How do I change the head gasket on my 3.8L

Hi I have a 95 windstar with a bad head gasket I was wondering if anyone had some instructional info as to how to fix it myself. thanks

FIRST thing that you will need is a good repair manual.
Alldatadiy is a good online one.
You can go to the AutoZone website and look under "repair information" for a lot of free repair information as well.
BE CAREFUL to look at the information for the 3.8L motor.....they will list the 3.0L and 3.8L.

Also....read VERY carefully torque specifications.......inch pounds (IN/lbs) and Foot pounds (ft/lbs) are 2 very different things.
I ran into a issue using a clicker style IN/lbs torque wrench......so I recommend a beam style for the IN/lbs application.......it is not much force.

I do know that you will need new head gaskets, new head bolts, and new lower intake manifold gaskets.
Head and lower intake manifold gaskets MUST be dry fitted.......don't try to improve upon it by adding any sealant where not called for.
Any sealant that you use MUST be "sensor safe".

The lower intake manifold bolts are re-usable.
I am not sure about the upper intake manifold on the 1995.....as they only used that on the 1995 windstar......maybe similar (or even same as...but don't count on it, the Tauras 3.8L).
I would also get the replacement parts from FORD......they are not very expensive......the major issue is the LABOR.

As I mention in the sticky post "General Windstar Information".......there is a TSB...that says.........
Do NOT use any metal tooling to scrap old gasket material from the alluminum heads or intake manifold......as this will leave small scratches......and coolant will wick in and cause the replacement gasket(s) to fail....this is particularly critical with the 1995 3.8L as they have the smallest gap between the coolant passages and oil/etc......so you don't have much room for error.
There are some solvents that Motorcraft has that you can soak the gasket material with....to soften it.

There are a couple members here who may have done the head gasket job.....and they may chime in with more useful information than I can provide (I'm not a mechanic).

If your gonna do this yourself, get 2 full days of time.

Day one - drain all your fluids in engine Coolant and Oil. Close the coolant plug in the rad, but leave open the oil pan plug because you will have to flush the pan out once your all back together. Coolant will get into the oil pan.

Other things to change while your apart! Thermostat, fresh coolant, new oil filter, Heater hoses to firewall etc.. look over everthing back there!

Keep everything in order!! Bolts screws etc with the correct Part, and clean every piece. Lable wiring and hoses with masking tape or duck tape with a sharpe. This way you wont get lost going together.

Everything Must be Spotless when going together!! If you cant get the gasket residue off of the Heads, or Block soak them over night with CRC or Gasket remover!! Then the next day, it will be easier on you..

Dont forget a Torque wrench and Get a NAME brand one!! No cheapo one!! You can rent a good one at a parts store if you have too! When torquin, make sure you follow the correct bolt pattern!!

Dont rush!! Have lunch and dinner! dont work tired or in wind rain etc.

Refilling the coolant - You will have to bleed this system a few times to get the air out!
When Done, Have a beer with your friends!

Almost forgot, If your water pump is old or older Change it now while your apart.. Water pump isnt fun at all, and since your apart just do it.. Also the Metal coolant tubes under the intake have rubber seals.. Look for White powder round the edges. If you see that, Change them now.

Make sure your ports for the EGR valve are cleaned and not clogged.. You will see them in the intake..

If you have any conserns just ask..

Ive always cleaned Heads and Engine with Scotch brite pads and some crc. Wipe down with a cloth and windex once your all shined up.. No Oil on surfaces going together!!

Wow thanks for all the help everyone

Be extremely careful not to scratch the block to head surfaces, others have said it can lead to gasket failure. I think tsauce said use Scotchbrite. Not sure what is best to scrape off old gasket, I think you can buy a plastic putty knife scraper at the hardware paint store. It has also been highly recommended to use Ford's gaskets as they supposedly have redesigned them because of the infamous 95, 3.8L failures that you dubiously have, sorry. I'd price shop online Ford parts and locally for the whole set/kit. I have always had my heads pressure tested and surfaced. I guess pressure testing may be debatable if you are 100% certain the gasket ONLY failed. I found a cracked head that way, but a different motor. Does this motor have a lot of mileage? You may want to go the extra mile and redo the valves on each head while you have it in for the other work. Second opinions? Go ahead do plugs and maybe wires as all of that comes off and I think it's ok to put in the back plugs in the back head while it's out. Can't remember if you want them out to turn engine by hand or not. Good time to backflush heater core too. Without looking at it, there may be some shaft seals worth replacing at this time. See what's in the gasket kit before buying something separate.

Be extremely careful not to scratch the block to head surfaces, others have said it can lead to gasket failure. I think tsauce said use Scotchbrite. Not sure what is best to scrape off old gasket, I think you can buy a plastic putty knife scraper at the hardware paint store. It has also been highly recommended to use Ford's gaskets as they supposedly have redesigned them because of the infamous 95, 3.8L failures that you dubiously have, sorry. I'd price shop online Ford parts and locally for the whole set/kit. I have always had my heads pressure tested and surfaced. I guess pressure testing may be debatable if you are 100% certain the gasket ONLY failed. I found a cracked head that way, but a different motor. Does this motor have a lot of mileage? You may want to go the extra mile and redo the valves on each head while you have it in for the other work. Second opinions? Go ahead do plugs and maybe wires as all of that comes off and I think it's ok to put in the back plugs in the back head while it's out. Can't remember if you want them out to turn engine by hand or not. Good time to backflush heater core too. Without looking at it, there may be some shaft seals worth replacing at this time. See what's in the gasket kit before buying something separate.
Yes, if your planning on running the van another 100k or so, Get the valves looked at and cleaned up.. They may need cutting and they may not.. The valve guides are what wears the most, and will wobble the valve seal and wear the valve seat. All depends, on checking heads too. If it Overheated HOT HOT, I would get the heads checked for squareness and crackes. That shouldnt cost much to check either. Our machineshop local, 35 each head for resurface and crack check.. 3cly head..
Common in Gasket overheating..

Also, Use the scotchbrite by hand and dont work in one spot. You can wrap the scotchbrite to a block of wood, the longer the better. 6 in long or so.. This will keep it from diggin into one spot. No air spinners with the scotch pads on the end.. It will really dig into the head, Is a no no..

Thanks for all the help I really appreciate it, but now I am not even so sure it is the Head gasket, I took that car for an hour drive, half hour each way and it rested for about 10 min in between, and for some odd reason the heat miraculously worked well for the first time in a while. through out the drive the engine temp gauge did not really move it stayed all the way at the bottom. when I got home I checked the coolant over flow container, I had poured some coolant in last night and it was gone after that drive, but the radioator hose which usually felt over loaded with pressure, and like it was going to burts was actually fine this time nothing abnormal, the pressure seemed good.

So now I am stuck as to what to do, I had taken the van to two different mechanics and they both said it was the head gasket, I had my mechanic who was servicing the car from the beginning do some tests to confrm that it was a head gasket problem, which he said after the tests that it was.

The car so far has not come close to over heating, the gauge just went up and down, never getting into the red zone and never staying up for more then a second, which might lead to a thermostat problem, if that was the case which one of the mechaincs didnt think it was - why am I loosing so much coolent, I went through almost a whole gallon in one mornings worth of driving ?

there may be a leak I am not sure I will check that out later but is there anything else I am missing - is it possible that this isnt a head gasket problem ?

ALSO TO NOTE: at 134k miles I AM STILL ON THE ORIGINAL HEAD GASKET which adds a little fun to things for a 95 3.8L engine. when I brought the van to both mechanics they were quite shocked at that,

the water pump was changed about 60k miles ago so I guess I have to start looking around to see if there are any other leaks that for some reason the mechanic missed.

any info would be greatly appreciated and really helpfull thanks

Head gaskets cause

White smoke out the tail pipe with loss of coolant.
Overheating from low coolant levels
Ruff running and misfiring
Milky color Oil and Oil Fill cap Light Brown color milk shake looking.
Oil in Coolant Bottle


Coolant can also leak inside the heater box from the Heater core, which is inside under the dash.. If it does leak, it will drain out of the drain tube of the box. This is the same drain as the AC evap when the Ac is running.
Clues are Sweet smelling air with the Heater running. Notice it alot more the first few seconds when you turn on the blower.

Your Thermostat can stick closed which can overheat your engine and force coolant out of the bottle. Stuck Open causes Warm heat, and the engine takes alot longer to warm up.

Coolant has to go somewhere, If you can pinpoint it...

I opened up the radiator and the coolant looked murky/rusty brown, it looks like that in the overflow container as well, the oil however looked fine color wise and all so where does that leave me ?

I opened up the radiator and the coolant looked murky/rusty brown, it looks like that in the overflow container as well, the oil however looked fine color wise and all so where does that leave me ?

It just looked like old coolant right? Nothing floatin on top? If its all coolant, and the oil looks good, Like oil.. The last place for it to go If it was a head gasket, is out the tail pipe. It will smoke white.. Like a Mini Cloud..

Do you have Heat in the rear of the van? Drivers side behide near the rear wheel. If you do, there is also coolant lines running back there, with another Heater core.

nope its fairly new coolant, It went through two gallons of coolant in the last 2 weeks, also there is no white smoke, the exhaust is clean, but the coolant looks terrible and when I get out of th carit smells like burnt coolant ?????

nope its fairly new coolant, It went through two gallons of coolant in the last 2 weeks, also there is no white smoke, the exhaust is clean, but the coolant looks terrible and when I get out of th carit smells like burnt coolant ?????

HMm.. I would look at your Rad area Back of engine.. If you smell coolant, its gotta be leaking out somewhere!

DO you have rear Heat?

14 quarts of coolant needed for a complete flush if were empty.
Just adding coolant could still just make the new coolant dirty..

No signs of smoke, No ruff running, Oil looks like oil, Kinda odd, you dont have the head gasket signs, just losing coolant. And the windstar has alot of coolant lines, hoses, etc running all over the place. Even Under the van to the back.. Check all of them.

Ok well the end is near, I turned on the heat in the car tonight, - no heat only cold air and the engine temp shot straight up an stayed there, I drove about 5 min or so it, didnt have a choice, it didnt get to the red zone but stayed close to it I pullled over got some more coolant added it into the overflow but it didnt help the car rested for a few, and when I started it up again temp went back up and didnt go back down, turning on the heat to full blast also did nothing with a full resevoir of coolant

Ok well the end is near, I turned on the heat in the car tonight, - no heat only cold air and the engine temp shot straight up an stayed there, I drove about 5 min or so it, didnt have a choice, it didnt get to the red zone but stayed close to it I pullled over got some more coolant added it into the overflow but it didnt help the car rested for a few, and when I started it up again temp went back up and didnt go back down, turning on the heat to full blast also did nothing with a full resevoir of coolant

I had this happen to a Full size van before, The fins on the waterpump broke off, and wounldnt pump the coolant around..

If your thermostat is stuck, you still will get heat! But if the water pump is broken, its poss, whatever coolant is in the engine is all you have to cool it off. It wont circulate..

As stated.....the coolant is going someplace.
If it is external.....there should be a puddle under the vehicle someplace...
I would take it to a local shop and have them diagnose the source of the leak.....and get it repaired.
Also.....the coolant should be changed every 2 years.
"Long Life" (which did not come in our older windstars) is rated for 5 years.....but even that.....I would change sooner.
Just a flush with a 50/50 mix of coolant and steam distilled water.

For the heck of it, remove your thermostat and run it with the coolant full. Theres a tiny return line going to the bottle you can remove and see if its running coolant out of it. Very small line from the back of the intake to the top of the bottle. If you get a steady flow of coolant, then the pump is working. Dont know if you have this on your year tho..
See if it does change your overheating problems with the thermostat out..

Ive owned a Pont Grand Am with a Quad engine before "Wifes car", And they love to blow head gaskets, and crack heads. So anyway, mine needed a head gasket. I removed the thermostat and she drove it another year with it out. LOL That is one of the hardest head gaskets to install..
Even the thermostat is back behide the engine, under the Exhaust mana.. The Water pump is ran of the timing chains facing backwards.. Really an Odd engine, and Really annoying to work on..
She ran it with a bad head gasket with the thermostat removed.. LOL Im a old school guy, And drove my 442 around which I sold.. She wouldnt drive a Boat around!!!! But needed a car... Kick my own butt for selling it, Really miss that car.

Yea i know, Why did I buy it? My old days when I worked at the Pont dealer.. You gotta drive what you work on right? HAHA

Go after this step by step:

High Engine Temperature
1) Low Coolant
2) Low Coolant Flow
3) Low Radiator Air Flow

Be careful in that one item can cause others. For example, low coolant flow or low radiator air flow can lead to low coolant level.

Start your diagnosis by letting the engine cool, and topping off coolant in the radiator. After making sure it's full to the top and the reservoir is also full, run the engine for a few seconds, stop it, and top off the radiator level again to purge most of the remaining air. You might want to repeat this until it doesn't take any more coolant.

Make sure you are using 50/50 coolant/distilled water mixture. Check the coolant mixture with a specific gravity gauge.

Start the engine and watch it as it warms. Check for coolant flow by feeling the radiator inlet hose at the top of the engine. When the thermostat is hot enough to open, the hose will suddenly increase in temperature. If it doesn't before the engine overheats, then there is either air in the system (which there shouldn't be given our purge), or the thermostat is not opening. Make sure the hose also gets tight with pressure. If it doesn't then there is a leak in the cooling loop. Watch the reservoir level. If it increases dramatically (it will normally increase some as the coolant heats and expands) or overflows before the engine overheats, then you can suspect that air is being 'pumped' into the cooling loop, forcing out the coolant. If the level in the bottle goes down significantly, then the problem is coolant being sucked or drained from the cooling loop.


Check for dripping under the vehicle and inside the passenger area. Also, be aware of any steaming from hoses, hose joints or the radiator.


If the engine heats up normally, wait for the radiator fan to come on. If it fails to come on before the engine overheats, then you probably have an electrical problem in the fan circuit, or the fan itself has failed. If it does come on, check to see if the temperature falls. If it doesn't then the air flow is not removing heat from the coolant. Check for blockage of the airflow in the radiator fins. It is sometimes possible to feel the level of hot coolant in the radiator by placing your hand against the fins, if they are accessible. A low coolant level in the radiator is an indication of air/gas in the coolant loop.


Of course, be careful of hot surfaces and moving parts while doing this diagnosis.

Once you've run this evaluation, you'll have a good idea of why coolant is being lost.

invest in a Lazer pointed temp gauge With this tool, you can check your rad hoses, thermostat and other things very quickly. Flow of rad etc. Makes a nice addition to your tool box too..

i just changed a pair of the 3.8l gaskets in a cougar (i know it's not a windstar but it's the same motor)

and also put on new plugs wires cap rotor fuel filter and serp belt

got it all back together a few hours ago and it wont fire over

i left the valve covers off and had the rockers "finger tight" becuase the heads had to be milled due to warpage

rolled the engine over and finger tightened the rest of the rockers on the hell of the camshaft

conected all the sensors and tubing tried to crank over and you can hear it does have compression

checked for spark at the cap and at plug #6 all OK

i have fuel pressurized at the rail

verifired all connectors attached again still no fire while cranking

tried to start with starting fluid

no go

noticed the smell of starting fluid out the tail pipe but not the smell of fuel...

would there be something causeing the injectors to not fire over?

have not yet checked for voltage at the injector nor looked at the fuses

any information would be helpful

i left the garage tonight with the battery unhooked to reset the computer and charge the battery on 2amp (will unhook it later

-erik

figured it out today, timing was off
fixed that fired right up :doh: