cargoman

We're new members of this board, and don't see our question in the previous posts, so we hope you don't mind us jumping right-in.

My son is contemplating purchase of a 1989 Ford Mustang LX with a L4-140 2.3L SOHC engine as his first car. The owner replaced the water-pump, thermostat, hoses, belts and had a new core put in the radiator. The engine has a blown head gasket, so I am thinking this could be a good project for he and I to work on together. I have reasonably good mechanical skills and have the tools we’ll need, I think.

My questions are:

Is this a project we can do by ourselves in our home’s garage, or does it require specific tools and equipment that we're not likely to have?

My assumption is that when we remove the head, we should take it to a head-shop for checking, have it resurfaced, and if necessary, have the valves ground, etc. Are there any other things we should be aware of?

What should we expect to pay for new gasket kits, etc. from an after-market parts store like Checker, AutoZone, etc.? Is there a good place to get these materials by mail-order or online source that has really good prices?

I’ve also heard that these engines are prone to blowing head gaskets. Is that true? If so, what is the cause, and fix for this?

Is there anything else we should check while into this project? Like, change engine oil and filter in case any coolant got into the crankcase when the gasket blew, or any other things not mentioned above?

Thanks for any advice and suggestions you can provide.

Lee

mdvaldosta

You've got everything down pat. There won't be any specialty tools required, other than a torque wrench need for the head bolts. A head gasket set is all you will need, and it will come with new head bolts if needed. You definately want to have the head checked for cracks and resurfaced - and might as well have the valve job done and new valve stem seals installed. Just bring them the head and the gasket set. They will charge you around $100 - 150 for everything, and the gasket set is gonna run around $50 at the most I believe. Go with a good brand like FelPro. If there is oil mixed with the antifreeze your gonna want to run some cheap oil through it to flush it out before you put your normal oil in.

The 2.3 is an easy project for your first head job. Just be sure to have the head resurfaced and torque the head bolts down in the order and specs as per the repair manual. Good luck and I hope this helps. Welcome to the forums by the way, and be sure to keep us updated on how it comes out!

jdaniel

HA HA HA... MD said "head job"... Just joking, well welcome to the forum and Id like to say that your son is lucky to have a dad thats able to spend time on a project as such. Congrats on the new car and im sure he will be happy with it.

mdvaldosta

Yea I agree, I wish my dad was around when I was growing up. My son is now the age I was when my dad took off, and I don't know how he did it. One of the most important things I do is make sure my son knows Im here for him and to spend time doing things with him that we both enjoy. And leave it to jdanial to point out "head job" lolz...

jdaniel

LOL... the word Head job just sticks out..LOL Well my dad was there for me but he had to work every second of everyday to support the family and I am greatful for that, just wish we "hobby time" like mentioned above. Now I live in Tx while they are in Ga and wish I could spend more time home but im all grown up now and have to do my own thing.

fuzi0nz

when my dad and i put on my spring and handling kit i just read wut to do next and he did it all

cargoman

Thanks, mdvaldosta, jdaniel and c0bra for your replies.

We removed the head Friday evening, and there appears to be a bit of rust near one of the valves on the #2 cylinder, so we'll have to make a trip to the head-shop on Tuesday ... We didn't really pick the best weekend to start this project, but one can't argue with the calendar...

We'll keep you posted on the outcome. Removal of the head wasn’t as easy as we'd had hoped it would be, getting the bolts out of the underside of the intake manifold took some twists and contortions I hadn't anticipated, but, other than a few scraped knuckles, etc., we did the job in about 3 hours. Now the fun begins.

Again, thanks for your replies.
Lee

mdvaldosta

sounds like the car may have sat for a while after it broke down, it would be a good idea to soak the cylinders with some 4d-40 or penetrating oil and cover it with a towel while you wait on the heads - just in case theirs any rust down there in the ringlands. If theirs not any now their could be when you leave that head off for a while (you never know how long its gonna be before you get back to it

cargoman

Thanks, mdvaldosta for your replies. I appreciate your suggestions. We did soak each cylinder with penetrating oil and rotated the shaft manually to make sure everything was well coated. It turns out the leakage of coolant into the #2 cylinder was coming from a perosity leak in the intake manifold. We found one in good shape in a wrecking yard yesterday, so we're ready to start putting it back together. We got the head back today and I have a question.

How do we make sure we get the timing belt back on in the correct location? Are there some marks we need to align or is there another way. I've looked and the only thing I find is timing indicator at the bottom of the plastic cover for the timing belt, but those marks would seem to apply once the engine is running. I had marked the belt and cam-pully with a majic-marker, but the mark came off while the head was being cooked. I guess I should have used a file or punch or something....

Also, in your first reply, you said: "torque the head bolts down in the order and specs as per the repair manual." We don't have access to a repair manual. Is there an online source where I can get this information?

Many thanks for all your assistance with our "project".
Lee

vfast

you might want to buy yourself a mustang repair book to have to refer to and it has all the torque spec...I would clean up the ports in the head and intake for better flow....did the head have to be shaved? this also might be a good time for a new cam..how many miles on this car?...the /HG is prone to fail but the 2.3 is a stuff *** lil engine and a good one for a new driver as they like to see how fast it can go so the 110 hp helps keep them in check...oh and yes there are timing marks to line everything up. keep up posted