E Series Falcon Head Gasket
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.
- 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.
Assembly is basically the reverse of this procedure with attention paid to the following;
Hi Frank,
The only practical way to remove the piston is with the head off, unless the crankshaft was removed. Also need to point out that you cant take the sump off (completely) without the engine being removed… or at least lifted clear of the crossmember which can’t be done while it is attached to the transmission (incidentally, I did change an oil pump without removing the engine, but it was a difficult and tedious job done on the side of the road …because I had no where else to do it having just returned from overseas surprised the hell out of my mechanic when he found out I was able to do it).
If I were you, before I did anything, I would buy an inexpensive mechanics stethoscope and see if it is possible to rule out the tappets or any other noise.
I might dismantle my EF engine, and see if I can find movement at the piston / gudgeon …but first I would like to check the compression to see if the motor is in spec.
Interesting that your motor also had metal floating around. If we follow the oilways through the crank and up through the conrods to the gudgeon pins, there is nowhere for any metal to get clear and fall back into the sump once it reaches the pins. This would no-doubt help block the tiny oilways and potentially stop the gudgeons from being lubricated -so my guess is that it is a logicla source of the noise.
BIG ENDS? Of course the same applies to the big ends, but there is a bit more clearance at the big ends, and damage will probably take longer. Considerable gouging needs to occur before there would be big-end noise. The softer bearing shells should be the first to wear, and I have seen them with harder metal embedded in them. In this case, if the crank isn’t worn appreciably, it’d just be a matter of replacing the bearing shells, otherwise it would require crank grinding and undersized bearings.
When I dismantle mine, I expect to find metal in the big ends and the gudgeons.
All I have for now.
Good luck.
John S.
Frank,
The only practical way to remove the piston is with the head off, -unless the crankshaft was removed. Also need to point out that you cant take the sump off (completely) without the engine being removed… or at least lifted clear of the crossmember which can’t be done while it is attached to the transmission (incidentally, I did change an oil pump without removing the engine, but it was a difficult and tedious job done on the side of the road …because I had no where else to do it having just returned from overseas surprised the hell out of my mechanic when he found out I was able to do it).
If I were you, before I did anything, I would buy an inexpensive mechanics stethoscope and see if it is possible to rule out the tappets or any other noise.
I might dismantle my EF engine, and see if I can find movement at the piston / gudgeon …but first I would like to check the compression to see if the motor is in spec.
Interesting that your motor also had metal floating around. If we follow the oilways through the crank and up through the conrods to the gudgeon pins, there is nowhere for any metal to get clear and fall back into the sump once it reaches the pins. This would no-doubt help block the tiny oilways and potentially stop the gudgeons from being lubricated -so my guess is that it is a logicla source of the noise.
BIG ENDS? Of course the same applies to the big ends, but there is a bit more clearance at the big ends, and damage will probably take longer. Considerable gouging needs to occur before there would be big-end noise. The softer bearing shells should be the first to wear, and I have seen them with harder metal embedded in them. In this case, if the crank isn’t worn appreciably, it’d just be a matter of replacing the bearing shells, otherwise it would require crank grinding and undersized bearings.
When I dismantle mine, I expect to find metal in the big ends and the gudgeons.
All I have for now.
Good luck.
John S.
Frank,
The only practical way to remove the piston is with the head off, unless the crankshaft was removed. Also need to point out that you cant take the sump off (completely) without the engine being removed… or at least lifted clear of the crossmember which can’t be done while it is attached to the transmission (incidentally, I did change an oil pump without removing the engine, but it was a difficult and tedious job done on the side of the road …because I had no where else to do it having just returned from overseas surprised the hell out of my mechanic when he found out I was able to do it).
If I were you, before I did anything, I would buy an inexpensive mechanics stethoscope and see if it is possible to rule out the tappets or any other noise.
I might dismantle my EF engine, and see if I can find movement at the piston / gudgeon …but first I would like to check the compression to see if the motor is in spec.
Interesting that your motor also had metal floating around. If we follow the oilways through the crank and up through the conrods to the gudgeon pins, there is nowhere for any metal to get clear and fall back into the sump once it reaches the pins. This would no-doubt help block the tiny oilways and potentially stop the gudgeons from being lubricated -so my guess is that it is a logicla source of the noise.
BIG ENDS? Of course the same applies to the big ends, but there is a bit more clearance at the big ends, and damage will probably take longer. Considerable gouging needs to occur before there would be big-end noise. The softer bearing shells should be the first to wear, and I have seen them with harder metal embedded in them. In this case, if the crank isn’t worn appreciably, it’d just be a matter of replacing the bearing shells, otherwise it would require crank grinding and undersized bearings.
When I dismantle mine, I expect to find metal in the big ends and the gudgeons.
All I have for now.
Good luck.
John S.
Oops, sorry about the multi-posts …seems my computer didn’t refresh fast enough. Mod might be able to remove the extras thanks.
Incidentally, some interesting news regarding the oil leak near the timing chain tensioner. Looks like I was close to the money regarding the cause.
I thought before I do anything rash like removing the powersteering pump to get a good look at the tensioner to see if it is leaking, I will try to use a mirror and a light. Sure enough, I could see it quite clearly and there was no oil dripping from it. That meant that it had to be coming from the bolts that tighten the O-ring I discussed earlier. I decided to remove them and at least seal them and see if that fixed the problem, and sure enough, I found that a previous mechanic had used a shorter thicker bolt that didn’t go right through to the head. Strangely, it was able to cut it’s own thread into the timing cover and tightened up perfectly.
Replaced with the correct bolt …coated both of them with aviation gasket liquid (one at a time) and wacked it back together (plenty of aviation gasket liquid under the head of the bolt too just in case.
Took it for a drive and no leaky. YES!
Cheers,
John S.
Just an update on my gasket replacement. Finally had everything sorted out.. Tapping noise reduced after 250kms. Just slight tapping on startup now.
Also my oil leak near the power steering pump was the same issue John S described with the long bolt, i also used the wrong bolt here and it did indeed cut it’s own thread. Funny as the longer bolt was the only thing left I couldn’t place after putting it all back together.
how do i change a sump gasket on a ea ford falcon fuel injected
Hi Chris,
It is a fairly involved process to change the sump gasket on an EA as you have to partially lift the engine to get enough clearance between the sump and the crossmember. If you have access to lifting equipment I can guide you through the job though.
Regards,
Craig
Hi John,
Sorry about the late reply… had computer issues. ? hmmmm nothing ever seems to be easy when it comes to fixing cars. I will give the mechanics stethoscope a try to elimanate the top end from being the culprit. I have also read that removing one ignition lead at a time whilst the engine is running is a good way of checking for big end noise and to find which one is the problem? I will try these basics though before any serious work is undertaken.
If it’s more involved and I cant pin-point the problem, I do have a spare short motor with 160,000km on it. My Mrs suggested to fit it up with a new head so I can swap the engines over. This may be a better option as it will give me the opurtunity to strip done the bottom end to find the cause of the noise and to thoroughly clean-out any metal fragments whilst she can still use the car for work. Like you, I’m sure I will find metal in the big ends and the gudgeons when I come to dismantle it.
Thanks again for your help.
Cheers
Frank
Great article, I went between this and the manual while taking my head off. So I removed my head yesterday and have taken it to the reconditioners to get pressure tested and a grind. Only problem is when I was removing the head there was A LOT of sealant around the front of the head surrounding the cam sprocket/chain area. To give it a bit of help I put a long crow bar into one of the exhaust chambers and gently gave it a bit of leverage to break the seal, not the best solution I know, however this worked and got the head free. The problem is however it seems that I snapped off a bit of the cam chain guide on the right hand side (while looking at the engine from the front of the car). The piece would only be 8mm or so but I’m a bit worried because I can’t see where it went. I’ve used a torch to look down but I can’t see any sign of the broken piece.
How would you advise on proceeding?
I’m worried if that’s floating around in the bottom end it might do some considerable damage. Best case it could get ground up and
Hi James,
That piece of chain guide will almost certainly be in the sump which is accessible directly below the timing case. Although it is unlikely to cause any problems because 1. It is like a bakerlite material that will grind up without damaging the oil pump and 2., It must first get get through the oil screen. If it does get through, it will then probably get picked up in the oil filter.
If you wanted to, you could drain the sump and see if it comes out in the oil. You could also flush some kero or diesel don’t the sump from the timing cover area.
I wouldn’t do anything else drastic like removing the sump, because I just don’t thing the risk warrants that much work. The sump can be removed while the engine is in an E series, but it is too much work for this issue.
Considering the fact that this material is designed to stand up to constant exposure to oil without breaking down, can almost guarantee that it will sit harmlessness in the sump just like a tappet has been sitting in mine for the last few years.
Cheers,
Can you let me the approximate cost of repairing the head gasket by a mechanic.
I live in the ACT area.
I have problem with my el Falcon when i drain the oil i have little spices of metal in the bottom of the container. could it be
the timing chain dampers can you please help.I live in NSW thank you.
What happens if you dont machien the head and just clean it and replace the gasket?
thanks.
Hi Sam,
It depends on what caused the head gasket to fail in the first place. If the engine was over heated and the head is warped then it is unlikely that the new gasket will last very long at all. Both the block and cylinder head need to be perfectly flat for the gasket to seal well.
If the gasket failed because of corrosion of the water jackets it may last for a while if the corrosion wasn’t too bad. Typically if there is corrosion present in the water jackets the pitted areas are welded and the head mating surface is machined flat again.
Back in the days of cast-iron heads it was reasonably common to simply replace the gasket but alloy heads have changed all that.
Hope that helps.
Craig
Hi I am currently taking the head of my EL falcon and am having a bit of trouble getting the last two bottom bolts of the inlet manifold.Any tips? I will probably buy a ratchet spanner.
Thanks
Andy
Andy,
either a ratchet spanner or 1/4 inch drive socket with a long extension (or two) is about the best way to remove those bolts. Jacking the car up, supporting it on stands and getting them from underneath can make life easier also.
Regards,
Craig
Thanks got the manifold off .done all the other steps.now about to start on the head bolts.I think I will have to buy a breaker bar is that correct.
cheers
Hi not to rain on your parade guys but a old mate told me a trick and I’m replacing my second E series head on my second vehicle. When you get up to the stage of removing your timing chain, just secure your chain to the sprocket itself using cable ties use 3 or more and make sure its stuck firm. Then before you slip the timing chain sprocket off your cam gear, get a tea towl or 2 and stuff them down the timing cover and between the chain itself to hold the chain in place and against the timing cover walls to take up tension on the chain. Then you should be able to slide the timing chain sprocket off with the chain stuck firm on all the teeth it was originally on. there should be some play up the top in the chain naturally but below your timing cover into the block all the tension should have held your chain directly in the same place. Now when you remove you cylinder head you can just pull it over your timing chain and sprocket and leave it there peacefully and when you put it back together once everything is in place slide the sprocket onto the cam gear tighten the nut pull the tea towels out and cut the cable ties. Wala no adjusting the timing lol.
Yes that is a handy trick Josh,
I have actually come up with the same idea when changing camshafts once. At least the only thing you have to worry about is jumping a tooth or two on the bottom sprocket …which is unlikely if the tea towels of rags are pushed in tight enough around the timing chain/cover.
Good post.
John S.
I’m having trouble with the cam chain tensioner. I’ve got the head, cam and rockers back on I’m trying to put tension back on the chain. I accidentally popped out the cam chain tensioner assembly (minus the ‘tensioner’) in an attempt to do the ‘push and turn anti-clockwise’ method the manual says. When I install the spring and tensioner cam in the clockwise direction I feel it ‘lock’ into place. This feels right as if it would be the correct position.
However the manual and this site says at this stage that it needs to be pushed in and turned anti-clockwise? When ever I do this it loosens again and if I keep turning it ejects the assembly again.
What am I missing?
Gedday James.
I might know the answer to this one this also happened to me if I remember correctly. I found that I didn’t have the chain guides in the correct position, so there was too much slack in chain and this allowed to tensioner to pop all the way out. If I remember correctly, it was the larger chain guide on the LHS of the timing chain (facing forward) that was the problem (on the opposite side to the tensioned. I think that for some reason it wasn’t sitting in the right place (or completely worn out -I forget exactly to be honest) and once I worked that out everything was fine. Give it a try anyway.
Cheers,
John S.
I have 3/1998 NL. It seems to have new engine 96DA ( I6 ).
Does anyone know the ‘revised bolt tightening sequences.’ mentioned in http://autofix.com.au/blog/el-falcon-hybrid-engine-camshaft-timing?
Hi I am currently cleaning the engine block.I have got the all the gasket off,but there are still block spots on the block which,I guess are carbon. I have put gasket remover on but it still wont come off.The block is smooth I have used sandpaper to make it even.
So my question is do I have to get rid of the carbon deposits or can I go a head an put on the gasket?
Any tips for removing the carbon would be great.
Andy
Hi Andy,
As long as the block is smooth and ‘gasket-free’ and these black spots aren’t raised you should be fine to go ahead and fit the gasket and head. If you have access to a digital camera you could always send me a photo and I’ll take a look to be 100% sure.
Andy,
I don’t think you have anything to worry about there, a wipe over with a clean lint-free rag would be all I would be doing and then fitting the gasket.
i have the 3mm allan key with tube but when i put it into the hole after taking out the plug and filter i can not turn the allan key clock wise to un tention the chain am i doing something wrong
correction i managed to turn it have a .5 of a turn is this ok or do you have to re move all the bit inside it