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Head Gasket and Starter.

F

furiouslyfastsvt

CEG'er
Joined
May 20, 2010
Messages
33
hey all. i am new to SVT's and i just bought my first one..a 2000 SVT. Now i bought it as a project and right now the only thing wrong with it is The Head Gasket needs replaced and the starter. Now i have done head gaskets on civics. But thats about it. I am wanting to get some suggestions if i should try to do it myself or take it to a mechanic. i can't do the timing myself and i know i will have to have someone do that. I was just wanting to find anyone who had to change the head gasket on theirs and see how bad of a job it is. And i called the previous owner who owned it because they sold it to a salvage yard, and he said the starter is causing the celenoid to spark and it just needs a starter and head gasket. Would that be the starter being bad to cause that? I dont think i got hurt for the price everything seems to be great on the car except the head gasket but the engine looks clean and everything looks good besides the carmelized oil lol. so i just had those few questions and sorry if i am not mechanically correct on somethings but i am learning. so if anyone could help answer these questions id really appreciate it thanks
 
Timing is pretty easy, and head gaskets are like any other headgasket on an OHC engine. Search a bit, and you will find some stuff. I think most of it is in the 3 liter swap information.

Honestly, instead of dealing with an engine that may have more problems that you aren't aware of yet, why not do a 3 liter swap? Have a look around the forum, you will find it is a cheap and easy upgrade.

BTW, technically you should have posted this in the Duratec Maintenance subforum. Scroll down a ways on the main forum page and you will find it.
 
thanks. I ll look into it. Honestly the engine looks pretty clean and everything looks good. I am gonna have the heads looked at by a machine shop to be sure they aren't warped. I am gonna look into a 3 Liter swap. But for right now i am kinda wanting to keep it stock and get it running. My friend has 2 contour svts and they are 1998.5's one is totaled we use for and the other he drives so if i need some kind of parts i am sure i can get them. Sorry i was gonna post in that forum but i figured id post it here my fault
 
It would be very rare to have a head gasket go out, about the only way is if you run it out of coolant, or the water pump broke. What makes you think the head gasket failed?
 
well i found the car on craigslist orignally, I read everything about it.. basically said the starter and head gasket is what was wrong. before i could get to it. The Guy who had it was an older guy and he told me basically that he had it looked at twice and was told both times it was the head gasket. I mean The Oil is Carmelized as if it were the head gasket. but thats all i know so far. I just now got the car. got the key and title friday.but the valve covers and stuff are off of it from where i guess the previous owner had it checked and looked at. The guy also said he had the radiator rodded..new water pump.. new thermostat but it was too late and the head gasket went so it is quite possibly the water pump was bad. But i am almost sure of everything ive checked from previous head gasket problems i think its blown for sure.
 
ive been reading and if it is indeed the head gasket..will i have to have the engine removed to get to the rear head? i mean i really would like to keep the 2.5 in it. But if its going to be a pain in the ass to change the head gaskets and involve pulling the engine i mean i guess id have no choice. But i am completely lost with the 3L swap and what all parts id need and where to get them. I am not familiar with The SVT yet but my friend got me intrigued with his 2 and i got this one cheap. I am just lost at really what i should do that is the least exspensive way to get it fixed quickly and on the road.
 
Read the 3 liter swap section some more. Lot of members have gotten this swap done before.

As far as doing the head gaskets without removing the engine, it is not listed as an in-car repair by the service manual, and I have never had a need to change a head gasket on a contour. You can get the timing chain off with the engine in car, and I cannot think of anything that would be an impediment to removing the head with the engine in the car. It is not that hard to pull an engine.
 
i dont know what to do at this point. i really wanna get this car up and running soon. I just dont really know what to do. replace the head gaskets or do the 3L swap. But i dont know •••• about doing a 3 L swap ill admit it.
 
This is a very good thread to start in http://www.contour.org/ceg-vb/showt...-Contour-SE-3L-build-thread&highlight=blu_fuz

Here is a nice fairly recent one you can see some of the advice he is getting http://www.contour.org/ceg-vb/showthread.php?53820-Antec’s-3L-swap&highlight=blu_fuz

Read some more threads in there. Read the stickies in the 3 liter section. Ask specific questions. If you ask general questions like what all is needed, you are going to get ignored because you didn't use the search button.
 
do some troubleshooting first

do some troubleshooting first

If the car is not running you can do a leak down test on each cylinder to determine if you have a head gasket leak. While not fool proof it is usually pretty accurate.

If you don't have a leak down tester, Take off the antifreeze resevoir cap then bringing each cylinder up to top dead center on that cylinder's compression stroke and with a device threaded into the spark plug hole on that cylinder introduce about 50 psi of air, then see if you are getting bubbles in the antifreeze. If so then you have a leak into the coolant passages. You can then listen to the valve cover area to determine if it is coming through an oil passage.

That should tell you which head is leaking.

don't know if the 2.5 needs new head bolts each time the head is removed, but if so factor that cost in.
 
Well the car isn't running it has the valve covers off it right now from when the previous owner had the heads checked. Where could i get leak down tester? someone told me to have a compression check done to see which head gasket is blown.
 
good idea

good idea

If you can use the starter to spin the engine over without damage, then the compression tester is a quick and dirty way to find a bad leak.

Good idea.
 
honestly, a full head gasket set plus new head bolts for each head will cost just as much as a low mileage 3L... seriously think about a 3L swap. Even after repairing the gaskets on the stock 2.5L, it may not last as long to even be worth all of those parts and effort.

you can do the head gasket job with the motor in the car, but it would be MUCH easier to pull the motor/trans and do it outside the car... this way you can drain all the coolant out of the block easier, torque down the head bolts easier, etc...
 
Head bolts

Head bolts

You usually don't change head bolts because they are old, you usually change them because they are torque to yield bolts.

On older cars the head bolts were torqued to a specific value, great when putting cast iron heads on cast iron blocks. These were not stretched so far that they yielded. It is okay to use these bolts over many times.

But on many new cars they have you torque the head bolts to a value then in one or two steps turn them further to yield (stretch) the bolt itself. This is purported to provide a much more accurate clamping force. But once you have done that, the old bolt should not be used again.

I also see that many companies use them on connecting rod bolts.
 
i wish i could do a 3 L swap but i cant do it myself. i wish i could. i been looking for another 2.5 engine to just put back in it instead but no such luck. I just dont want my car sitting for months waitinig to get an engine in it. thats my big thing.
 
andreslobo said:
You usually don't change head bolts because they are old, you usually change them because they are torque to yield bolts.

On older cars the head bolts were torqued to a specific value, great when putting cast iron heads on cast iron blocks. These were not stretched so far that they yielded. It is okay to use these bolts over many times.

But on many new cars they have you torque the head bolts to a value then in one or two steps turn them further to yield (stretch) the bolt itself. This is purported to provide a much more accurate clamping force. But once you have done that, the old bolt should not be used again.

I also see that many companies use them on connecting rod bolts.
Click to expand...

Yes, but still, the bolts stretch. It is not THAT great an expense to get new head bolts when rebuilding an engine.
 
Not worked on SVT's, but somehow I doubt it is gonna be as easy or easier to change a whole damned engine than it would to replace head gaskets.

With your problem, it wounds like oil is mixing with antifreeze. It doesn't take much for head gaskets to leak, last time I did one of these on my zetec, the old gasket didn't look like it was even bad. Guess it was cause the engine runs fine every since (good as a ford engine CAN run anyways)

With changing the head gaskets, yes you have to pull the heads off of course but with pulling the engine, you would have to have an engine hoist, something to mount it on, etc. Not to mention a lot more workspace. Plus, doing the gaskets, parts are probably more readily available than some 3L engine in God knows what shape, that came from some guy.

If you want this to be a major project and hobby, then go for a 3L swap, otherwise, if you want this car to be your daily driver, and have it running sooner, just fix what is in there. I have never pulled an engine to do head gaskets, but keep in mind the heads can be heavy as crap, mind your lifting technique and if you are plenty strong.

Not sure if the SVT has the DOHC setup, but even if it does, yes you can set the timing.
Doing head gaskets is not particularly complicated, just a hell of a lot of work. count on spending a few days at it if you have never done one.

And yes replacing the head bolts is a factor, count on about $25 for each head for new ones.
For all the other gaskets, you might be able to get away with reusing them. I don't recommend that but sometimes you can get away with it, if they are not holding high pressure and look to be in good shape even after removal, especially if they are rubber and still pliable.
 
glsaved said:
Not worked on SVT's, but somehow I doubt it is gonna be as easy or easier to change a whole damned engine than it would to replace head gaskets.

With your problem, it wounds like oil is mixing with antifreeze. It doesn't take much for head gaskets to leak, last time I did one of these on my zetec, the old gasket didn't look like it was even bad. Guess it was cause the engine runs fine every since (good as a ford engine CAN run anyways)

With changing the head gaskets, yes you have to pull the heads off of course but with pulling the engine, you would have to have an engine hoist, something to mount it on, etc. Not to mention a lot more workspace. Plus, doing the gaskets, parts are probably more readily available than some 3L engine in God knows what shape, that came from some guy.

If you want this to be a major project and hobby, then go for a 3L swap, otherwise, if you want this car to be your daily driver, and have it running sooner, just fix what is in there. I have never pulled an engine to do head gaskets, but keep in mind the heads can be heavy as crap, mind your lifting technique and if you are plenty strong.

Not sure if the SVT has the DOHC setup, but even if it does, yes you can set the timing.
Doing head gaskets is not particularly complicated, just a hell of a lot of work. count on spending a few days at it if you have never done one.

And yes replacing the head bolts is a factor, count on about $25 for each head for new ones.
For all the other gaskets, you might be able to get away with reusing them. I don't recommend that but sometimes you can get away with it, if they are not holding high pressure and look to be in good shape even after removal, especially if they are rubber and still pliable.
Click to expand...

1: A duratec is a DOHC V6 engine
2: I recommended a 3 liter swap because one can be found in salvage yards in good shape between 350 and 600. Not a whole lot more than a head gasket job and gaskets.
3: I also recommended that because if the engine has a blown head gasket, there is not a lot of way to know what other problems there may be with the car, and how many miles the previous owner put on the car in that condition. Since he is unfamiliar with the engine or it's problems, if he determines there is a bad head gasket, it may be worth while to spend a little bit more and get added insurance. Especially if he had been running antifreeze in his oil.
4: He would enjoy the 3 liter significantly more than his 2.5 anyways.
5: The reusable rubber gaskets tend not to be very reusable when they get old or have a lot of miles on them. Maybe he would be fine, maybe not. Some gaskets will need to be replaced regardless as they are NOT reusable. O-rings, such as the ones on fuel injectors should always be replaced.
6: It is significantly more difficult to work on the duratec than a zetec, primarily because of space issues. I am not 100% on whether or not a person can change head gaskets with the engine in the car. I have never had to do so, and the service manual only describes the procedure with the engine out of the vehicle. I imagine it will be very difficult, since it is a royal pain to get even the crank pulley off with the engine in the car.
7: He has done head gaskets before in hondas.
8: Honestly, from my experience. Swapping engines in a contour is not a really hard job. Had I known I could put a 3 liter in it back when my engine blew, I would have gone that route in a heartbeat. An engine swap in a contour is something you can do easily in a day if properly motivated, or a weekend or two if you want to relax, take your time and have a few beers. A head gasket job would likely take just as long.
 
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