Difficulty of changing head gaskets

[ratdude747]

I’m considering trading my gas guzzling, virtually unsellable (so far), and to me, useless (and needing a lot of cosmetic bodywork) 1999 Dodge Durango for a 2000 Ford Ranger (3.0l V6) that has a blown head gasket but (pending a test drive) seems to be in better shape otherwise (and actually has storage space).

I understand it’s a common issue… but for somebody w/o air tools and who would mainly be using a 3/8″ set of ratchet stuff (plus a 1/2″ drive torque wrench and other hand/automotive tools), how difficult would it be to do over a weekend in a driveway?

My guess is sadly that by asking, the answer is “too difficult”… but I’m asking anyway.

Also, I take it that I can’t just order 2 head gaskets and 2 sets of head bolts… I do have to get the $70 gasket kit that has gaskets for all head connections?

Topic

[Austin]

To pull a head off is alot of work. Valle covers come off. Timing belt comes off. Some cars the cam shaft has to come out. Head taken off. You have to make sure the head is 100% flat specially if it was overheating which means it has to be sent off to a machine shop. New gasket on. Head on. New bolts torqued to spec in the proper pattern. If they came out cam back in. Engine must be re timed. New valve cover. Now some cars you don’t have to pull the cams or redo the timing. Difficulty all depends on the car.

[EricTheCarGuy]

My question would be why jump out of the frying pan and into the fire? If you’re going to trade up, trade up. Don’t look for more problems in another vehicle.

http://www.ericthecarguy.com/faq/what-to-look-for-in-a-used-car-purchase

[Stephen Bowen]

I do a lot of work on a Ranger and Bronco II forum. The repair(s) are more tedious then anything else. Depending on how much stuff is crammed on top of the engine…If the truck as A/C or not? (extra nonsense to deal with)….

http://www.therangerstation.com/tech_library/3_0performance.shtml

Some basic info on that engine.

You do not need air tools to do a head gasket job. It takes a good 3/8th socket set…probably some special tool(s) for the head bolts (ours is a torx with the 2.9…not sure on the 3.0) Need a good supply of hand tools and a breaker bar. (Torque Angle Gauge…as well.cheap enough) Last thing is a lot of patience to get the prep work done 100% correctly. Once the heads are off? Clean Clean Clean……The better the prep work? The better the repair holds up!!

S-

[ratdude747]

[quote=”EricTheCarGuy” post=104033]My question would be why jump out of the frying pan and into the fire? If you’re going to trade up, trade up. Don’t look for more problems in another vehicle.

http://www.ericthecarguy.com/faq/what-to-look-for-in-a-used-car-purchase%5B/quote%5D

Because I don’t have the money to trade up and the Durango guzzles too much gas and can’t haul bicycles well (I’m an amateur bike mechanic). Sucks so much gas it never gets driven… like never. Not to mention it has a tranny service due soon-ish that’s a royal PITA (has a band adjustment with a hard to access adjuster) given my lack of a decent shop. I even bought the filter/gasket kit… but given that (and the T-case service also due) and some other things it needs done (diff/axle seals/gaskets, etc.), it’s existence seems pretty pointless.

However, since what I have been driving is my parent’s rusty ’97 S10, I’d rather not just sell the durango and take the cash… I’m graduating college, moving out, and getting married next summer (2015) and not having a vehicle by then ruins things… but even now, it would still suck. Yeah, my parents will let me drive their extra vehicle, but I feel like a helpless mooch.

The problem is that Durango’s have virtually no resale value; the fact mine needs cosmetic body work doesn’t help. Heck, I listed it on CL for $1700 obo (or trade), only to be undercut with a $700 durango two days later.

Anyway, I cancelled the offer, the Ranger trade is off. And I’m still stuck with a driveway ornament reminding me of how ****’d I am…

[Stephen Bowen]

We can dig it. Most of us are tight on cash and understand having a car/truck that can pass everything but a gas station.

For what it’s worth–my family also has a 2005 Dodge Dur– It’s got the towing package and all the bells and whistles. It gets a whole whopping 9-12 miles a gallon. I drove that with a car hauler from my home town of Fulton, NY to Albany, NY to pick up a Beetle for the wife. It took 4 stops to fill the tank, plus I filled it before I returned it to the family north of here.

Issue with using C-List is always getting low balled. Do your research and be realistic. And then stick to your price. Most people on that thing are decent to deal with–but you’ll always have the idiots–scrappers and flippers. Those are the low balling sleezoids to watch out for.

Watch Eric’s video. Take your time and do not get discouraged! Heck, took me over a month to find the car my wife wanted. Found a good deal within budget. We factored in all the repairs needed and actually came out ahead a bit.

Bottom line is that we understand having a lot on the plate to deal with. Eric makes a valid point when he would rather see you trade ‘up’. Most of the time on the classifieds you can wind up buying another persons massive headache–That’s where being a smart buyer comes into play. Knowing what to look for–and then making allowances for cost for needed repairs against the price of the car/truck.

Best of luck to you, and congrats on the future wedding!

S-

[John Hugon]

The 2000 Ford Ranger 3.0l V6 is a basic cast iron, cam inside block engine when taken care of will go an easy 300 to 400 thousand miles. The fuel consumption is around 25-28 MPG on the highway. The biggest problem with some of the Ford 3.0(2V) for some reason rust starts inside the engine block and destroys head gaskets, freeze plugs, radiators, heater cores, water pumps…you get the message. If you see brown in the coolant reservoir, I would pass.

I don’t think Ford ever figured out what was causing the problem…some do it and some don’t.

[Stephen Bowen]

The issue was found to be (as least this is what the tech forum over at TRS states)

Lack of maintenance of the cooling system. This is one case where it would be advisable to go with being paranoid with the maintenance of the engine. Seems once the coolant starts to lose some of the properties–that’s all she wrote and then you get all kinds of nasty stuff happening.

S-

[Joe]

you’re probably better off sourcing a used engine out of a salvage yard with a decent warranty then changing the head gasket with some hand tools. It’s a pretty in-depth job to do it right, especially if you end up having to get the head machined (you normally will have to deck it at least). You’ll also have to buy a special tool to change the valve seals.

depending on your range on your 1/2″ tq stick, it probably won’t be good for the 3-step torquing process on the heads and the intake manifold. Need something that starts around 10 ft. lbs (or lower preferrably, just depends on what the specs are. You can get away with a few ft. lbs here and there. just torque them evenly.)

get a propane torch or something to heat up the egr and exhaust bolts. Have some PB blaster on hand as well. Those studs like to break off especially when they get really rusty. they break off and you get headaches.

have silicone on hand for stuff like the water pump gasket, valve cover gaskets, and the oil pan gasket.

[Author]

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