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Well, this is strange. I removed the head today on the driver's side and tested cylinder 5 with alcohol. I did NOT observe any leaking fluid through the exhaust valve, which did not appear to be recessed either. It looked like all the others and the fit is tight. In a dark garage, I shined my flashlight through the exhaust chamber and absolutely no light could be seen out of the valve. So now I'm stumped. I didn't have terribly low compression (150 psi) but leak down definitely indicated a leaking exhaust valve. The head gasket looked fine too. All three pistons had a fair amount of carbon deposits on them (engine has less than 90,000 miles).
I would still have a valve job done or change the head
I hear you, but what explains the inconsistent leak down test results and now this, a completely tight seal that isn't leaking. Only thing I can think of is I wasn't on TDC but I doubt that.
UPDATE: Okay, so I set the head on its side and filled up the exhaust chamber with alcohol, and yes, there is a very small but steady leak coming out of the valve. Could so small a leak really have caused a misfire and rough idling to the point that my CEL starts flashing at me?!
So what now? Is it just a dirty valve? The leak was only coming from one spot.
I would pull the valve and inspect the seat and valve
If a foreign object was in that cylinder then its only way out is thru the exhaust valve so it may have been between valve and seat when it closed causing the small leak
And the valve spins each time it opens, so any defects in seat or valve propagate as the HOT gases leak out thru the defect
If fluid can pass then its a fairly large hole for air, especially when its under pressure, compression
I would pull the valve and inspect the seat and valve
If a foreign object was in that cylinder then its only way out is thru the exhaust valve so it may have been between valve and seat when it closed causing the small leak
And the valve spins each time it opens, so any defects in seat or valve propagate as the HOT gases leak out thru the defect
Okay, I'll give that a try next. Any possibility the valve is hitting the piston? Hmm.... that would explain the rattling sound. Would that be a timing issue?
No, 3.0l OHV Vulcan is a non-interference engine, which means there is no shared space for valve and piston, piston at the top and valve fully open can't touch
Any tips for removing old gasket material? I'm currently using a razor blade and it is tedious. Also, is it okay if some of the fragments and shavings fall into the coolant holes or is that a no no?
Any tips for removing old gasket material? I'm currently using a razor blade and it is tedious. Also, is it okay if some of the fragments and shavings fall into the coolant holes or is that a no no?
I used a white roloc disc. Did the job in no time. Check this post.
Sweet, thanks for the link. This answers my other question (sort of). The coolant port on the bottom (passenger side) is SHORTER than all the others for some dang reason. I hope I didn't damage the mating surface too bad while I was trying to "remove" the stuck on gasket material lol.
I also saw that YouTube video. I used a green scotch brite and didn't do a great job covering port holes and whatnot and now I'm kicking myself.
As for debris falling into the coolant passages, I asked RonD the same/similar question. Here is what the man told me:
Originally Posted by RonD
If you can roll the vehicle outside or its in a spot where you can do a manual flush with the heads off that will help the future flushing
With water pump off, but front cover still on
Use a small hose(that fits down coolant passages in the block) connected to garden hose, and a long screw driver or ??
Cover the Valley with a towel
Put screwdriver down farthest back coolant passages in the block and feel if there is build up of debris between cylinders and block, break it up, you can't hurt the block or cylinders
Use the hose to flush it all out the water pump openings as you go
You may be surprised how much crud comes out
Do both sides of course
Most of it will be in the rear of the block because engine sits at an angle
With exhaust manifolds out of the way take a good look at the Core Plugs(freeze plugs) make sure there are no signs of rust, scrape centers with screwdriver to make sure, if in doubt replace it
You can use the rubber expansion plugs instead of the metal ones, car makers don't use these because they are too expensive, no other reason, they are much easier to install in tight places
Just as a heads up, you shouldn't drain the oil in the pan until you are done with most of the repairs
So when you do drain it most of the debris that fell down into the pan will be drained out
After heads are on but lower intake is still off I drain the oil
Then I will pour a quart of oil in the valley to wash out any remaining debris
Okay, so I tried to do the manual flush as described. I removed the water pump (p.s. took most of the day to clean the gasket surfaces) and used a garden hose with a 1/4" hose adapter to run water into the coolant passages. Nothing came out of the water pump opening. Instead, it overflowed out of the rear-most coolant passage. Did I do something wrong?
It is weird. I even tried the flush from the front and back coolant passages, on both sides of the block. It just filled up and ran out of the far back port. The water pump passages were not obstructed, as I blew compressed air through to get the water out after I was finished. Oh well, I think it's clean enough, and now driveway has a slight yellow stain to it. Haha.
Speaking of water pumps, what's up with mine? One side is smooth and the other side is rough. At first I thought it was clogged up with junk, but soon realized it was cavitation. Doesn't seem normal, especially for a part that was replaced less than 10,000 miles ago. Should I replace it?
Alright fellow wrenchers, I'm torquing the new heads down. Am I forgetting anything? LOL
1. It's as clean, dry, and flat as it's gunna be.
2. New gaskets, with the "UP" facing up (nb: the gasket marked "left" is actually driver's side).
3. New head bolts (used an old bolt with grooves cut as thread chaser).
4. Light coating of oil inside piston chamber.
5. ____________
You can put marks on the head bolts after first torque, to better see the 90deg rotation of each, or if you missed one, lol
1999 and up 3.0l Head bolt torque specs are
torque to 35-39ft/lb
Then back off one turn
Then torque to 22-24ft/lb
put marks on each bolt head now, like all marks facing intake side
Then do the 90deg
and 90deg again
All marks should now be facing exhaust side, 180deg
I was just inspecting the new heads I ordered. These are supposed to be new castings with new internal components (see here). All valves look new, but one on the end looks rough. Is this considered normal for a new valve?
Correction: Intake valves also look like this. Only two of the exhaust valves look smooth and new.
You can put marks on the head bolts after first torque, to better see the 90deg rotation of each, or if you missed one, lol
1999 and up 3.0l Head bolt torque specs are
torque to 35-39ft/lb
Then back off one turn
Then torque to 22-24ft/lb
put marks on each bolt head now, like all marks facing intake side
Then do the 90deg
and 90deg again
All marks should now be facing exhaust side, 180deg
Well, I totally blew that torque sequence. I probably overtightened a couple bolts by quite a lot. Should I get new bolts and start over?
Ron, I'm starting over... I screwed up and will be ordering all new bolts. Do I need to order a new gasket too? Since I torqued it down and compressed the metal seals?
Also, I'm having a hard time with the 90 degree turns. You seem to favor that method, but I'm wondering if the other method (see here) will work okay too? I don't understand why the initial torque/stretch is so much higher in the second method.
The "see here" is for the 1986 to 1998 3.0l Vulcan engines
In 1999 Ford made the 3.0l blocks with deeper threads and switched to longer TTY(torque to yield) bolts
TTY bolts always use 80deg or 90deg torque as final sequences
TTY bolts do hold better but the real reason to use them is cost, lol, of course
At engine assembly plants they had to calibrate all the torque wrenches almost daily, which takes time and time is money, or so they say
With TTY the computers can do 90deg with their eyes closed, if they had eyes, so its just faster and easier
The initial 35ft/lb then 24ft/lb don't need to be as precise so little or no calibration is needed
Yes, you need new head gaskets, for sure
Back of valve looks OK unpolished, surprised the other ones are polished
Alright fellow wrenchers, I'm torquing the new heads down. Am I forgetting anything? LOL
1. It's as clean, dry, and flat as it's gunna be.
2. New gaskets, with the "UP" facing up (nb: the gasket marked "left" is actually driver's side).
3. New head bolts (used an old bolt with grooves cut as thread chaser).
4. Light coating of oil inside piston chamber.
5. ____________
Did you degrease the new head mating surfaces?
My tips for torquing in the head bolts:
Get at least 4 different colored grease pens, one for each sequence. Usually costs just as much to buy a pack than it does a single grease pen
You'll need thin grease pens to be able to get the mark into the crevice on the cylinder. Big fat grease pens that taggers use for graffitti won't serve this purpose
Don't let yourself get distracted in the middle of a torque sequence. Complete an entire sequence, then go drink water/pee/take smoke break. Otherwise, you'll forget what bolt you are on and what sequence you are on.
After 1st sequence, place a mark that touches the edge of the head bolt and the top of the cylinder block at the same time. Do this as soon as you complete the torque on each bolt. Let's you know that you've done that bolt in the sequence so you don't overtorque
2nd sequence, loosen one full turn so until marks line back up up (mark on cylinder stays in place, mark on head bolt revolves in place). When loosened one full turn, the bolts were very loose in their position. Don't be surprised to see this.
3rd sequence, tighten to torque spec. With a different color pen, mark edge of head bolt so it aligns with the 1st mark you made on the head. Using a different colored pen ensures you don't confuse yourself.
4th sequence, turn 90 and mark the head bolt as previous with a different colored pen
5th sequence, after the final turn, mark the top of the head bolt to de-mark that you are done with that bolt
My 2000 Ranger has a different torque spec for the sequence 1 and 3 according to the Haynes manual. Everything else is the same. But yeah, I got it done!
Last edited by DiepBotchery; 06-05-2022 at 03:09 AM.
Alright, heads are torqued down! Went much smoother this time, except realigning the A/C power-steering bracket was a real pain. I got as far as reinstalling the AC compressor and alternator.
05-18-2022
