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3.8 V6 Thunderbird

A

amdforever2

Golden Member
I found someone who will replace the headgaskets for $350 and do the cylinder heads and stuff. He said he could get it running for that.

Does anyone know the stats of Ford's 3.8L V6 from 1992 when it's running properly? With bad gaskets the Thunderbird drove ok for the short time it ran. Also, is there anything else I should have done, preemptively, considering the engine will be dismantled to quite a degree?

Oh, and it is the headgaskets. 100% confirmed. Warped cylinder heads also confirmed.
 
I've heard that once you disassemble your engine for any sort of work, you might as well get it rebuilt/re-bored. Over time as you put mileage on it, the cylinders and the camshaft will dig it's own grooves into the metal and will never fit the same way it was once it is taken all apart.

Someone who knows more about engines than I do can maybe back this up.
 
Originally posted by: Down4U
I've heard that once you disassemble your engine for any sort of work, you might as well get it rebuilt/re-bored. Over time as you put mileage on it, the cylinders and the camshaft will dig it's own grooves into the metal and will never fit the same way it was once it is taken all apart.

Someone who knows more about engines than I do can maybe back this up.
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It isn't going to be taken apart to that extent. Just the heads.

But yeah, nobody ever takes an engine apart just to put it back together.

(Unless you're 16 and learning) lol..

For all of you wondering, here is his previous thread.
 
It isn't going to be taken apart to that extent. Just the heads.

But yeah, nobody ever takes an engine apart just to put it back together.

(Unless you're 16 and learning) lol..
Click to expand...

LOL True true. So you're just getting your cams replaced? Warped cylinder heads can probably be due to a bad timing belt you've neglected to change over a long period of time.
 
The cylinder heads were warped due to the head gaskets going bad. A side effect of the bad head gaskets I thought?

I don't know much about this stuff. I'm having a guy replace the head gaskets and warped cylinder heads because thats what the previous owner told me it needed.
 
Originally posted by: amdforever2
The cylinder heads were warped due to the head gaskets going bad. A side effect of the bad head gaskets I thought?

I don't know much about this stuff. I'm having a guy replace the head gaskets and warped cylinder heads because thats what the previous owner told me it needed.
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Could be, but you might want to check your timing belt. Has it ever misfired?
 
The engine ever misfired?

I don't know. When I did drive it for the short time I did, it just had lurches in power, due to the headgaskets.

Isn't checking a timing belt a pretty extensive process?
 
Originally posted by: amdforever2
The engine ever misfired?

I don't know. When I did drive it for the short time I did, it just had lurches in power, due to the headgaskets.

Isn't checking a timing belt a pretty extensive process?
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Yeah.. But your gasket may have been blown in part by engine abuse or a bad timing belt. When your timing belt starts to go bad you get misfiring which can result in lurches of power.
 
The car has 113K miles and the headgasket issue is common among these cars.

The headgasket probably went because it was just time. In the process of installing headgaskets do you run across the timing belt? If so, I'll have it checked.
 
Originally posted by: Down4U
Originally posted by: amdforever2
The engine ever misfired?

I don't know. When I did drive it for the short time I did, it just had lurches in power, due to the headgaskets.

Isn't checking a timing belt a pretty extensive process?
Click to expand...
Yeah.. But your gasket may have been blown in part by engine abuse or a bad timing belt. When your timing belt starts to go bad you get misfiring which can result in lurches of power.
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The 3.8 liter Ford doesn't have a timing belt. It has a timing chain. The cylinder heads are mostly likely warped from overheating.
 
........and the overheating is from the gaskets failing, which happens just because ford sucks at teh gasket design.

So, should I have the chain checked anyways?
 
Originally posted by: amdforever2
........and the overheating is from the gaskets failing, which happens just because ford sucks at teh gasket design.

So, should I have the chain checked anyways?
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It won't hurt. They'll just check for slack and look at the sprockets (hopefully, they're not made out of nylon.)
 
Originally posted by: amdforever2
........and the overheating is from the gaskets failing, which happens just because ford sucks at teh gasket design.

So, should I have the chain checked anyways?
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It wouldn't cost much more to check. If Fords suck, why did you buy one?
 
If your headgasket went, you probably drove the car with low/no coolant, and warped the head from lack of cooling.
 
That I'm not too sure about. I've never had to replace the timing belt on my truck (Grand Cherokee '96 with 113k on it), but from what you're saying it makes me think that you may also need a timing belt. Lack of power can be the result of bad timing on your camshaft(s) (depends if your engine is DOHC or SOHC) which is governed by the timing belt.
 
Originally posted by: jemcam
Originally posted by: amdforever2
........and the overheating is from the gaskets failing, which happens just because ford sucks at teh gasket design.

So, should I have the chain checked anyways?
Click to expand...


It wouldn't cost much more to check. If Fords suck, why did you buy one?
Click to expand...



I never said fords suck, but the head gaskets in these particular engines suck, they fail, its a common problem, so therefore, this head gasket design sucks.
 
Originally posted by: amdforever2
........and the overheating is from the gaskets failing, which happens just because ford sucks at teh gasket design.

So, should I have the chain checked anyways?
Click to expand...
OK, I was a Ford mechanic for eight years and here is the low down on the gasket problem. It's not the gasket material it was a assemblely process issue where the gasket was dinged when the cylinder heads were installed. As for the timing chain, I wouldn't give it a second thought, they don't wear out like the older vehicles, in fact I've only changed one in the eight years I worked on these cars. Only items I would have checked, are timing cover gasket (known to leak coolant into the oil pan), main engine bearings (can be damaged from coolant in ther oil), and motor mounts were also common to fail on these cars with the 3.8L V6.

Any other questions?

 
Originally posted by: amdforever2
Originally posted by: jemcam
Originally posted by: amdforever2
........and the overheating is from the gaskets failing, which happens just because ford sucks at teh gasket design.

So, should I have the chain checked anyways?
Click to expand...


It wouldn't cost much more to check. If Fords suck, why did you buy one?
Click to expand...



I never said fords suck, but the head gaskets in these particular engines suck, they fail, its a common problem, so therefore, this head gasket design sucks.
Click to expand...

The gasket design is probably fine. It probably has to do with either the wall thickness in the head, or that the head is aluminum and the block is steel so they have different expansion rates, therefore the gasket gets pulled and pushed whenever the car goes from hot to cold.
 
Originally posted by: amdforever2
Quixfire, when these gaskets fail, causing overheating, how often does a cracked block result?
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Ugh man.. I hope this is not the case.. Might as well donate your Ford. 🙁
 
Originally posted by: amdforever2
Quixfire, when these gaskets fail, causing overheating, how often does a cracked block result?
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I've only seen cracked blocks on the Super Coupes (3.8L Supercharged), most people didn't relize the engine was burning coolant until they overheated, which in turn damaged the blocks. I haven't seen a cracked block on the normal 3.8L V6.

 
If they're replacing the heads anyway the timing chain will be right there so I'm sure it will be checked if you have a decent mechanic.
 
Originally posted by: Down4U
That I'm not too sure about. I've never had to replace the timing belt on my truck (Grand Cherokee '96 with 113k on it), but from what you're saying it makes me think that you may also need a timing belt. Lack of power can be the result of bad timing on your camshaft(s) (depends if your engine is DOHC or SOHC) which is governed by the timing belt.
Click to expand...

For the last time, a Ford 3.8 liter has a timing chain, which means it is neither a sohc or a dohc. The camshaft rests in the valley of the V6 above the crankshaft.
 
Well quixfire, my Thunderbird was in it's "smoking death" sequence for about 5-10 miles.

This is overheating, burning coolant, smoke pouring from exhaust. It did the smoking death for previous owner too. Is it likely this cracked the block? Mine is not supercharged, but it did burn coolant.
 
Originally posted by: BatmanNate
If they're replacing the heads anyway the timing chain will be right there so I'm sure it will be checked if you have a decent mechanic.
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The timing chain isn't right there. You would have to remove the complete front engine assembly to view the timing chain, 4.5 hour job to R&R front engine cover.

 
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