How To Replace The Head Gasket – E Series Falcon
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 Craig
Thankyou for your article, I am in the process of replacing the head gasket on my 1997 EL falcon. Can you please confirm that the chain tensioner CW and CCW directions with the allen key are in the correct directions in your disassebly and reassembly instructions? As your directions you described seem to be counter-intuitive, and I do not want to get this wrong. Thanks
Hi Neil,
I’ve re-checked the allen key/tensioner direction with an EA workshop manual and it is definitely clockwise to lock the tensioner in the ‘retracted’ (chain loose)position. To reset the timing chain tension once the cylinder head is back on the manual states – “Insert the Ford special tool or a long 3 mm Allen key and tube through the tensioner plug hole and push and turn the tensioner cam sleeve anti-clockwise. Inspect the timing chain ensuring that it has tension on the right hand side, if not repeat the previous step.”
Hope that helps!
Regards,
Craig
Have fitted a exchange head on my ef falcon 6cyl.
When I started the motor it was running very rich as though it was on automatic choke. This didn’t disengage when engine came to operating temp. It was running a bit rough as well.
When the motor was turned off there was a hissing sound coming from the front of the engine. Can you help.
George
Hi George,
Bit hard to say, but a hissing sound as the engine is turned off could mean that you have a vacuum leak. This can either be from around the manifold to cylinder head gasket or from a pipe or fitting on the inlet manifold.
Certainly a vacuum leak can make the engine run rough, and it is also possible that the engine will run rich as the computer sences a large amount of air in the mixture and triggers the injectors to open longer to compensate for this.
My advice would be to first check all the hoses, fittings etc around the inlet manifold to make sure they are secure and if nothing shows up there you could grab a can of throttle body/carby cleaner and while the engine is idling spray a small amount around the area of the inlet manifold gasket (and any hose fittings on the manifold i.e. brake booster vacuum line etc) and if the engine revs increase as you are spraying a certain area, that is where your vacuum leak is.
That is where I would start anyway, it’s a bit hard to diagnose these types of problems from an email alone!
Hope that helps.
Hi Craig,
Thank-you for your quick response.
It was actually my son that has installed the new head, and I’m fixing his mistakes. He left a bracket off the manifold, just beside the water pump. Is this a engine hoist bracket for when you’re taking a motor out, and is it necessary to put it back. Could this be the source of the leak. I will try your ideas to-morrow, I’m gonna get drunk to-night, I’m too stressed.
Thanks
George
Hi Craig,
Just a change too my e-mail address
Hi Craig, followed your instructions, and sprayed carby cleaner to detect the leak. Found that I had one of the inlet manifold gaskets up-side down, thus a major air leak. All seems o.k now, just letting the motor settle in. Should I re-tension the manifold bolts after in a week or two.
Could I suggest for those about to embark on a similar project as I have, go and buy your-self a 10mm ratchet ring spanner. Costs about 15-20 bucks, but well worth all the heart ache in undoing the bolts in a confined space. I never had to get underneath the car. Take as much stuff off as you can, so that you can to get your arm up between the head and fuel injector lines. Also check when re-fitting, that you have the gaskets in the right way. There are two of them and virtually they go in opposite directions, to one another, you will know what I mean when you look at them, as they go on the head, [manifold side].
Thanks for your help, site was well worth the visit.
Hope I may be of help to some-one.
Cheers George.
Just a quick question. They say that the AU head gasket is far surperior to the ef head gasket.
With this in mind, I asked the guys at the auto shop,for that specific option. I was told that they were all the same. Would that mean that they have done away with the older version of the gasket during manafacture , [ef that is], and now only manafacture the stronger au gasket. What is/was the difference between the two. I’d hate it for any-one to do this pain in the arse job when you can purchase a superior part for the sake of a couple of bucks.
George
Hi George,
Good to hear that you got the car sorted, and I hope you had a drink for me!
With regards to the AU head gasket, I also have heard that the AU gasket is a better option although having been off the tools for almost five years now due to a stuffed back I have not had any experience with using this gasket myself and I’m not sure if they have done away with the old style gasket or not.
If you are interested in finding out more about it I know there is a fair bit of talk on the Ford forums such as http://www.fordforums.com.au/ and http://www.fordmods.com/ . I’ll check into it myself as soon as I get a few minutes and add it to the Autofix article if it is a better alternative. Thanks for bringing the issue up.
Wondering if anyone knows how to install a timing chain guide ( this is the plastic chain guide on the opposite side of the tensioner ) it snapped when removing the head and now head has been serviced its ready to go back on . Im hoping i dont have to take off the timing cover, is this possible ? Please help must have car running in three days .
Great forum just repaired the EF’s head gasket. Had the head tested for hardness, face cleaned up including weld up the water jacket holes that were 1/16″ from the cylinder which apparently is a common trait. Duggan’s Balancing repaired the jackets area back to the factory spec. It was leaking from the jackets to the outside of the head # 5, 4, and 3 not into the cylinder but close. The car is running beautifully, more compression; more throttle response and no leaks. I used AU gasket and head bolts. I used Hylomar on cylinder gasket, not that I had to, Loctite #3 on the inlet and thermostat housing and ultra blue on the front rubber gasket as recommended. Thanks for the advice. Saved me $700. Thanks Michael
Hi Michael,
Good to hear that you had a win with your EF. I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve seen and heard about coolant leaking externally from cylinders 3,4 and 5, not a well designed head by any stretch of the imagination. Sounds like you did a good and thorough job and I’m happy to hear the website article came in handy. All the best for a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
Regards,
Craig
I’m just replacing the head on my Mrs EL Hybrid…everything is going good to I got to the stage of taking the Head Gasket out ot the packaging and finding that it doesn’t have holes for the water on the inlet side of the gasket and the holes on the exhaust side for the water are only about 6mm or 8mm. I assume that this is supposed to be like this….. or am i wrong? The gasket i’m using is a ‘permaseal” brand.
Cheers
Frank
Hi Frank,
You are right in your assumption, that is the way they are supposed to be. Just to be sure I have added a link to the EF-EL head gasket image from an ACL catalogue that I have here. Does your gasket look the same?
EF-EL Head Gasket Image
Regards,
Craig
Hi Craig,
Thanks for getting back to me. Yes, my gasket looks the same as the one in the acl link. Thanks for putting my mind at ease.
I can hopefully finish her car now just in time for x-mas… I certainly picked a good time to do this. lol
Thanks for your help Craig
Ur welcome Frank. Best of luck with it and hope u have a Merry Christmas.
Regards,
Craig
Hi mate,
I blew the gasket on my very old engine (ex-taxi – must have half a mill on it) and it took me a full twelve hours to strip her down, clean her, fit the new gasket – then build it again.
but being diligent does have its rewards – she started first kick
not sure it’s a cause for celebration – spent most of the last day of 2010 sitting propped in my engine bay polishing the block down to clean metal. (Blew right at the drivers side yada yada.)
Without doing more i thought a bog ordinary rebuild using original spares was in order (just gaskets and bolts) for the medium term she’ll have to do (I’m at uni full time so money is not just tight as much as entirely absent)- I’ll be rigorous with keeping her nice and cooool.
Thanks for all your assistance – having the long discussion (above) was a terrific heads up on all the potential hassles. I have done it before but it’s always good to hear others misfortunes so you don’t have to own them.
Burred one of the head bolts fractionally and then searched out a tight fitting hex which cracked her loose with an extension bar and a quick yank (phew).
Never seen goop come out of a block like the first drain – fully a liter of water first and then emulsified YUCK.
Ran her out to a friends place this morning (60k) and then changed the oil and oil filter but I’m still getting an occasional flash on the oil pressure light?
Craig,
I used your guide to replace my head gasket on a ’96 EF Falcon wagon 4.0 litre.
The guide is awesome and helped me a lot, thank you. The problem I have now is the oil is now gurgling into the radiator overflow tank. This happened within 5 minutes of the car being started.
I have since pulled it apart again and found nothing wrong.
The initial problem was a blown head gasket confirmed by the blow marks on the head and the gasket showing it was blown and the steam that was being produced when it ran.
I had to replace the timing case as I found it was craked during replacement of the head gasket.
My first concern was that I had the head gasket on upside down. I found that is not the case and now am stumped as to the problem. I am thinking it is a crackd block with the pressure oil going into the water gallery somewhere in the block.
Any suggestions for checking would be very much appreciated as I will be buying you a “beer” anyway due to the usefulness of the guide on the first place.
Hanging to hear from you,
Matt
Hi there, I am near at the end of my wits end!. I have an XH ute series 1 on LPG. In the past 3 1/2 years I have had a tale of woe. Its now 5 head gaskets, brand new head, new radiator, new ECU, new O2 sensor, new LSD, & too many other incidentals to mention. I asked the mechanic (onto my 3rd Mechanic) very first time to put an AU steel shim head gasket on but he put an ACL 1 on as well as a new radiator & I drove it 100km & the engine cooked. I opened the bonnet & noticed he hadn’t reconnected the thermal fan plugs for the radiator!
Next was a new factory thermostat had seized & once again a cooked engine!
Was told third time Head was soft & no warranty on that job! lasted me 3 months. The re-conditioner also said the gas was probably the culprit.
Have now had it running on a new head for 20000 kn & lifter noise appears. took it back to them, they said it may be bottom end.
I am sure the think I am stupid , replaced hydraulic lifters anyway, my expense!
Head has let go again over Christmas & I am so over these so called experts!
This time I am going to put an AU head gasket, an XR6 camshaft that I have like I asked for in the first place! It would have saved me near $15000 in repairs & downtime. I will defiantly be using your site as a guide. Sorry about the rambling ………..
I needed to vent.
Hi Jim,
Good to hear the article came in handy for you. Because the engine has had so much water in the oil it might just be a case of driving it for a while (with an eye out for the oil pressure light of course!) and perhaps changing the oil and filter again once you’ve done 1,000km’s or so.
Also, if you could get hold of an oil pressure gauge that might prove helpful as on occasion I have seen the oil pressure sender unit play up after the oil has been thinned out. Attaching an oil pressure gauge will tell you for sure if there is the occasional drop in oil pressure or if it’s just the sender misbehaving.
Hope that helps!
Regards,
Craig
Hi Matt,
Sorry to hear of your car woes, and thanks very much for the donation, muchly appreciated!
It sounds to me like you either have a crack in the block (like u thought) or the cylinder head is badly warped or cracked and the gasket is not sealing around the main oil gallery that supplies oil to the valve train. I have not come across many cracked Falcon blocks in my time, although it certainly is possible but I would want to rule out a warped cylinder head before condemning the whole engine.
Did you have the head checked for straightness, cracks etc before refitting it? Was there much corrosion visible in the coolant jackets of the head? It’s rare but if the water jackets are corroded enough around the oil gallery this can also cause these symptoms.
Anyway, if you can answer those questions for me that would help.
Regards,
Craig
I would need to vent after all of that too don’t worry! Sorry to hear of all your dramas. Definately go the AU head gasket and bolts this time, from the comments we’ve had here and from reading various website articles it seems that they are far superior to the old gear. I hope that this time will be the end of it for quite a while!
All the best,
Craig
Ta Craig – I’ll let er run out a bit and keep your words in mind.
Left the damn door open (with keys in the ig) night before last and woke to a dead battery but charged her overnight and she started this morning like a dream.
Oil looks beautifully clean. Oil pressure light still flickering occasionally but it seems to be less of an issue.
Again – thanks heaps for your assistance.
JiMM
No problem Jim, hopefully it will settle down given a bit of time.
All the best,
Craig
Thanks Craig for your .
Firstly, yes I had the head checked before refitting it initially and it was good.
I have pulled the engine apart again since the disaster to determine if I had done something wrong like put the head gasket on upside down or dislodged the tensioner oring, or anything as it didn’t so this before the initial head gasket blown.
I found nothing wrong that we could see, second set of eyes is useful so as I did not get complacent.
I am assuming the worst of a crack in the block at this stage fro the following reasons (I am outlining them here just in case anyone else comes looking for this information):
- the oil is under pressure coming out of the radiator.
- we found there are only three pressure oil lines in the block and once they hit the head they don’t have water jackets to blow into, so we are back to the block again.
- just looking at the block we cannot tell if there are cracks and the cost of chasing it is best spent on a replacement engine in that case anyway.
Thanks again and enjoy the beer, I would have loved to afford to donate for a carton for the effort you put in here to help people but can only afford the beer at this stage.
Cheers,
Matt
Head is in at the re-conditioners. They are at a loss as to why I had cracks at 4 cylinder bores. The engineer seems to think the head wasn’t torqued correctly. BTW there is now a complete kit available for E series with a thicker MLS gasket than the AU 1, am getting that. Its $67 more than the VRS or ACL gasket kit. Should be back in 2 days, don’t want to rush them as its a freebie.
The block decked out square & no serious corrosion. Its a pisser having a new head planed with less than 20k on it! I also found 3 loose spark plugs, & 3 inlet manifold bolts loose! My faith in motor mechanics is seriously disappointing.
It’s all good Matt, any amount is greatly appreciated.
I agree with your logic, it’s rare that cracks in the block will be visible to the naked eye and as you say the money spent looking is better off spent on a replacement engine. It’s a shame that you went through all of that work for this result though, but that’s motor cars for you!
Good luck with finding a replacement engine and getting her back on the road again.
Regards,
Craig
Thanks for sharing that info with us regarding the gasket set. Incorrect head bolt tension or incorrect tension sequence can severely damage an alloy head, but it’s not that hard to get right providing you have the correct information and spark plugs and inlet manifold bolts aren’t difficult to get right – you gotta wonder about some people!
I hope all turns out well for you this time.
Regards,
Craig
The job’s done!!!!!!
Head plane, Valve stem seals, Vac test, new head gasket kit (Payen AE5830 MLS Head Gasket KIt).
All went very smoothly indeed( didn’t have any spare parts! lol)Cranked the engine over by hand , prolly 4 rotations , everything went up’n down & round’n round.
Then I went to start it!!!!! Nothing!!!!!! Checked battery voltage …8.4V Dead as a Maggot! Picked up another from Repco & it fired up first kick, tappets settled down, bit of blue smoke, from lube I poured in the bores & heaps of smoke off the extractors! Test drive was ok but I noticed the temp guage was ranging between ‘O’ & ‘A’ . There is a new thermostat, water pump, Radiator flush etc, Thermo fans working & there is pressure under the coolant tank cap with no bubbles. Any Ideas?
Good to hear it all went well. No spare parts! That’s a bonus lol. Tell me, is it running constantly in the second half of the temp gauge or only when it has been stationary for a bit? Also, new thermostat’s can be a bit ‘sticky’ for their first couple of openings (we used to sit them in a pot of boiling water first just to make sure they were opening completely before fitting) but you can usually tell this by the temp of the radiator hoses. Are both top and bottom of a similar temperature? A sticky thermostat will usually give you a cold bottom hose and hot top hose.
Regards,
Craig
Hi Craig, great article on Head Gasket replacement. I have recently tackled his job, all has gone well except for the fact that thet car will not start after it all went back together. There’s no strange noises or rattles, it just wont kick over. Any suggestions?
Hi,
What I suggest you do is go though a basic process of elimination to find out why your car won’t start.
The easiest place to start is the spark. Do you have spark at the spark plug end of the ignition leads?
The next thing I would check is fuel. Have a close listen around the fuel tank area for fuel pump operation as someone cranks the engine for you. Also, you could loosen/remove either the supply line or return line to the fuel to rail and momentarily crank the engine to see if you have fuel ‘volume’ coming through.
Assuming all is good there I would then be looking at the camshaft timing, although if you left the cam gear in place when you removed the head it is unlikely that this will be the problem, and usually the engine will at least do something (backfire etc) if the cam timing is out.
My bet is on one of the first two, can u do those checks and let us know what you find?
Regards,
Craig
Cheers for the feedback on the article too!! I appreciate it
Thanks for the quick reply Craig. Its definetly got fuel supply. It also has spark, but it seems to be weak from my view point. I tried spraying some engine start in the intake and it tries to turn over but dosen’t continue. Anyway I suspect that the coil is faulty? I will double check the timing though. Any other ideas?
Regards, John.
Hi John,
When you say that you sprayed some engine start in the intake and it tries to turn over but doesn’t continue, does that mean that it did fire even if for a second or two?
If that is the case it must be a fuel related issue. Although they can be often quite hard to hear, have you tried listening for fuel pump noise around the boot/fuel tank area while someone cranks the engine over for you? Or do you have access to a fuel pressure gauge at all?
Regards,
Craig
I’m halfway though replacing my head and just wanted to say a big thanks for the instructions. I will say though having the right tools really helps doing this, I would recommend purchasing a 10mm ratchet spanner and a uni-joint socket as these saved me a lot of time getting the intake bolts off.
I found my head was quite corroded on exhaust ports 3,4,5,6 and someone looks to have tried to use the magic can of stuff to try stopping the leaks as it was all gummed up with sticky goo. I’ll find out if the head can be repaired tomorrow otherwise i’ll be looking for a replacement.
so far I’ve only had one minor hiccup, I snapped the timing chain guide as I was lifting the head off. I asked a few mechanic friends of mine and they said it’s not really a big issue, it will just rattle in the higher rev ranges and replacing it would be another big job.
No worries Leon, those intake bolts are a bugger without the right tools aren’t they. I will have to add that into the article. Was the cylinder head able to be repaired?
Very, very common problem to have with the chain guide (I will have to add that to the article also). I can remember thinking when I did my first timing chain and guide replacement on a Falcon that this will be the last time I do one! It wasn’t unfortunately!
If you need any help at all don’t hesitate to shoot us an email.
Regards,
Craig
Good to know even the experts break those stupid guides Craig
Just got the head back. Had extensive machining and welding done as there was lots of corrosion in 4 of the cylinders. Also cleaned up all the valves and pressure test, $340 all up.
I’ll be putting it back together this weekend.
All back together, only two minor issues
1. Oil leak from timing chain tensioner – don’t think I tightened up the plug.
2. Lots of tapping coming from the rocker cover.. did have slight tapping on startup before but not constant – someone suggested soaking the lash adjusters in oil. Should I try this?
But other than that car runs very well.. a lot more power now also (more than it’s ever had).
Hi Leon,
Good to hear, you’ve done well! Typically the lash adjusters do take some time to bleed all of the air out and completely refill with oil, sometimes as much as a couple of days of off and on driving.
Soaking them in oil can speed up the process, however we have found that running the engines until the oil is warm, switching them off and letting them cool down again and repeating this process over a day or two does the trick nicely. In fact out of the dozens of Falcon heads that we’ve done over the years I can’t recall one that didn’t quiten down after following this process.
If after a couple of days they haven’t settled down then certainly soaking them might be a good idea but at this stage can I suggest you see how they go?
The tensioner plug often leaks because there is an oil supply to the tensioner which is under pressure and a dab of sealer (Stag jointing paste or Aviation Form-A-Gasket) on the threads usually seals it up.
Hope that helps!
Regards,
Craig
Found the oil leak – it was not the chain tensioner after all! It looks like I did do a good job sealing that up, it was the bolt hole from the block to the power steering pump bracket.
The tapping noise didn’t settle down at all, I pulled the rocker assembly off again tonight, found the lash adjusters I had replaced didn’t seat properly, the plastic / nylon retaining clips seemed to make them sit too high, i removed those and held them back in with a small amount of grease… bolted back together then noticed one of the lifter shims on the table where I was working.. so it’s all got to come back off again to reinstall the shim
i’ll get there eventually!
Congrats on a great site Craig!
Hey Leon,
When I was replacing a timing chain on an EF a few years ago, a workshop owner told me to be very careful when positioning the timing cover, because the O-ring between the timing cover and the block (see above in Craig’s diagram very clearly) is very prone to leaking, as it provided full pressure oil feed to the timing chain adjuster.
When I did mine, I tightened up those two bolts ( on either side of the O-ring) first, to make sure I didn’t mis-align the o-ring when I tightened up others (after having the other bolts in hand tight to help with overall alignment). Of course important to keep the O-ring in position during assembly and this is problematic when the engine is in the car, as it needs to be held in vertical position -I think I used something like aviation form a gasket to hold it in position. Anyway, the EF didn’t ever leak after that.
I see a lot of other threads talking about going wild with silicone where the timing cover meets the block and head, ..but I wonder if they are really on the wrong track.
I now have the same symptom as you on an EL Fairmont, so I suspect I will be doing the same job. I’m hoping I will get enough clearance to replace this O-ring with out removing the crankshaft pulley (if I’m careful).
Would appreciate your thoughts in general re: all of this when you get a chance Craig.
Thanks,
John S.
Hi Craig
I previously messaged you at X-mas in regards to fitting the head gasket on an El Falcon Hybrid motor…
However, I do have another problem in regards to a constant “tic tic” noise. The noise was
all went wel.
in the car when we bought it and I originally thought it was requiring a thicker shim in there somewhere,
as the other owner had replaced the lifters but the noise remained. It sounds like only ONE lifter and
not all 12. 6 months later i have now replaced the lifters 3 times, the rocker gear twice (had NON Hybrid
rocker gear), another camshaft, and a recon head BUT the noise is still there. Everyone keeps saying its
a lifter but after this i don’t think so. I had one mechanic saying it’s a big end thats gone but to
me and other mechanics its not.
I have tried to research the problem and everything suggests lifters, though i did read something about
“timing chain slap” in my search for answers. My question is: If the timing chain and guides are worn
would it produce a similar noise to a dodgy lifter? I also must add that the noise is constantly there…
BUT on a cold start it is not until about 30 seconds after idling.
Hi Frank,
I’m only posting because this same problem (noisy lifter sound) caused me to stop driving my EF Falcon which was otherwise running perfectly.
First, I can almost guarantee that it is not the timing chain and guides, because that will produce a clearly identifiable chain rattling noise from the front of the motor (have changed a set because of this noise/wear).
I also went through the hassle of changing lifters and rocker gear, and could never find the source of the tapping.
A big-end noise is more of a heavier thump noise from my experience (and will change under load), so I doubt it is that, but I do suspect that mine is a worn gudgeon-pin (little end). This would mean that the piston is moving slightly on the pin with every stroke and causing the ticking sound.
I don’t know for sure, but when the timing chain guides disintegrated some metal and rubbish went through the motor and could have caused problems -resulting low oil pressure also wouldn’t have helped.
Not much help for you I’m sorry, but all I can offer ATM.
Cheers,
John S.
Hi. just athought i read a thread on one of the ford forums[ can not find itv again?"' help] it said to torque au head bolts NOTE TIGHTEN TO 30MN + 120 DEGREES DONE WITH A ANGLE GUIDE PURCHASED FROM BURSONS
this must be taken from the au manual somebody please confirm fingers crossed stan
hi again another thought does maching head+ thinner gasket+ more torque affect the timing chain?[eg; say 20thou adds 30 thou to the timing chain ] maybe i am wrong ps the name of the members thread was phong it is brillant stan
Hi Stan,
EF-EL manual I have says 40NM + 90o.
Can send you the PDF copy if you want it.
Cheers,
John S.
thanksjohn i haveone if you use a au gasket and bolts which have different torque requirments what would be best?cheers stan
Stan,
30NM + 120o is probably not too far away from 40NM + 90o, so it probably wouldn’t matter that much.
My guess is that you would use the bolt specs -shouldn’t really matter which gasket you use because it won’t affect the yield strength of the bolts.
Cheers,
John S.
Hi John,
Thanks for the reply. What you say does make sense. When I first bought the car I attempted to fix the noise by
replacing the rocker gear and noticed that the previous owner had used the wrong rocker gear (not the Hybrid
rockers)…the rocker gear had big gouges in it on at least 2 of the rocker arms and there was heaps of metal
fragments in the oil. It must of must of made a hell-of-a-noise on start-up as the new muffler had blown out as
well. I guess maybe those metal fragments had caused the gudgeon pin problem.
I assume to fix this problem that I should be able to remove the piston from the bottom end of the motor rather
than taking the head off again or is it more complicated than that? The motor has just reached 200,000kms and
runs very well (apart from the “tic tic” noise) so i’m reluctant to do a full rebuild especially after doing the
head a little while back.
Thanks again for the help.
Cheers
Frank