And there was white smoke.....

[Pebcak]

After all the work from before I was able to drive the Beast Mon, Tues and Wed. On the way home on Wed I noticed it started running rough and white puffy smoke coming out of the exhaust. In the end, I still made it home and didn't get stranded yet again!!

Saturday my son and I started with swapping the last of the coolant system which was the water pump. Got that done and decided to move onto the previous mentioned issue.

I spoke to a few people at work and even call Gary to chat. We got the rental and ran a compression test. Everything came up with 95-105 psi. Insert Call to Gary. I was hoping it was the Intake gasket that was bad. But after removing and looking it was a no.

This morning we tackled the removal of lifters and rods to get the heads off. I have labeled and done my layouts of the bolts for later. The driver side is the first one to come off. We gave it a quick pull and it popped up. Then the coolant starting flooding out! Not a little. A LOT. Sooooooo, we know at least the drivers side is having issues. The puzzling part is that the gasket looked good. One thing I noticed is the lower back part where there was coolant and a port of some type. Is THIS supposed to be separated?

We started to work on the passenger side and got all of the bolts out except the ones by the manifold. I can't move the exhaust manifold far enough away to get to the bolts. Looked at the area where it connects to the exhaust and I know I'm not getting those bolts loose. My son has to get his sawzaw and come back so I can cut the exhaust off to get the manifold out of the way. Looks like we won't know until tomorrow at the earliest if the passenger side is having issues too.

Here are all of the photos.

[Ford F834]

What you show in the picture looks to be a normal alignment dowel? Is that what you are asking about? And when you said a lot of coolant poured out when you removed the head are you implying a cylinder full? More than what would normally come out of the cooling passages in the head?

[Pebcak]

What you show in the picture looks to be a normal alignment dowel? Is that what you are asking about? And when you said a lot of coolant poured out when you removed the head are you implying a cylinder full? More than what would normally come out of the cooling passages in the head?

Yes, my son and I didn't know what it is. If it's an alignment dowel then I'm relieved. So that means the gasket was faulty somewhere where we couldn't see or the head is cracked.

That's where all the coolant came from? Then yet another relief!!! I thought it was in the cylinders. It makes more sense what you're saying then what my "red flag" did when it all came rushing out all over.

I'm not going to make it seem like I know what I'm doing. I've done a lot of reading and research before doing this. I just figured "Might as well roll my sleeves up and do this!" and that I've read so much of what y'all have done and always say "I wish I could do that."

Thank you for replying and alleviating some of my fears. I was waiting to see what happened tomorrow when I took off the other header tomorrow.

[Rembrant]

That's where all the coolant came from? Then yet another relief!!!

Yes. I wouldn't worry much about the coolant gushing out when you lifted the head off. Some of it just does not drain out until you take the head off, and some of it falls down into the cylinders. I just sop it up with rags. Draining coolant from an engine is bane of my existence...lol. You can fill a system and it takes 4 gallons, but when you drain it it seems like it has 10 gallons in it...lol.

And yes, the alignment dowels are supposed to have that split in them. They're a short and stubby version of a roll pin...or some people call them split pins. They're slightly larger than the holes they fit into, and the split allows them to compress a little bit when pushed into the holes in the block/heads.

Compression seems pretty low. I'm not sure what normal compression is for a stock 351 in 1986 (if the engine is original?). I would think it should be more in the 150-160 range in 86...although somebody can correct me on that. My low-ish mile 1984 302 was around 150 lbs...and I think as the compression starting coming back up in the later 80's, SBF good* compression was more in the 175 lb range.

 

[Ford F834]

Yes, my son and I didn't know what it is. If it's an alignment dowel then I'm relieved. So that means the gasket was faulty somewhere where we couldn't see or the head is cracked.

That's where all the coolant came from? Then yet another relief!!! I thought it was in the cylinders. It makes more sense what you're saying then what my "red flag" did when it all came rushing out all over.

I'm not going to make it seem like I know what I'm doing. I've done a lot of reading and research before doing this. I just figured "Might as well roll my sleeves up and do this!" and that I've read so much of what y'all have done and always say "I wish I could do that."

Thank you for replying and alleviating some of my fears. I was waiting to see what happened tomorrow when I took off the other header tomorrow.

If it was running rough with white smoke (and passing a compression test) then you don’t/didn’t have a massively blown out gasket. The gasket failure would have had to be very minor, or else you have a warped or cracked head from the overheating event. Have the heads checked at a machine shop for flatness and have them magna fluxed to check for cracks. If they pass muster, assemble with them new gaskets and you should be okay.

[Ford F834]

Compression seems pretty low. I'm not sure what normal compression is for a stock 351 in 1986 (if the engine is original?). I would think it should be more in the 150-160 range in 86...although somebody can correct me on that. My low-ish mile 1984 302 was around 150 lbs...and I think as the compression starting coming back up in the later 80's, SBF good* compression was more in the 175 lb range.

Yeah, I was going to say those numbers are pretty low. Altitude affects compression readings quite a bit, but there isn’t much of that to speak of in Texas. Seems a bit on the tired side.

 

[Pebcak]

Compression seems pretty low. I'm not sure what normal compression is for a

stock 351 in 1986 (if the engine is original?). I would think it should be

more in the 150-160 range in 86...although somebody can correct me on that.

I think I found it posted that it should be "in the 150's unless it is tired." Reading that, I'd say it's a little tired.

I haven't had time to look at the site today to check.

[Pebcak]

Compression seems pretty low. I'm not sure what normal compression is for a

stock 351 in 1986 (if the engine is original?). I would think it should be

more in the 150-160 range in 86...although somebody can correct me on that.

I think I found it posted that it should be "in the 150's unless it is tired." Reading that, I'd say it's a little tired.

I haven't had time to look at the site today to check.

One I get the passenger head off I've already got a local shop that'll check them out for me. That'll be my make it or break it on how soon things will get fixed. If I have a cracked one the question is aluminum, cast or check the Pick N Pulls? When I've looked online new heads are $200 - $400+ a piece. Unless I'm looking at the wrong sites.

If the heads are good, I'm getting a list together of what I need when it's time to put things back together.

1. Torque Wrench

2. Head gaskets

3. Manifold gaskets

4. Bolts for heads

5. Bolts for Intake

6. Plugs

7. Plug wires

8. Another 3/8 Socket Wrench (kinda snapped mine)

9. Oil/Filter for change when done

I already have:

- Intake gaskets

- Coolant

Anything else I'm missing?

OR

Are there other things to check while I'm into it already? The reason I ask is:

- The guys at work were talking about getting a new timing chain and to possibly upgrade it to something something degree off center to increase HP.

- New Exhaust Manifold's, Headers, Intake to increase HP if I'm doing it?

I know I know, I'm heading down the rabbit hole with the "OR" list. This is why I'm posting here and rely on y'all to keep me level headed here.

We want to stay reasonable with the cost since I'm doing the labor. With Christmas coming up and all this happened at the wrong time. But, when is it ever the right time?

[Gary Lewis]

One I get the passenger head off I've already got a local shop that'll check them out for me. That'll be my make it or break it on how soon things will get fixed. If I have a cracked one the question is aluminum, cast or check the Pick N Pulls? When I've looked online new heads are $200 - $400+ a piece. Unless I'm looking at the wrong sites.

If the heads are good, I'm getting a list together of what I need when it's time to put things back together.

1. Torque Wrench

2. Head gaskets

3. Manifold gaskets

4. Bolts for heads

5. Bolts for Intake

6. Plugs

7. Plug wires

8. Another 3/8 Socket Wrench (kinda snapped mine)

9. Oil/Filter for change when done

I already have:

- Intake gaskets

- Coolant

Anything else I'm missing?

OR

Are there other things to check while I'm into it already? The reason I ask is:

- The guys at work were talking about getting a new timing chain and to possibly upgrade it to something something degree off center to increase HP.

- New Exhaust Manifold's, Headers, Intake to increase HP if I'm doing it?

I know I know, I'm heading down the rabbit hole with the "OR" list. This is why I'm posting here and rely on y'all to keep me level headed here.

We want to stay reasonable with the cost since I'm doing the labor. With Christmas coming up and all this happened at the wrong time. But, when is it ever the right time?

I don't think I have the desired compression reading on the site. I'll get it tomorrow though.

As for your list of parts and tools, it looks good. However, you don't need to replace the head and manifold bolts unless they are bad.

As for the "Or" list, that is a rabbit hole, lined with dollar bills. A timing chain and sprocket set isn't a bad idea, but you have to pull the water pump and timing cover and then mess with trimming the pan gasket. I'm not sure I would in the midst of this as it is as easy to do that later as now. IOW, nothing you have off now will help get to the timing chain.

As for the degree bit, the original timing sets on some of the engines were retarded, which hurt power. An aftermarket rather than a replacement Ford timing set fixes that. It isn't a huge amount of power, but when you replace the timing set you'll get a bit of a bump.

I'm not a fan of long-tube headers. But you could go with shorty headers which replace the exhaust manifolds. And, since you have the manifolds off now wouldn't be a bad time. However, you won't get gobs of power out of doing that and you will have more noise through the walls of the headers and perhaps gasket problems. I'm going back with factory exhaust manifolds on Big Blue if that tells you anything.

 

[Ford F834]

One I get the passenger head off I've already got a local shop that'll check them out for me. That'll be my make it or break it on how soon things will get fixed. If I have a cracked one the question is aluminum, cast or check the Pick N Pulls? When I've looked online new heads are $200 - $400+ a piece. Unless I'm looking at the wrong sites.

If the heads are good, I'm getting a list together of what I need when it's time to put things back together.

1. Torque Wrench

2. Head gaskets

3. Manifold gaskets

4. Bolts for heads

5. Bolts for Intake

6. Plugs

7. Plug wires

8. Another 3/8 Socket Wrench (kinda snapped mine)

9. Oil/Filter for change when done

I already have:

- Intake gaskets

- Coolant

Anything else I'm missing?

OR

Are there other things to check while I'm into it already? The reason I ask is:

- The guys at work were talking about getting a new timing chain and to possibly upgrade it to something something degree off center to increase HP.

- New Exhaust Manifold's, Headers, Intake to increase HP if I'm doing it?

I know I know, I'm heading down the rabbit hole with the "OR" list. This is why I'm posting here and rely on y'all to keep me level headed here.

We want to stay reasonable with the cost since I'm doing the labor. With Christmas coming up and all this happened at the wrong time. But, when is it ever the right time?

Is your machinist going to disassemble the heads or will you do it? Meaning remove all the valves. If you do it yourself and plan to reassemble them yourself then add a spring compressor and valve stem seals to your list. If you are just going to drop them off as-is then your machinist will do that... don’t know what the price difference might be but if you are doing as much as you can yourself those are things you will need. If you do need a head I would suggest a salvage yard part as long as it has some kind of guarantee. Save the fancy stuff for doing a full on engine rebuild.