there. Any dismantling with this and you have to know how to avoid confusion regarding timing.

When dismantling, you may expose certain things where now is the time to go ahead and change some other part while you are at it, like the timing belt.

It's probably a good idea, in unbolting the head bolts, to go easy on each bolt in the same way you do with tightening each bolt.

You'll need to learn the tightening sequence of the bolts. (There is a stagger pattern where you work outward from the center, criss-crossing also. Very important to get factory specs on this and when you reach proper torque, they want you then to tighten additional 1/4 turn or whatever.

Once head is out, good idea to take it to machine shop for them to check flatness of deck surface and also check valves, springs, lash adjusters seals, etc. And to give it a cleaning and check for cracks.

You should check your block surface with straight edge and feeler gauge, especially if you knew say the engine got real hot.

I beleive that it is best to put in brand new head bolts, as the old ones would have stretched.

Unless things have changed, to my knowledge you do not want to use any sealant on head gaskets as these metalic gaskets are subject to extreme pressures and any sealant would form this layer that then could just blow out under pressure.

You have to keep in mind if anything needs pre-lubrication before starting car back up. If you go to machine shop they will do this and possibly advise in this regard.

When adding coolant back in engine you may have to add more after coolant circulates, gets hot, as air may be trapped in engine, at first.

..........

I don't know what your skill level is, or all you might about car engines. I was able to do a 78 Mazda 23 years ago(the last time) without any guidance because I already had done head gaskets before this and also was familiar with 'working on cars' for years before this and could readily change timing gears/chains and re-time - so I was familiar with how to get out of any jam I encountered. (That Mazda project lasted for tens of thousands of miles before some other issue happened to the car.)

 

More info here:

http://www.autozone.com/az/cds/en_us/0900823d/80/0b/8f/31/0900823d800b8f31/repairInfoPages.htm

I wouldn't try it as a first-time project without some backup technical assistance. And I didn't notice if it was mentioned, but don't even think about doing only one side; do them both.

 

Hey guys .. nice job ...

Thanks a lot ... !!

 

take note of the first paragraph on the site tow-guy posted.
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Before installing the cylinder heads, have them cleaned and professionally checked. If there is a problem, generally, it will not go away by simply installing new gaskets. Cylinder heads can and do warp, which is the major cause of gasket failure. This is usually due to overheating.
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the heads could be cracked or warped. Depending on the miles on the engine, you might consider a valve job, or at least stem seals (where applicable).

Often simply replacing the gasket (which generally does not require additioanl sealant although I often use Permatex Copper spray a gasket. It helps hold the gasket in place and does offer some assistance to the seal) will work for a short while, even on warped heads but it will not be a long term fix.

This is generally not a first timer job.

 

What I do when I need written instructions to follow and don't wish to purchase a shop manual, I go to my local public library and either check out or copy the applicable pages from the Motor Repair manual.