We had an email today from Mick asking if we could do a ‘how to’ on replacing a head gasket on the overhead cam six cylinder engines found in EA to EL Falcons. I did have a Falcon engine here up until a few weeks ago that would have been perfect to photograph each step but with room in the garage at a premium we decided to send it to the scrap heap so I will do my best with the limited pictures I have.
If your vehicle is an early 1998 EL Falcon please read the update to the TIMING CHAIN SETTINGS.
First thing’s first, special tools required for the job.
- NEW SET OF HEAD BOLTS – DO NOT RE-USE THE HEADBOLTS. The head bolts used are what they call ‘torque to yield’ and basically stretch to a pre-determined length when first fitted and cannot be used again. We have had to replace more than one Falcon head gasket were someone had refitted the old bolts and you are lucky if it lasts more than a month or two with the old bolts put back in! Not a good result.
- A quality torque wrench.
- Torque angle gauge – not absolutely necessary but does help in tensioning the head bolts down correctly.
- 3mm long shaft allen key for releasing the timing chain tensioner or a small punch and hammer can be used to remove the tensioner retainer as a means of loosening the chain.
- A couple of plastic zip ties to secure the timing chain to the sprocket before removing the sprocket bolt. Yeah, see, they do come in handy!
- A permanent marker to number each spark plug lead as they are taken off, will save frustration later on.
- A variety of sockets, spanners, screwdrivers etc.
I’ll run through each step in point form, I think that is easier for everyone to read.
- With the car away from the area that you will be working in, remove the bottom radiator hose at the radiator end and allow to drain.
- Move the car to your workspace.
- Remove the negative battery terminal.
- Remove the exhaust manifold. The heatshield needs to come off first and from memory I think all the bolts are 13mm. Check to see that there is sufficient clearance between the cylinder head and exhaust manifold to be able to remove the head. It may be necessary to loosen any clamps further down the on the exhaust system to achieve this clearance.
- Remove the accelerator cable. On single point injection engines it will be necessary to remove the air filter housing first.
- Now for the fun part! Remove all 10mm bolts that hold the intake manifold to the cylinder head and remove the bolts that hold the thermostat housing to the head. Particularly on Multi-Point engines this job can be a right royal pain in the backside. It may be necessary to jack the front of the car up and place it on chassis stands and remove some of the bolts from underneath. A 1/4 inch drive socket set comes in handy here also.
- Number and remove the spark plug leads. Bring them over to the intake side of the engine and let them sit on the intake manifold.
- Remove the PCV hose from the top of the tappet cover and the breather hose from the rear passengers side of the tappet cover.
- Remove the four 13mm bolts holding the tappet cover down.
- Remove the tappet cover from the engine. This can also be a little dicey, as the tappet cover comes up it will hit on the firewall and you need to angle it to get it out.
- Remove the power steering pump by removing the bolts that attach it to the cylinder head but keep the hoses attached and simply move it to the side of the engine bay out of the way.
- At this stage it would be wise to set the engine on to top dead centre, firing on number one. Rotate the crankshaft until the timing marks on the timing cover and the mark on the harmonic balancer line up. Check to see where the cam lobes of number one cylinder are facing. If they are facing down the engine is firing on number one. If they are facing up and close to the rocker arms you need to turn the engine another 180 degrees as it is firing on number six.
- Fit the plastic zip ties around the timing chain and through the holes in the sprocket to keep the timing lined up. Two or three zip ties will do the job. No, seriously!
- PLEASE READ OUR MORE DETAILED POST ON THE TIMING CHAIN TENSIONER RELEASE PROCEDURE BEFORE GOING ANY FURTHER
- You will now be able to see the plug and retainer for the timing chain tensioner. There are two ways to loosen the tensioner, although the first way is the recommended one and the second is a way that I found I could do it without the necessary allen key. The first way is to remove the 13mm ‘plug’ and remove the filter that is inside the retainer with a piece of wire with a small hook in the end of it. Using the long shaft 3mm allen key, insert it through the tensioner plug hole, push and turn the tensioner cam sleeve clockwise until it locks. Ensure that the chain is now loose by pushing gently on the chain on the side that the tensioner is located to see if it is slack. If not, go back and repeat these steps.
- The second way is to loosen the retainer by using a small punch and hammer fitted into the holes in the retainer and once loose should be easily screwed out by hand. When using this method pressure needs to be kept on the tensioner down inside the timing case so that it doesn’t slip past the chain guide and fall into the sump. I use a long screwdriver and gently push the chain towards the drivers side of the car as the tensioner is coming out. Once the complete tensioner is out you can then use a 3mm allen key to lock it in the retracted position by pushing and turning in a clockwise direction.
- Remove the 10mm bolt that secures the upper part of the timing chain tensioner to the cylinder head. It is the bolt that you see at the front of the head.
- Insert a lever through one of the holes in the camshaft sprocket to stop it from moving and undo the sprocket retaining bolt.
- Remove the sprocket and chain from the camshaft (with zip ties still attached) and allow it to rest in the front of the cylinder head.
- Time to loosen the cylinder head bolts. The recommended sequence is in a spiral starting with the bolts at either end and working towards the middle. This sequence is important to follow to avoid warping the head as the bolts come undone.
- Once you have the bolts out throw them as far away as possible so you are not tempted to re-use them! Just kidding, putting them in the bin should do.
- Have someone help you remove the cylinder head from the engine.
Assembly is basically the reverse of this procedure with attention paid to the following;
- Ensure all of the gasket surfaces are clean and all traces of the old gasket have been removed. I am a bit old school when it comes to this and prefer to use a single-sided razor blade over those flash air sanders. The abrasive pads on the sanders can tend to dig in a bit if you are not careful. Each to their own though!
- Ensure that the two locating dowels are positioned in the block and ensure that the replacement gasket lines up correctly with the coolant passages and oil galleries.
- The cork gasket that goes between the cylinder head and the timing cover needs to have plenty of sealant on both sides to avoid oil leaks. A silicone gasket maker such as Ultra Blue works well, but without it oil will leak from here in time.
- I also suggest using a non-hardening sealant such as Loctite No. 3 around the intake port holes on the intake manifold gasket and particularly on the thermostat housing to cylinder head gasket. The alloy is not real thick here and coolant seepage is common without a sealant being used.
- At the very least have the cylinder head checked for straightness and the surface machined if any irregularities are found.
- Lightly oil the threads and under the heads of the new cylinder head bolts before fitting. If available run the correct size tap down the threads in the block and blow out with compressed air.
- Tighten the head bolts to the specifications given on the gasket set. If in doubt ask the supplier, they should have this information for you.
- As a guide the torque setting is usually 40Nm for step one and then 90 degrees, in the sequence shown in the picture.
- When fitting the camshaft sprocket to the camshaft ensure that the locating pin on the camshaft sprocket engages with the slot in the camshaft.
- Once again use a lever through one of the camshaft sprocket holes to hold it secure while tightening the retaining bolt. The retaining bolt should be torqued to 50 Nm. DO NOT FORGET this step, I have seen the results of a camshaft sprocket retaining bolt left loose and it wasn’t pretty! Every valve bar two were bent.
I think that just about covers it. If you any problems or queries about doing this job please send me an email to autofix@aapt.net.au and I will do my best to help you out.
Craig
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90 Users Responded in " How To Replace The Head Gasket On An E Series Ford Falcon "
That was a really nice post! Thanks for the tip!
Hi Jake,
Thanks for leaving your comment, we are glad you found the post useful.
thanks for all the information and the tips this will make the job so much easier for me cheers lee.
We have a paper similar to this and there is an exploded view of the timing marks on the block. HOWEVER the timing marks would appear to be drawn incorrectly (IGN and TDC around the wrong way to what they are on the EB block). For the ‘3mm rule’ to apply (the allowable distance of the timing chain pulley mark above the head), you need to align the notch on the harmonic balancer with the TDC mark. I’m not sure that this is clear in this article.
We did our best but learnt lessons.
LESSON – On re-installation, if the timing chain pulley won’t meet the cam, you probably haven’t done enough at the TENSIONER. DONT FORCE IT. Thanks to my mechanic for assisting us. Maybe this will help someone.
hi there :i have done few of these the way i replace the head gaskets and the heads the heads get that soft spot around the head studs and what i do is replace the heads head bolts to gether and i do not loosen the tensioner i pull the timeing chain tight with a peace of wire and hook it around the inside of the timeing chain and sprocet and hook it up to the bonet to keep it in place and take the bolt that is in front of the head out and the timeing chain and proket then will come towards you with out looseing chain tensioner which saves alot of time and the same sequence putting back to gether again it only take me 3 and half hours to get runnining again it is important that you pull the valve train down and clean all the little tappets as they get carborne and sluge on them and they intend to stick and rattle if you dont clean them down and put new o rings back in them and you will get a life time of service from them if you do that i could sit here and wright a lot about how to fix all the falcan motors and my bestare the v/8s and how to get the best out of them thank you for some of your comments they do give people alot of good ideas that all for now john in mildura.
mate ure a legend im 19 and in the middle of fixing my el xr6 and this page will help me tremendiously thanks mate
Too easy Jarrod, good luck with getting it sorted. If you need any further help we also have an advice forum where you can post any questions you may have and I’ll do my best to answer them for you.
http://www.autofix.com.au/forum
Cheers,
Craig
Hey mate I am currently changing the head gasket on my ef xr6. Problem is I can see the timing mark on the cam gear and also on the crankshaft pulley but i cant see the timing case marks anywhere. Do you have any larger photos?
,cheers
Hi Nathan,
From memory the EF has a single pointer on the timing case that corresponds with top dead centre. I’ll have a look and see if I’ve got a picture of this pointer and get back to you.
Craig
great tips mate,should be more blokes like ya
mate stumled over this page great advice just wondering if the same system will apply if the car is running on gas cheers mate
Hi Dave,
Yeah, follow the same procedure when replacing the head gasket on a car fitted with gas, there is no real difference in the way it is setup other than the gas being added in on the intake side of the engine.
I suggest that you take one added precaution though, turn the gas supply off at the tank before doing anything. If you open the box attached to the tank you should see a tap or turn valve, close this up nice and tight to avoid having a major gas leak. Not saying it will happen but it is much better to be safe than sorry!
cheers mate on another note if im replacing the head with a second hand head do i need to replace valves ect to run the gas
Dave,
I would suggest that you talk to an engine reconditioner before fitting the head just to be sure but my understanding is that as alloy heads are fitted with hardened valve seats already there is no need to replace any components. The valves themselves should be up to the job, it is usually the valve seats that wear out but only on the old cast iron heads.
As I said I would advise having a chat with an engine recoditioner just to be sure. With the laws the way they are here in Queensland we didn’t have a lot to do with LPG, you are supposed to be licensed if you plan on doing anything more than looking at an LPG system! Plus the insurance premium went through the roof once you mention that you will be working on LPG equipped vehicles. Not worth it for a small two-man workshop.
Craig
Having just performed this same job, I’d like to add my small input. To remove the intake manifold bolts, I found a set of those cheap ratchet ring spanners to be very useful on EF/EL long tube manifolds. Also remove the thermostat housing first, then on EL remove the dizzy cap & rotor, and you’ll find a nice little tunnel to squeeze your arm along to get to the lower set of bolts, with your little 10mm ratchet ringy.
Top job on the ‘how to’ by the way!
Hi Carlos,
Thanks for adding that. I couldn’t agree more, the methods you described turn a right pain in the neck job in to something a lot less painful!
Cheers for that.
Wow, this is dangerous… Here’s me with an oil leak from head and somewhere in the front end… My EF (300,000kms) has an overheating problem, doesn’t use much water, but a bit. I figure head gasket and possible bent head… Have had two EF’s with this done already, this would be the third, so beginning to learn to spot it…
Paid a mechanic $1200 to do it last time – and he totally screwed my motor by blocking an oil gallery somehow… If it is really this simple to do it yourself, then I reckon you can guess what I’ll be up to sometime soon…
AARG, not looking forward to it, but should do it before the car overheats and goes radioactive on me.
Fiend.
Hi there
This has been useful indeed. I have an oil leak coming from the Tensioner Plug (as far as I can see). Can this be removed and replaced without needing to go to the above steps? Is it a good chance that an oil leak from here means simply a new o’ring on the plug, or am I likely to have to go deeper?
Thanks!
Shane.
Hi Shane,
The tensioner plug (13mm) can be removed without any drama and depending on your model it will either have a ‘o’ ring that you can replace or if not a few turns of thread tape on the plug will do the job or some jointing paste such as ‘Stag’.
If you find that the outer of the tensioner is leaking and has to be removed things get a bit more complicated but it can be done in an hour or so. The outer of the tensioner often comes loose on these engines so I would suggest that you check it while you’re at it.
Regards,
Craig
Thanks Craig.
I spoke with a dealership today, and they said if I take that plug out all the bits behind it will come out as well, and the tension will need to be reset. The RAA also suggested the same thing (and something about a special tool to get the plug out), but they didn’t sound convincing. I guess I’ll listen to someone who has actually done it and knows what they are talking about! Could save me a couple of hundred dollars. The model is AU11.
Thanks Again,
Shane.
Well, I was using this guide today (incidently, ratchet ring spanners work great on the intake manifold 10mm bolts) but one thing went awfully haywire, the whole tensioner assembly unscrewed from the block, rather than just the inner bolt. Nothing went into the sump that I’m aware of *hopes* and I have both the external assembly and the inner tensioner/plunger out, just seems a bit peculiar that the whole thing came out rather than the inner bolt.
Now the fun bit… getting the head checked for flatness and … ugh, so much work.
Hi Paul,
Don’t stress too much about the whole tensioner coming out, it is easier to just remove the inner plug however as long as everything basically stayed together you won’t have any dramas refitting it as a complete unit. A pair of multi-grips can be used to hold the outer section while removing the inner plug but now that it is out it will be all good.
So much work, you’re not wrong there! Just think of the dollars you are saving by doing it yourself!
Best of luck with it and if there is anything you need help with don’t hesitate to send me an email.
Did a search and came up with your website. Very useful and helpful for non mechanics like me. My EL appears
to have blown a head gasket, drivers side of the block. Limited funds so trying to fix it myself. No coolant in engine oil fortunately so it looks like
an external blow out. I take it your “spiral” method of loosening the head bolts means undoing them in the
reverse order as shown for tightenting them. One thing though is the incredibly difficult job of undoing the
bolts that hold the power steering bracket onto the head and block. Still cannot get last three undone and
and bent a Sidchrome ring spanner in the process. At this stage cannot get them out. Never seen anything like it. Will try an buy the 10mm rachet spanner
recommended for the intake manifold. A good tip! Also using new head bolts and discarding old ones as was not aware old ones
would have been “stretched” and cause problems. Well back to the engine and see if I can get these *&##@!! power steering pump bracket bolts out.
Many thanks for posting this great advice
Hi Ron,
Thanks for the positive feedback. It is very common for the Falcon head gaskets to fail on the drivers side underneath the exhaust manifold and typically they leak outwards rather than into the oil passages, sounds like this is what is happening with your vehicle.
Although not absolutelt necessary I was taught early on to remove the head bolts in the reverse order to how they are tightened, mainly to help avoid any ‘twisting’ of the alloy as the bolts release their tension. I know of many mechanics that don’t do this however with the Falcon heads being so long I figure anything you can do to avoid uneven forces on it has to be a good thing! Please yourself on that one though.
I can’t say I have ever had too much trouble removing the power steer pump bracket, perhaps a heavy-handed person has been at it previously. Not good considering they are only 10mm bolts! It may not help but I suggest getting the longest spanner you can and applying a sharp blow to the end of the spanner to try and loosen them. Good luck with that.
Definitely don’t reuse the head bolts, I have seen first-hand the problems this causes and unless you feel like replacing the gasket again in a month or two the price of a new set of bolts is pretty cheap insurance! Almost all engines these days fitted with alloy heads are using these ‘torque to yield’ head bolts and it is a real trap.
Good luck removing the p/steer bracket bolts and if there is anything at all that I may be able to help you with please don’t hesitate to shoot me an email.
I came across one other problem when I did mine. The bolt head (10mm)holding the long chain guide was rounded and I couldnt get enough grip on a socket to turn it. Heating the bolt helped by weakening the locktite on the bolt thread and using a worn 3/8 (9.56mm) socket forced onto the bolt head got more grip
Hi Bob,
Thanks for letting us know of the problem you came across. I hope everything else went ok.
My son and I are about to embark on a head gasket change on our EL falcon. I am slowly compiling the tools, bits and pieces needed. One question keeps arising for me. I have a VRS set 522. When putting in the new gaskets should I be using a smear of engine oil on gaskets or apply a gasket maker? I’ve seen hylomar mentioned.
Hi David,
Common practise is to use Hylomar on cylinder block head gasket surface ( as per instructions on the can) and to use a non-hardening gasket sealer such as Loctite No.3 Aviation Form-A-Gasket on the inlet manifold gasket and thermostat housing gasket ( both sides of the gaskets coated lightly ).
The remaining gaskets (exhaust manifold, tappet cover etc) will be fine used without any sealant or gasket maker.
Hi
I have started replacing my EF head gasket. Unfortunately one of the head bolts was difficult to move and I have rounded the edges. Can you suggest what to do now? Should I try to cut the top of the bolt off? One friend has suggested welding a spare nut on top and using it to undo the head bolt.
Hi Steven,
Sorry to hear of your dramas, sure can make life difficult when this happens. The only other option you have other than those two you mentioned is trying a six-sided or single hex socket if you haven’t already done this.
The normal twelve-sided or double-hex sockets don’t grip the head of the bolt as securely as a single hex socket and you might be lucky enough to loosen it with the single-hex socket.(see picture)
If that is what your already using I suggest welding a nut to the bolt head as the preferred method as there is less chance of doing damage to the alloy and the slag can be easily cleaned up once the head is removed.
Hope this helps and best of luck.
Craig,
Thank you for all your help.All ok with head except where the thermostat housing connects to the head.Cant get it to seal,keeps leaking.Have replaced twice using High temp permatex red rtv silicone.
Using the right gasket and housing looks ok.Head surface ok as is reco head.
Notice you suggest Loctite no.3.Do you think this will do the trick.
Does it matter if the surface is wet when applying.
Regards
Robert
Hi Robert,
To be honest I have not had much success using RTV type sealant on the thermostat housings of Falcon cylinder heads and find that the Loctite No.3 product is more suited to this. I think the difference is that it stays ‘wet’ and doesn’t dry out like the RTV and maintains a better seal and no, it won’t matter if the surface is wet when applying it, just try to get a good coverage on both sides of the gasket before bolting it back up. Those housings can be a bugger of a thing to seal up even at the best of times!
Good luck and please let us know how you get on if you give the other sealant a try.
What size socket do the head bolts require?
Hi,
The earlier EA had 17mm head bolts and the later engines EF, EL etc went to a 14mm head bolt. From my experiences it is best to use a single hex (six sided) socket on the head bolts rather than the usual double hex (twelve sided socket).
Craig,
Thank you for your suggestion re Loctite No.3.
Did the job first time sealing the thermostat housings on Falcon cylinder head.
Good to find someone that knows what they are talking about and takes the time to help.
Keep up the good work.
Once again thank you for all your help.
Regards
Robert
Too easy Robert! Good to hear it worked out for you.
Thanks for the kind words!
Hi,
I just completed a head gasket change on a late model EL. It had the yellow links on the chain. I have only found this information after I have done the job. I started the engine today and it had a whine noise at the front and appears to be comming from the timing chain. I may have not adjusted the timing chain tensioner correctly. On removal I started to undo the centre bolt and the whole unit rotated. I just kept rotating until the chain was loose (I didn’t completely remove). On re-assembly I just tightened it back up again until the outer was screwed back in. The centre bolt never moved. It appeared to tighten the chain ok. Now that I have the whine I am worried the chain may be too tight?
Do you have any other thoughts. I guess I may need to remove the chain tensioner agian? It is also different to the one in the picture above. The centre bolt does not tighten all the way in. It is loctited in mid way along the thread and has no shoulder to tighten up to. It seems that the middle bolt could be set to different positions?
Do you have any suggestions or details on this chain tensioner?
Thanks for your help
Shayne
Hi Shayne,
When we came across that different timing chain setup I went on a search for information regarding the tensioner release and retention procedure and unfortunately to date I still haven’t come across any information and in ten years I have not personally seen one of these setups!
The whine that you mention is certainly a concern and it may be possible that the ratchet on the tensioner has moved out a couple of ‘clicks’ and has the chain too tight. Did the tensioner tighten up the further you wound it in?
I believe the tensioner setup is similar to the older models, in that the centre bolt is merely a ‘plug’ that allows access to the release mechanism of the tensioner. The fact that it is loctited half way down the thread indicates to me that this is the case and the bolt won’t have any affect on the actual tensioner setting.
If possible can you remove the centre bolt – I guess by holding the outer body of the tensioner with vise-grips or multi-grips and with a light or a mirror and light check to see what is inside the body of the tensioner? I believe that you will find a allen key cutout that will have to be rotated to release the tension on the chain.
Alternatively if you have a digital camera could you remove the complete tensioner and send some photos of it to me and I’ll try and figure out the release procedure from there? Even if I can see the outside of the ‘body’ of the tensioner I think I will be able to figure it out.
Another option we have is that I steal the father-in-laws car for a few hours (a BA Falcon) and I remove the tensioner and check if it is the same setup as you have and I will be able to advise you from there, although I won’t be able to get that car until later in the week.
Hi
This is a great site for us non mechanics, everything was going well until the bolt head (10mm)holding the long chain guide was really, I mean really really tight. I used heat, and every thing else but it ended up being rounded and I couldnt get enough grip on a socket to turn it. I am stuck now and not sure how to get it out. Please help……
Hi Cosmos,
Unfortunately there is no ‘hard and fast’ easy way to remove a rounded off bolt. My suggestion if you have access to the gear is to weld a larger nut – say 13 or 14mm to what’s left of the bolt head and see if you can loosen it with that. Often times the heat transfer from the welding will help loosen the thread also. Either MIG or ARC welding will do, however I suggest covering the rocker gear and timing chain area to avoid getting an slag in unwanted places.
I have found that ‘Ezy-Out’s’ and those type of broken bolt removal tools are all but useless in this situation and I think the welding option is your best bet with this.
You could try gripping the remaining head of the bolt with vise grips or cutting a groove into the head of the bolt with a hacksaw and trying a flat blade screwdriver in the slot to remove it, but I think the bolt will be too tight for either of these methods to work.
Hope this gives you something to go with.
Hello, thankyou for your help with this article.
Few questions please.
Should I also drain the engine oil as well before removing the head? I am worried about oil spilage when I remove the head.
Not sure if I misssed something, but when I remove the power steering pump bolts like you suggest to do, I am worried about the fan belt going ‘ca ching’, . Do I need to undo something else first to loosen the belt?
And could you just clarify for me please, when I remove the head, I should have number 1 piston at Top Dead Centre, correct?
I can see a mark on the big thing on the crankshaft,and I will try line than up with mark on timing cover.
But would like to confirm I have it correct please?
Thankyou heaps.
Hi Alby,
After the vehicle has been sitting for half an hour or so any oil remaining in the cylinder head would have made it’s way into the sump, so it is not a necessity to drain the oil before removing the head. There will be a bit of residual oil in the head which may leak out on removal but this is unavoidable. You may also find that when cleaning down the surface of the engine block small pieces of old gasket find thier way into the oil galleries so I do suggest doing an oil and filter change once the cylinder head is refitted.
With regards to the power steering belt, there is a pulley located to the right of the pump that acts as the belt tensioner. To loosen the belt the large nut on the front of the pulley has to be loosened (from memory a 15/16 spanner fits this or a large shifting spanner). Once the larger nut is loosened a 13mm spanner can be used to rotate the pulley down and loosen the belt. To refit and tighten the belt you need to use the 13mm spanner again and rotate the pulley to tighten the belt and tighten the large nut while holding tension on the pulley with the 13mm spanner.
You’re on the right track with the timing setup – the single mark on the crankshaft pulley has to line up with the top dead centre mark on the timing cover. The only catch with this is that the engine has to be firing on No.1 cylinder as apposed to firing on No.6 cylinder which also happens at top dead centre. (The camshaft travels one revolutions to the crankshaft’s two). To set the engine firing on No.1 cylinder the mark on the camshaft gear (visible with the tappet cover removed) must be facing the passengers side of the vehicle when the crankshaft mark is lined up with the timing cover mark. If it is facing the drivers side of the vehicle the engine is firing on No.6 cylinder and the crankshaft needs to be rotated one complete revolution to set the marks right. I hope that makes sense!
Hi there,
Thanks for all your information, it has come in handy. I have replaced my cylinder head and just about all on when i realised the recon cylinder head doesnt have a top hole for the thermostat housing. Looks like its been welded over and not drilled out again.
What do you think would be the best thing to do here. I dont wanna have to take it back, like i said the job is nearly finished.
I was thinking maybe drill it out then get a tap set, is that the way to go?
Cheers
hey m8 thanks for the post, great info! havent done overhead cam head work in a while so was nice to brush up before and during the process. thanks again buddy there should be more blokes like u
Cheers for that Braith! If you get stuck on anything don’t hesitate to shoot us an email and I’ll do what I can to help you through it.
Thanks again for your comment.
Hey again.
After getting the head on and drilling out the hole for the thermostat housing my ef was running perfectly. Just today I went on a short drive and on the way back I heard a tapping noise. Loud enough to hear inside with all windows up. Checked the oil and was a little low, was on the add mark. Will add some more tomorrow and see how it goes but from your experience have you got a rough idea of what it might be??
Hi Michael,
I would almost put a wager on it being a hyrdraulic lifter (lash adjuster) that has run dry from the low engine oil level. Top the oil up and take the car for a good drive and I would be very surprised if it is still there. Don’t be surprised if it doesn’t disappear straight away, sometimes it can take up to twenty or so kay’s of driving to bleed all the air from them.
Please let us know how you get on.
Is any oil better for these cars? I think I put 20w50 in it before.
Hi Michael,
20W50 will be fine for your car. Something ‘middle of the road’ as far as quality will do – Penrite is a personal favourite of mine but really I think these days most oil’s are much the same. Except for the $10 shite that you buy from Kmart!
is the same process possible on a falcon au?
Hi David,
As far as I am aware the process is the same for the AU, I reluctantly had to give up working on the tools not long after the AU was released due to a back injury so I don’t have any first-hand experience with this model.
I believe that the timing chain settings are the same as the late EL motors which is explained here – http://autofix.com.au/blog/archives/615 if you haven’t read that article already.
I’ll go through the list of people that I have been in contact with regarding this article and if I find anyone that has done the job on an AU I’ll let you know.
my head is 96da and block is 95da and its in a xh ute aprill 99 model. so is that the same to replace head gasket as mentioned. also how prone to cracking are these heads.? also thanks for providing this info this was going to be disasterous for my pocket but feel now i can get this done myself. thankyou.!
Hey Reece,
The basics are the same for your cylinder head however you will notice a few differences from the article such as drivebelt/fanbelt setup and from memory the power steering pump brackets and a few ‘odds and ends’ are different also. I believe your engine will also have the same timing chain setup that is found on the late model EL’s which you can read about here – http://autofix.com.au/blog/archives/615
A number of our readers have done the job on AU Falcons using the article as a guide with success but if you do strike any trouble feel free to shoot us an email and I’ll do what I can to help.
The cylinder heads aren’t particularly prone to cracking unless overheated in a major way, what they do often suffer from though is warping due to thier length and, in my opinion at least, the original headbolts used aren’t of the best quality. Also something we quite often see is the alloy going ’soft’ after even a mild overheat which usually renders the head useless so I suggest at the least to have the head checked for straightness and alloy strength before refitting.
I think that just about covers everything but as I said if you do strike any trouble please get in touch. Thanks for the positive feedback, muchly appreciated!
Referance my last disregard its part of water pump yea. One other thing thoe can the bolts be replaced with better quality reuseable head bolts instead of the throw away items.? and if i over tighten or for any other reason can they be backed off or is it a case of if there tightened down thats it there down.?
I just finished replacing the head gasket on my EB XR6 but now Ol’ Gertie is running like she has brick stuck in her…. My first mistake was to remove the whole intake manifold, detaching all the relevant hoses and leads in the process. I am a little unsure about where i hooked a couple of the hoses back to. Disassembly in the dark is a bad idea! In particular I’m not sure where the second hose that comes off the intake manifold with the PCV hose goes to, or the one the points upward off the fuel rail’s little chamber thingy. Please send help!!! Or at least a reply…
Thanks in advance, it would be a shame for Ol’ Gertie to become kindling….
Hi craig, i have recently rebuilt an 4.Ol EL engine when it came to fitting the chain tensioner it looks like there is only half thread in the barrel where the tensioner goes? with the other timing chain cover it has thread all the way through is there another tensioner of some sort? i have been told there is a sleve in there which i cant see, i dont want to swap covers if possible
Best engine setup ?? AU bottom end and ef top end ??
Good question Adam, I have never delved into possible bottom end/cylinder head combinations. A Ford forum might be you’re best bet for info regarding this.
Cheers.
Good job on the site, there sould be more like these. Having done the head on my ED about a month ago I was wondering what tension to retention the head studs at? Because the last step of touqueing the head is to simply add the 90 degrees. I was always lead to believe that all ally heads need a retention. Or is this not necessary with these.
Thanks for any help
Chris
Just a quick question regarding the reconditioned cylinder head. Does it come with the top hole for the thermostat housing already drilled out and tapped? I have read above a couple of posts where people had to do that themselves. Shouldn’t a reconditioned head come ready to install?
Hi Anthony,
Yes they should come ready to install. I don’t know what happened with the odd few that needed to be drilled and tapped, perhaps an alloy welder went a bit overboard, who knows. Personally, in more than ten years I have never come across this problem and I know I’d be sending them back until they got it right if I did!
Regards,
Craig
Thanks for the informative article Craig. I’m fixing the head gasket in my EF and got to the timing chain guide upper bolt removal. Won’t budge. Tried all the usual tricks (heat, high quality hex socket, technical tap with engineers hammer, WD-40, a reverse grip extraction socket, even a massive pair of stillsens on the outside and vice grips on the inside at the same time – no movement. Previous mechanic has sealed the outside bolt thread with a red goo like red silastic. The only weapon left in my arsenal is to hacksaw the bolt either side of the chain guide without getting metal cuttings down in the motor and try to extract the remnants once the head is out. Any suggestions of an easier way much appreciated!
(P.S. – found a way to make a substitute Ford special tool for the timing chain tensioner by crimping a suitably sized electrical lug 5mm from the end of a long 3mm allen key so that the key can push and turn the tensioner release screw anticlockwise when putting the chain tension back on.)
Cheers – Glen
Regarding the chain guide bolt removal problem above – I’ve had success, ….had another go at it by filing down the rounded bolt head back to something that looked like a hex head, forcing the “Irwin bolt grip” extractor on and heaving with a 3 foot extension bar. So happy I’m now having a beer.
Cheers – Glen
Hay i need yor help,on ford FE 1994 if someone are familiar with Torqueage on cylinder head bolts,50Nm Ok or not sure? thank you
Hi John,
The listing I have for EF head bolts is a first step of 40Nm and a second step of tightening the bolts another 90 degrees. Torque to yield head bolts require that second 90 degree step, crazy I know but that’s the norm these days.
Can any 1 help me? I changed the head on my EF Falcon and now she wont start….argghhh. Seems to be an injector pulse problem but I have been over and over the motor with an ohms meter and cant find the problem…I have power both side of the injector rail I’ve heard a whisper that I should have tilted the motor fwd to make sure the air came out of the injector rail when I had the motor out…can anyone help me as to how I can make sue there is no airlock in the rail or what could be the cause. It runs when i spray fuels into the inlet. Awesome forum to guys!
hi guys, and Craig…mate you are truthfully a huge help!
I have a quick if not basic question to ask… I know I had a leak coming from my water pump and this in turn put un needed heat on the poor engine eventually till water started coming out the exaust..and a lot of water…
Would it be worth my while trying to just replace the head gasket (which Im sure has blown out causing the issue at hand) or am I better off just getting a second hand engine from a wreck and dropping it in? both would prob take the same time to do (a good Sunday Im guessing)
I’m just after some advice as I ran some chemiweld through it trying to block it up to stop it smoking (steaming like thomas the tank engine) and just not sure if it would be ‘worth’ doing it just to find I did more damage than i thought! advice….please.
Hi Aaron,
Cheers for the kind words!! We definitely have a fuel delivery/injector problem seeing as though she runs when spraying fuel into the inlet manifold. I wouldn’t be worried about getting an airlock in the fuel rail as it’s a constant return system and any air that was in the fuel rail would find it’s way back to the tank once the fuel pump kicks into action.
Speaking of which, do u know if the fuel pump is operating when cranking the engine? If you have a spare set of ears, not yours but someone else’s!, the easiest way is to listen for pump noise at the rear of the car while cranking the engine. If you are by yourself a fuel pressure gauge would be handy but failing this you can remove the fuel supply hose from the fuel rail and place it securely in a container and crank the engine to check for flow.
I think if we can establish what the pump is doing we can then look at the injectors.
Thanks for such a prompt reply. It seems that my father put the fuel hoses on in reverse. We had plenty of pressure after following the comments on your site. Finally got it going!. I have bookmarked your site as it is the best site for info that I could find on the net.
Keep up the awesome work.
Cheers
Aaron
Hi Justin,
Cheers for the kind words mate! A bit of a hard question to answer although if you want my opinion it does sound like you’ve done a reasonable amount of damage to the cylinder head (thomas the tank engine symptoms!) and I’m guessing that the head may be cracked.
This can mean one of two things – the head may be able to be repaired depending on where and how many cracks are present or the alloy in the head may have gone soft (good chance) and the head will be un-repairable anyway.
If the head is repairable it will cost a few bucks and then there is the waterpump to take into account also. If you can find a decent engine from a wrecker (or complete car for that matter) for around $500 – $1000 I think you would be a lot better off going with that option.
When I was able to work and had our workshop I would have it a guess that every second Falcon cylinder head had turned ’soft’ and was a bin job and most of these hadn’t reached the water out the exhaust stage yet so I’m guessing yours is pretty crook. We are talking about a Falcon aren’t we? Thought I better ask!
Craig…Mate your advice has helped more than you know. I will find a new engine today…one more bit of advise though.
Would I be better off spending 3-400 for one with a gearbox attached and dropping the whole thing in (only have a forklift on hand) OR is it easier to just unbolt everything and hook the replacement engine up to the existing box.
By the way yes it’s an 94 EF falcon.
I have dropped 2 engines in other cars in the past with no issue at all, is there though anything tricky i could come across?
Justin,
If your existing gearbox is in reasonable condition I would stick with it as it’s better the devil u know, if u know what I mean! Swapping just the engine is no big drama, some of the bellhousing bolts can be a little bit difficult to get to and are better off taken out from under the car with a long extension bar and socket. Dropping the gearbox crossmember down a touch gives you better access to the top bellhousing bolts also.
Also make sure you have the four (maybe five, can’t remember off the top of my head) bolts out that secure the torque convertor to the flexplate and lever the convertor back about an inch or so so that it stays in the gearbox as the engine comes out or you will loose most of your auto fluid.
Other than that I can’t think of any drama you might come across, all the wiring simply unplugs and should be reasonably self explanatory once the new engine is in place.
I guess if you can find a motor and transmission that you know has had work done or is in A1 condition then go with the complete setup but knowing EF/EL’s I don’t think you will find too many with transmissions in great nick so I would stick with what you’ve got if your trans is ok.
Hope that helps and doesn’t just confuse you more!
Excellent info here Craig. I am replacing my EA head with a ported ED unit as my rockers smashed after no.3 inlet valve broke and got jammed under the ex. valve.. Before inspection I assumed it was the timing chain snapped, and failed to drive the cam. Upon opening up the chain was intact, but we removed the timing case to check the timing of crank / aux / and cam gear. Now the prick of job is getting the timing case back on, as the lower 3″ guide hits the chain. Have loosened the sump bolts, but still not enough clearance, would it be worth jacking it up at the bellhousing (and undoing engine mounts) to lift the block up, and would this allow the sump fall at least 10mm? Just can’t get the timing case on properly without it’s lower guide hitting the chain. It’s a dog of a job, any help would be welcomed. Cheers in advance.
Hi,
Yeah dog of a job, you got that right! From memory (it’s been a while since doing a timing case on these engines), because of that lower small chain guide you do have to lift the engine off it’s mounts to get enough clearance from the sump to fit it.
The factory workshop manual says nothing about the sump clearance, because the sump is not fitted to the engine when they did that chapter, great bloody help that was!
I do remember having to lift the engine further than what the crossmember allows the sump to drop though.
Any problems using EA rocker gear on ED head?
You on FORDMODS.COM?
Cheers.
I’ve not been down that road Neil although I don’t imagine there would be much difference. About all I know on that subject is that the lifters/lash adjusters on the later models are dismantleable? (is that even a word?!) whereas the earlier ones aren’t. I have heard there is a lot of info on Fordmods but can’t say I’ve had the time to check much out. Real useful tonight aren’t I?!
All good mate, can use EA rockers. Question was based on the fact am running a Wade 1636, and had doubled up on the shims, which were the 14mm units. As the ED had 11mm lifters, I only had 12 shims. The head place are cleaning up my spare EA rockers, so yay; I can run my cam again. Attacking the timing case again tomorrow, hope to have a win
hello , i currently am in the porcess of replacing my head gasket and noticed that the timing marks are 180 degrees out , is it possible to hold chain tight and spin motor to get to tdc (head is off)
Hi James,
Yes it is possible to turn the motor 180 degrees as long as you keep tension on the timing chain so that it doesn’t slip on either the crankshaft or idler shaft that runs the distributor (i.e. hold tension on the chain with your finger and have someone turn the motor over and let the chain slide across your finger). The other option is to bolt it up as normal but set the camshaft marks 180 degrees out also, i.e. with the mark just above the left hand side of the head instead of the right side.
With either option I suggest turning the crankshaft twice by hand and re-checking the timing marks before refitting the tappet cover etc, just to be sure you have it timed correctly.
Hope this helps.
Regards,
Craig
hey mate.
in the middle of doin mine. i know a bit but not heaps.
i think ill be right with it all..
just is there an easier way to get the bolts out of the intake.
cause i got 2 left to get at and there near imposible for me to reach with my fat ass arms and i cant really get to em with anything.
plus loosening the timing chain. read over it a couple times. just confuses the shit outa me.
i cant find the little plug thingo.
and one other thing. did i need to take the exhaust of. or was that a waste of time?
Hi Nathan,
Unfortunately removing the intake bolts is the biggest pain in the arse part of this job. I imagine that the ones you are having trouble with are at the rear and underneath the intake runners? Have you tried jacking the car up and attacking the bolts from underneath?
The ‘plug’ for the timing chain tensioner will only become visible once the power steering pump is moved out of the way. Have you got that far with it?
The exhaust manifold definately has to come off so don’t stress there, you have done the right thing!
Craig, still going with this thing, timing case and every single other thing is done.. except the rocker gear.
Like I said earlier was going to use 14mm EA gear as I alread had 24 shims for setup (as I was running a reground cam), but after the inital disaster (breaking valves and rocker gear as a result) I don’t have 12 complete lifters, so am considering finding a set of ED 11mm shims, and then running the ED lifters – which look of a better design where they sit on the end of the valve.
What would you do, get new 14mm lifters, or another set of 11mm shims and run the 11mm ED lifters?
Now looking to go with the 11mm setup, the pivot point on the lifter where it meets the valve is a better design I think..
hi i have just replaced the head gasket on my 96 ef fairmont when it was all put back together i stated car to hear a funny sound from the exhaust side of engine and i let car idle for 10 seconds and when the car is stopped it sounds like something is still spinning inside the rocket cover and the extractors are really hot have taken the timing chain tensioner out agian to check and car is still doing the same thing starts fine almost sounds like the exhaust has a big leak at the gasket then stop car and now car sounds like sucking inside the rocket cover like a turbo winding down and exhaust still gets really hot after 10 seconds of use cant work this out can you help please
in response to earlier question
have just been checking and will this make a difference i had champion plugs in engine before replace head gasket rn11yx4 1994 – 1996, EF, 6CYL 4.0L MPFI SOHC RESISTOR TYPE TICKFORD ENG & XR6 now i have been giving rn9lx4 1994 – 1996, EF, 6CYL 4.0L MPFI SOHC RESISTOR TYPE EXCEPT TICKFORD ENGINE/ XR6 & LPG i didn’t really notice difference untill i just removed 1 of the new plugs and checked it to the old ones and the new ones are longer and will enter the chamber by approx 5mm was going to put old ones back in and see if this will help but still conserned about the noise when engine is stopped and why the exhaust get so hot after so little time think i might have to pull engine out and use it as a boat anchor
Hi,
Gee, where to start! Does not sound like fun. I can’t really explain the ’spinning’ noise inside the tappet cover after the engine has stopped, the only moving parts are the camshaft and rocker gear??
One explanation for the extractors getting very hot quickly is that the camshaft timing is not set correctly, are you sure you got that correct? You don’t have the timing chain with the yellow link in it do you as in this article – http://autofix.com.au/blog/archives/615?
The sucking sounds from inside the rocker cover could be a vacuum hose off somewhere, like at the throttle body or inlet manifold. Personally I would go around and double check all hose fittings etc and perhaps lift the rocker cover and check the cam timing before going too much further.
5mm difference in length of the spark plugs may cause an issue long term but I don’t believe the plugs are causing any of your current dramas. Having said that if you still have the old plugs I would be refitting them just to be on the safe side.
The more I think about it the more I believe it is a camshaft timing related problem and possibly a vacuum hose or connection problem is adding to things also. I’ll keep thinking over the symptoms you’ve described and if I come up with anything else I’ll let you know. Please let me know if there is any other ’symptoms’ that arise that might help diagnose the drama.
Regards,
Craig
hi craig
where do i start
i replaced the plugs for the old part number ones got new ones i checked all hoses and they all where fine so i took the tension plug out agian and the part you put allen key in had not sprung out so i’m guessing the chain was not tight enough my head is 94ab stamped on front and is the same as the one in pics i then took the valve cover off and checked the sprocket i lined up with passenger side of engine as in pic and bottom marker on engine harmonic balancer is in line and kepted on checking the chain after i put tensioner in finally i got the tensioner to spring out and take up the slack on chain replaced everything and checked and rechecked then finally built up the courage to start car and bingo car runs fine extractors still get hot quickly so i was worried i rung around and was told that they will heat up quickly i then ran car for 30 mins and everything seams fine thermo fans work temp gauge is fine so tomorrow its back to work hopefully nothing happens with the engine will keep my fingers crossed thanks for all you help and the post about how to do this job
Great to hear!! The chain tensioner can be a pain to release at times and a loose chain may explain the troubles you were having. Great to hear that all is working ok now.
I am in the midst of putting my EL motor after replacing the head gasket. I’ve had trouble putting the timing sprocket back on the cam, but found the chain tensioner and loosened that right off, slid sprocket on, and now it’s all good, but my question is do I do the tensioner up to the tension that is was before I undid it or not?
Hi,
You can do the tensioner up to the same tension as it was before you undid it if the internal ‘ratchet’ in the tensioner hasn’t moved out further than it was before it was undone. Does that make sense? Thought not!!
Let me put it another way, if you go winding the tensioner in and it becomes hard to move and there is a great deal of tension on the chain there is a good chance that the ratchet has moved out and will need to be ‘retracted’. If the tensioner winds in tight (i.e. tensioner body tight against block surface) without too much effort everything should be ok.
This article – http://autofix.com.au/blog/archives/622 should help explain things a bit better.
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