Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums Modifications Duratec Performance head gasket

has anyone experienced a problem with head gaskets leaking oil ,my rear head seems to be leaking oil ,i looked the best i could and it doesnt look like the valve cover,it only seems to leak after hard driving and then i can smell it burn on the pipe. man i hope it isnt!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Cant recall a Duratec gasket failure off hand, zetecs yes..aluminum head and iron block cool diferently and stress the gasket interface.

There haven't been any major head gasket failures reported that I know of, but I know some of us "older" guys are starting to seapage from the head gasket area. On the front it'll likely be more toward the passenger side and on the back more likely toward to drivers IIRC due to the location of the pressurized oil feeds to the heads. I know mine does it, and I think Brad Halls 95 does too - just a nice slow leak that appears to come from right under the exhst manifold (ie headgasket) area to keep things dirty.

I think airknight may have reported some suspicious head gasket looking issues when he tore down his 95 motor too?

Heu guys i have a 95 se mtx too and mines is leaking oil as well. I changed both the valve cover gasket and the oil pan gasket. It does leak alot after hard driving. a FRIEND SAY that it might be the head gasket leaking. But if it was wouldn't there be coolant in the oil> and if it is an head gasket leak how much might it cost to fix.??

IIRC Terry H. reccomends first checking the cam and crank sensors as they can start to leak. For SVT's he also says the oil cooler seal has been known to cause some leaking. From what I've read it's not unheard of to get a leak from the crank to front cover seal too.

If it is the head gaskets it's going to be BIG money (I'd guess at least a couple grand). There are multiple ways the head gasket can leak - oil to water, water to oil, oil to air and you can get one and/or all of them depending on where the leak is.

I shudder to say it, but a shop should be able to diagnose a leak with UV dye ("relatively" cheaply) to avoid the cost of shotgunning parts

Originally posted by ScottK97SEMTX:

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There haven't been any major head gasket failures reported that I know of, but I know some of us "older" guys are starting to seapage from the head gasket area. On the front it'll likely be more toward the passenger side and on the back more likely toward to drivers IIRC due to the location of the pressurized oil feeds to the heads. I know mine does it, and I think Brad Halls 95 does too - just a nice slow leak that appears to come from right under the exhst manifold (ie headgasket) area to keep things dirty.

I think airknight may have reported some suspicious head gasket looking issues when he tore down his 95 motor too?

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My 95 SE is doing the same, from the front and back cylinder heads.

i blew my waterpump awhile ago and then a couple of weeks after that i noticed oil on the garage floor. i think maybe i super heated the engine which then caused the head gasket to start leaking. does this sound possible? dont feel sorry for me i am dropping in a 3.0 to rectify the situation.

My leaks started within a couple months of the waterpump going too.

My 95 does not leak oil externally, but if I use Water Wetter, crankcase oil transfers to the coolant water (I'm not talking about an oily film on the coolant water, but rather true oil buildup in the overflow bottle accompanied with missing oil from crankcase.... anywhere from .5qt to 1 qt. every few weeks).
But it's still an oil leak related to head gasket... odd that it doesn't happen unless Water Wetter is in the coolant.... any theories why???
No external leaks of any kind:)

My '96 with 70K on the clock seems to have some seepage from both head gaskets. I noticed it first on the rear head.

It has an exhaust leak too (recent, within the last 5000 miles).

Things that make you go "hmmmmmmmm?"

Mike