lol yeah, I did check that first, I remember reading that was common and about your fix for it, thanks for the suggestion though.

I looked down past the alternator and the front divided section of the valley was dry, so the leak had to be in the rear. I've been working all night to take off the manifold to see what exactly was going on. It's like I thought: it's leaking right from the manifold gasket, on the very rear of the head, where the coolant passage just gets blocked off by the manifold. So as this is a brand new manifold, with brand new gaskets and torqued down properly, I'm assuming that the the head is just warped to the point that the manifold gasket doesn't seal the gap. Do you think that's possible?

I think what I'm gonna end up doing is taking the head off, having it checked/resurfaced, reinstall then do like you said and compression test both sides and compare to determine if the drivers side is good/bad. Or do you think it's worth it to reassemble and compression test beforehand as well?

I guess I figure if I take that head off and have it resurfaced and after that it still wont seal then I'm pretty much just screwed... lol

Thanks for all your help,

- Erik

 

did u inspect the Intake gaskets good ??? u could have just nicked it during the install of the intake ...

If the heads are holding tight I wouldnt think the were warped

 

The test before hand confirms that you do indeed have a head gasket problem. In case there's any question, uknow. So your not yankin that head again for nothin.

 

BTW - That compression test link is from Ford directly. I just edited a few things, so it's geared more for the DIY'er, - then contributed. The warmer the oil the better.

 

Just curious about the head bolt install. Maybe I am misreading something but where does it say to add oil to the bolts?

 

OK so I wasn't dreaming. late night, don't ask..... The 2000 and 2001 Shop manual stated to install the bolts. If there was a special need for oil it would have noted it in bold. They do that a lot. The 2002 adds a few cautions I thought I would share but the bolts are dry.

l cylinder heads
µ 1. CAUTION:
Cylinder head machining or milling is not authorized by the Ford Motor Company. Cylinder head flatness must be within 0.0381 mm (0.0015 in).

CAUTION:
Cylinder head gasket surfaces must be clean. Use metal surface cleaner, a shop vacuum and a plastic scraper to remove trace material from the sealing surfaces.

CAUTION:
The use of sealing aids (aviation cement, copper spray, and glue) is not permitted. The gasket must be installed dry.

Install the head gasket over the dowel pins.

l The RH head gasket is shown; the LH head gasket is similar.

µ 2. Install the cylinder head on the head gasket and loosely install new bolts.

l The RH cylinder head is shown; the LH cylinder head is similar.

EDIT: While Ford wants to sell you a new head a lot of enthusiasts get the head milled. Here is the spec for those of us that do.
head gasket surface - WT = 10.0/2.5.
Head gasket surface finish-RZU - 13.5 microns.
Filter cut off at 0.08 mm, TPI @ 3.5 microns below the peak 63% min. cutoff at 0.8 mm, 0 Ref=2V.

If you do get it surfaced be sure that the shop can meet the spec. If the shop has never done Modulars go some where else. Do be the guinea pig.

 

Great post JMC, yea, I sent 01lightningsuper the 2002(revised in 2002), from workshop. -I don't have the 2001.
___________________________________

Clean surfaces are real important, for the intake as well. A little oil in the wrong place can compromise and cause a leak. On the intake, I clean w/emery and a palm sander after plugging the ports/chambers. Then lacquer thinner. I'll clean w/lacquer thinner again , 5 minutes or so before I lay the gasket down. Best for the job IMO, - cleans every spec of oil/contaminants and all chemical traces evaporate quick after paper toweling, - almost immediately.

 

I know its a typo, this would be for thrill seekers:-)

 

jbrew, alright I'll reassemble everything back up again, taking extra care cleaning the gasket surfaces this time, and comp test it. If the compression checks out, and its still leaking then I'm not sure what I'm gonna do about this mani coolant leak. Might just try putting the bolts on a little extra tight.

@ 01lightningsuper,

Sorry for posting in your thread about my troubles a bit lol Yeah gaskets seem fine, and yeah its weird that the heads don't appear to be leaking.

On the subject of lubing the head bolts: I believe I followed the paper that came with the Felpro gaskets, and I lubed mine a tiny bit. So far they seem to have torqued properly. They go on pretty tight no matter what really. I mean when I originally pulled the heads, the stock head bolts were so tight I broke 2 3/8 in socket extensions. Finally just went screw it and bought a 1/2 inch breaker bar to make my life a bit easier lol.

Thanks for all the input guys,

- Erik

 

Wait, you have it apart already ? I didn't know that. At least check the head the best you can. Did you follow all tightening sequences exactly ? And stage them ? I add a stage to the intake, - so I'm sure the gasket compresses equally.

You need to look for origin evidence of the leak, then pinpoint if you can. - You should be able to determine once the manifold is removed. Otherwise, yea, I guess that's all you can do is compression test/leak down. Just follow procedures. Sequences and stages are crucial as well.

That's all I do when I pull mine apart.

 

Yeah, I tore it apart last night to determine where the leak is coming from. Its the rear coolant passage on the passenger side head, where it meets the intake manifold. It's definitely leaking from there and nowhere else. It has pooled in the #3 and 4 spark plug wells then run down the back onto the bellhousing.

I did follow all the tightening sequences exactly. I have to look it up again, but I believe it starts from the center two bolts on the intake manifold and works forward and rear crisscrossing. First stage is something like 8 in/lb and second is like 89 in/lb.

So, by adding a stage I think you mean to do 8 in/lb then something like 45 in the middle then the final 89 in/lb?

Thanks,

- Erik

 

Have you seen this ? It's listed for your year -

 

Your part # revised = #YL3Z-9439-AA

So the gaskets are different from right to left.

 

Also, I can't recall exactly, but I believe as far as gaskets,- the rear passages should be blocked off for the manifold (manifold gaskets only) and the front passages are blocked off for the heads (head gasket only)? That may not be right.

 

wow, I had not! Thanks jbrew Thats exactly whats happening on mine. I can't believe they made a specific gasket for this issue, it must have been something prevalent. I will definitely order that right away and hope it solves this issue.

To think I was about to do something crazy like remove the head to have that surface checked out. You just saved me a ton of frustration, time and money if that gasket works.

Thanks so much man, your the best

- Erik