[black90gt1]

Well,
I found out today that my bird is not covered under the head gasket replacement warranty. Now it is time to get some advice. I was wondering how hard the job was and weather or not it worth doing it myself. i work at a ford dealership and the cheapest they will do it for is $800. Only wish I was rich. I also have 2 certified mechanics that are willing to do it for $300.00 plus part. If anyone could give suggestions I would appreciate it greatly.

 

[Rodeo Joe]

My honest opinion....

If I knew 2 mechanics that would do it for that price, I'd be all over it! How good are these guys, do you know? You'll need a gasket set and plugs, maybe new convertors and change the fluids. Do you think you could tackle it on your own? Sounds like a good deal to me.

Joe

 

[black90gt1]

yea both the mechanics have done it before. Plus i have seen their work and they do a really good job. I have done things like that before just not on a car that new.

 

[W.Cup]

I paid $1100 for my 94 3.8 Taurus' gasket replacment (ford took the bill) Your price seems like a great deal!

W.Cup

 

[Kevin Varnes]

If you have done things like this before, just on older vehicles then you can do the headgaskets on a 3.8. They are really not tough at all. Just take your time, label and bag everything you take off and do the job right. I would go with the Fel-Pro gaskets. Have the heads milled to ensure a perfectly flat sealing surface. Replace the o2 sensor at least on the side that blew. I usually also replace the water pump while I'm in there just because. Make sure the block deck is impeccably clean before reassembly. You will need new head bolts (available at an auto parts store). I usually also replace the valve seals (again just because and they are more of a challenge to do with the heads on the car). Change the oil and coolant as well. Make sure that you follow the head bolt torque sequence very carefully. It can be a little confusing to read and they use a torque angle method for final tightening rather than just a straight torque reading. You can get a gage for the torque angle method, but I just eyeball it. Besides, all of the gages I have seen are crap.

 

[CamellionCat]

why replace the o2 sensor????

yeah ford did my headgaskets i wonder if they replaced my o2 sensor, how do i know if it needs to be changed????

Marvin M.

 

[Kevin Varnes]

The coolant in the exhaust poisons it.