I just can't catch a break.......

so it seems that way. just as i get the car back from having a new clutch put in, i am on the freeway and i'm runnin maybe 6~7 psi of boost. i get off the gas and make the shift into 4th, then it's vaccum cruising from there on out, but on the off ramp i heard a loud POP and thought " Oh %#@% !" when i stopped i was enveloped by a thick white cloud of my own burning antifreeze!!
damn headgaskets.....

so, now that i get to pull the heads and replace the gaskets what do i do?
i figured that i should get the:
head studs
fel-pro's
a new set of injectors/MAF
some DIY blower porting
roller rockers
ported exhaust manifolds
and maybe a throttle body....

any and all input is greatly appreciated for my biggest task to date!

Andrew

New O2 sensors. Forget the DIY blower porting unless you have something to compare your work to...the chance of screwing up the blower is significant. New exhaust system if you are running the OEM setup. Consider upping the frequency of coolant changes. Also do an oil change and collect the oil to see if there is any coolant in it. If so consider a complete rebuild.

yeah, i could do without the blower porting, my dad and i have been talking about pulling the engine and doing a total rebuild with some copper hg's.
but it will all come down to how much the rebuild would cost....

as for the exhaust i have the flowmaster kit with magnaflow res and gutted cats.
i just had the coolant flushed and changed about 6 months ago, but i dont know about the previous owner, i think he was kind of a dolt...
alas, it kinda sucks when you get laid off one week and a HG blows the next.

Andrew

hmmm

well, i finally go the cat dragged to my house. when i got it there i checked the oil & didnt see any evidence of antifreeze in the oil, which is a good thing right?
when i drain the oil, if there is no antifreeze, that would mean that i wouldnt have to do an entire engine rebuild... please correct me if i'm wrong here

Andrew

No coolant is a good thing but no absolete guarentee that you dodged the spun bearing problem. Some have had that problem after blowing HG. I have a 89 Cougar LS that blew the HG at 56K miles. It now has over 175K miles and never had another HG or ever a bearing problem so the point is....things can go either way.

are you 100% sure its a HG? usually theres no loud popping noise associated with blowing them... i would check the radiator and hoses for leaks

Gus, I have to disaggree. When pulling away from a stoplight Sat morning, I too blew an HG on my 89 and heard a distinguishing "pop" sound. After pulling the heads I now attribute the HGs letting go due to some serious detonation.

Paul

hmmm.... learn somthin new every day

Keep an eye on the oil or run a compression check to make sure they are toast

Here are some pics of the drivers side head. After finding a chip (see last pic) in the front most piston (#4?) I decided to just swing a whole new motor in the car. Keep in mind this motor had 243k miles on it and the HGs let go at a stop light a few minutes after 8 miles of running the car at WOT in 5th gear. Interestingly enough, the HG was fully intact yet there are signs (see carbon flaking off #6) of water in the chamber.

I have to agree with the caution about bearing.

Shortly after replacing the HG's on my '90, the rear 2 rod bearings spun.

metal to metal?

thanks for all your help guys!
i'm gonna start tearing into the car tomorrow and hopefully can get it all torn down in a day.

now, before the HG's went, i heard some metal to metal contact(never happened before) and it sounded like it was coming from the rear of the engine. but the wierdest thing was it would only happen at WOT. ?????

and when i got the car back from getting the clutch in (hg's blew same day) the car was blowing thick black smoke whenever i would get on it, indicating a rich condition rich. I took it back to the shop about the metal to metal noise and the rich cond. after tinkering around trying to find what could be vibrating, we hooked the car up to the scanner, no codes or anything. but car was still super rich? could the HG's, Rich condition, and that wierd metal to metal noise be related?

Andrew

ttt