[all4us]

Bought this car over weekend for $500. was under impression from seller that only had water in gas as it sat where a friend had 5gal gas jug they poured in before making a trip that was pretty watered down.

Seemed all well and good. siphoned tank, changed fuel filter, after towing home. No go. started to get a couple fire but that's all.
There was water in gas tank. But not the problem.

Took out all plugs and turned over pumped out nice gray water. also was building some pressure in overflow tank. real nice.

Did compression test. plugs out and just turning over, 1-80, 2-35, 3-75,4-80, 5-30, 6-65.

In the middle of tear down.

Seems odd to blow both heads? Is this common? What are chances either or both are now warped?

 

[JW657]

Bought this car over weekend for $500. was under impression from seller that only had water in gas as it sat where a friend had 5gal gas jug they poured in before making a trip that was pretty watered down.

Seemed all well and good. siphoned tank, changed fuel filter, after towing home. No go. started to get a couple fire but that's all.
There was water in gas tank. But not the problem.

Took out all plugs and turned over pumped out nice gray water. also was building some pressure in overflow tank. real nice.

Did compression test. plugs out and just turning over, 1-80, 2-35, 3-75,4-80, 5-30, 6-65.

In the middle of tear down.

Seems odd to blow both heads? Is this common? What are chances either or both are now warped?

Sounds like it was overheated to the point where they cooked and cracked the heads. If both heads went I'm guessing over heat condition, so you might want to look closely at why it overheated or call the lousy bastard and tell him what you think of him and ask why. I did that when I bought a truck with a blown head, I called and told him off, didn't help much but it made me feel better.

I bet both heads will be warped at least, it's pretty likely that they cracked. I saw a Vulcan blow both heads on a ranger earlier this year, one side cracked but both warped.

The cylinder walls were full of water, I'd be worried about how long it was sitting in there, they are probably rusty or corroded now, so the block will need some TLC from a machine shop to make it last. You might be better off getting a wrecker engine, by the time you machine/replace the heads and do the gaskets, get the block cleaned up and reassembled you could probably get another engine cheaper.

Sorry to hear about your luck, there's some real bastards out there.

 

[all4us]

Heads off no signs of gasket failure on either, both center cylinders had antifreeze in them, 1/3 cup approx. Neither 1 or 6 had any fluid in them, the loss of compression on 6 is a crack between plug hole and exhaust valve ( new head ). I believe there is a leak some where inside the heads into the intake valve as the amount of fluid drawn in from just turning over is substantial, not hairline crack. neither gasket, block, or heads show any sign of port to cylinder failure, which at least 1 of 4 would be noticeable.

correct me please, but my guess is failures internally on both heads, doesn't sound possible but only logical conclusion I can come up with.

any input is appreciated.

 

[JW657]

Heads off no signs of gasket failure on either, both center cylinders had antifreeze in them, 1/3 cup approx. Neither 1 or 6 had any fluid in them, the loss of compression on 6 is a crack between plug hole and exhaust valve ( new head ). I believe there is a leak some where inside the heads into the intake valve as the amount of fluid drawn in from just turning over is substantial, not hairline crack. neither gasket, block, or heads show any sign of port to cylinder failure, which at least 1 of 4 would be noticeable.

correct me please, but my guess is failures internally on both heads, doesn't sound possible but only logical conclusion I can come up with.

any input is appreciated.

Did you check the heads with a good straight edge and a set of feeler gauges?

 

[all4us]

straight edge, heads and block, not gauges, are you saying lay heads back on and gauge the tolerances across the mating surfaces?

Already need one head any way, plan to replace them as a pair.

Have heard that the block can warp also, same mechanic said scrap it and drop a low mileage replacement in and not bother, it will most likely blow again.

 

[JW657]

straight edge, heads and block, not gauges, are you saying lay heads back on and gauge the tolerances across the mating surfaces?

Already need one head any way, plan to replace them as a pair.

Have heard that the block can warp also, same mechanic said scrap it and drop a low mileage replacement in and not bother, it will most likely blow again.

The engine probably won't blow again if the heads are replaced or fixed properly and as long as the block is fine.

You generally take a good straight edge and place it at a few different positions to check for warpage, the feeler gauges will tell you how much exactly if any, you can try to slide it under the straight edge. I was just curious if the heads warped at all. It doesn't really matter if you plan on replacing them. Make sure you run the straight edge over the surfaces of the block too.

I have been worried from the start about the condition of the cylinder walls, do they all look good? That might be your biggest worry.

I checked the specs and the max warp for the head is 00.3" or .08mm. Don't forget to check the block too.

 

[all4us]

I will check them all again and gauge them, this looks to be finished up this weekend, I will get the results in then. While I am at it will get readings on all the bores to see how close they all are. Oh, and the cyliniders all look good no scoring or pitting.

Prob p/u heads sat as I have to pull them at the yard, can get them for 25 bucks a piece. Just a pain to tear down another engine in the snow to get them out.

Thanks for the feedback

 

[JW657]

I will check them all again and gauge them, this looks to be finished up this weekend, I will get the results in then. While I am at it will get readings on all the bores to see how close they all are. Oh, and the cyliniders all look good no scoring or pitting.

Prob p/u heads sat as I have to pull them at the yard, can get them for 25 bucks a piece. Just a pain to tear down another engine in the snow to get them out.

Thanks for the feedback

Cylinder Bore Specs
Diameter 3.50 (89.0 mm)
Max Taper .002 (.05mm)
Max Out-Of-Round .002 (.05mm)

Deck warp max is .003 (.08mm) within a six inch area.

As long as the block is in spec, and there was nothing nasty in the bottom of the engine or oil, then I don't see the block being bad. If you had the engine running before getting the water out of the cylinders, there's a chance that you hydro locked the engine and cracked the block, or damaged the rotating assembly but it's hard to say. Was the water crossing into the crank case/rad yet or at all? I'm just trying to rule out all of the possibilities here. Try moving the rotating assembly and feel for any resistance, clanks, grinding or other bad noises.

There's a chance you might need piston rings too.

Here's a good write up on the engine you're working on: Rebuilding The Ford 3.0L Engine

 

[all4us]

Got sick over weekend, kind of slowed things down. Also losing ambition with it, poss just dump it for the $500, and be done with it find some thing else. Will see.

 

[rudedog]

Not saying the gaskets or heads are bad, but how long was this car sitting??

If the rings loose their "seal" you will not get the sufficient compression. A little oil in each cylinder will usually take care of that, enough at least to start the car and "reseal" the rings

 

[all4us]

Carsat couple weeks from what I was told, not oil problem and the low cylinder had a crack you could see between plug port and exhaust valve, best case for this car I decided is engine swap, not feeling like it, dumping it for what I paid, find another project.

Thanks for the help guys, good luck to you in the future.
Rob