03 5.4L (2 valve) head gasket replacement - Disassembly questions

[Eric M]

I've decided to try to give myself as much space as possible to do the head gasket job, which means I am now trying (not super successfully) to try to remove the front grill and bumper. Headlight assemblies are out. The clips on the grill seem like a nightmare to try to remove without ruining them, which is why I'd like to leave them in place. Actually, after having a look at the whole grill and bumper assembly, I'd like to remove the whole thing in one piece. Is doesn't seem like a terrible idea, but then again, I have never done this before. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Also, there are two brackets under the front bumper that fasten it to the frame (see photos). They are held on by plastic fasteners (see the plastic disc sitting flush on the bracket in the photo) that don't seem to want to come out without being destpyrd in the process. Do I just pry these things out, break them, and just replace with new ones when reassembling? Thanks!

would be appreciated.

 

[Retiredusps]

pry out with claw hammer , crows foot, or what you have , replace if they break, not a big cost item.why hold up your work over such a small item, trying to save. clips and fastners has a good stock of products, no i have no interest in the company, but just passing along a source of items.

 

[Hamfisted]

Not sure how much space you actually gain removing the frontend. You still end up with the radiator support there, and the AC condenser (unless you discharge that ....) . I had plenty of room with the frontend in place. I actually just sat up there with my feet on the crossmember for most of the job. The bigger issue is the space ( or lack there of....) at the rear of the motor.






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[Eric M]

Not sure how much space you actually gain removing the frontend. You still end up with the radiator support there, and the AC condenser (unless you discharge that ....) . I had plenty of room with the frontend in place. I actually just sat up there with my feet on the crossmember for most of the job. The bigger issue is the space ( or lack there of....) at the rear of the motor.






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OK. I am glad you said this. I was having doubts about the need to do this. I will just get the radiator out and work with what space I have. Thanks again.

 

[Hamfisted]

Yeah if you pull the radiator out you'll have tons of room anyway. If it's the original radiator you might look at replacing it anyway. Mine took a dump at 230k miles, shortly after I did the heads.

 

[Vincent Vega]

I banged my radiator a couple times with my impact wrench while removing the harmonic balancer. I should have been more careful, but removing it altogether would have helped, so yeah @Eric M not a waste of time to remove.
@Hamfisted did your radiator suddenly have a gigantic leak and leave your somewhere, or start leaking gradually (give you some warning)? I'm at 150k and looks and seems fine, but can't have that thing crapping out on me in the middle of the desert.

 

[Hamfisted]

I banged my radiator a couple times with my impact wrench while removing the harmonic balancer. I should have been more careful, but removing it altogether would have helped, so yeah @Eric M not a waste of time to remove.
@Hamfisted did your radiator suddenly have a gigantic leak and leave your somewhere, or start leaking gradually (give you some warning)? I'm at 150k and looks and seems fine, but can't have that thing crapping out on me in the middle of the desert.

It just developed a small leak along the top tank seam on the passenger side. I could smell coolant, and popping the hood I saw evidence of coolant spray towards the battery area. I banged it up a little doing my timing chains anyway, so I didn't mind replacing it, since it was original. Motorcraft doesn't offer 'em anymore, so anything you use is gonna be aftermarket. The Duralast has a lifetime warranty and they were just around the corner so I went with that. I don't know that there's any difference in quality in any of them now.





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[Vincent Vega]

@Hamfisted ok thanks man. Yeah I saw Motocraft discontinued it. Napa has two models available - one is a 1 inch core, the other is 1.25 inch. Do you know if the 1.25 inch core is what comes with the Tow package?
(I'm so out of date, I can't seem to stop calling it a Camper Special).

 

[Eric M]

It just developed a small leak along the top tank seam on the passenger side. I could smell coolant, and popping the hood I saw evidence of coolant spray towards the battery area. I banged it up a little doing my timing chains anyway, so I didn't mind replacing it, since it was original. Motorcraft doesn't offer 'em anymore, so anything you use is gonna be aftermarket. The Duralast has a lifetime warranty and they were just around the corner so I went with that. I don't know that there's any difference in quality in any of them now.





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Thinking about replacing the radiator too. It looks OK, no corrosion anywhere. But it looks to be the original (185K). Was the Duralast an exact fit or did it require improvisation, extra parts, etc. to secure it?

 

[Hamfisted]

Thinking about replacing the radiator too. It looks OK, no corrosion anywhere. But it looks to be the original (185K). Was the Duralast an exact fit or did it require improvisation, extra parts, etc. to secure it?

The Duralast was an exact fit. The trans line fittings required a little assist from the removal tool (3/8" trans line tool...) to get the locks to open up so the lines could slide in and lock, but other than that it was plug-n-play. I had little 3/8" caps over the trans lines to keep them from dripping fluid during the swap out. I'm pretty sure most of the aftermarket radiators will be the same. I just used Duralast 'cause of the warranty and AutoZone was literally just around the corner. I even replaced the reservoir 'cause the original one was getting pretty trashed. It's nice to be able to see the clean coolant level again.

Trans Line Disconnect Tool on Amazon

Vacuum Line Cap Assorted Kit on Amazon

2003-2006 Expedition Coolant Reservoir on Amazon



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[Eric M]

I just used Duralast 'cause of the warranty and AutoZone was literally just around the corner.

I agree, I often end up going with parts from Autozone only because of the lifetime warranty, even if "Duralast" is not my favorite brand. Thanks very much for the links.

 

[Eric M]

So, after some procrastinating I am about to remove the exhaust manifolds. I could not find any good videos demonstrating the driver's side removal. The Haynes manual calls for the front driveshaft to be removed. Is this step totally necessary? And feel free to offer any other advice. Thanks!

 

[Hamfisted]

I used an air impact and long extension to reach the exhaust flange nuts. Is that what you're talking about ? Spray 'em with some Liquid Wrench penetrating oil ( Walmart ) and let them soak for a while before you try to bust the nuts loose. I left the manifolds on the heads and took them off as one piece. Once off the motor and on a work bench I sprayed the manifold nuts with Liquid Wrench and used the air impact to pop the nuts off again. Broke a couple and just had the machine shop remove the studs when they did the head rebuild. Replaced 'em with stainless studs and used copper anti-seize on the threads.

 

[Eric M]

I used an air impact and long extension to reach the exhaust flange nuts. Is that what you're talking about ? Spray 'em with some Liquid Wrench penetrating oil ( Walmart ) and let them soak for a while before you try to bust the nuts loose. I left the manifolds on the heads and took them off as one piece. Once off the motor and on a work bench I sprayed the manifold nuts with Liquid Wrench and used the air impact to pop the nuts off again. Broke a couple and just had the machine shop remove the studs when they did the head rebuild. Replaced 'em with stainless studs and used copper anti-seize on the threads.

Great! The fact that I can leave the manifolds on the heads and remove them in one piece will save me a ton of work. Thanks a lot!

 

[BlackCoffee]

One little bit of warning. I did the same thing the first time I replaced the head gaskets. When it comes to putting them back together, the tough part is working with the oil dipstick that needs to be routed between the exhaust manifold and the intake. The heads, with manifold are pretty heavy and lining up the head for installation while trying to get the dip stick in place is not easy. I think the Haynes manual was having you come from the bottom, try and come in through the side.

One trick I learned on the second go around was to jack the front end, remove the tires, and remove the inner splash shield. That will give you good access to the exhaust manifold.

 

[BlackCoffee]

Saw you query on the front grill. Unless you are going to remove the radiator and evaporator, you don't gain any front end access by removing the front bumper cover (see my pictures in your parts post). It really isn't that hard to remove the bumper cover. The radiator and evaporator will be the problem. The transmission lines into the radiator can be problematic and you will need to recharge the A/C if you pull the evaporator. If you do disconnect the evaporator, you should also replace the dryer in the A/C system. Otherwise, buy a U-Haul box, cut it up, and tape it to the back of the radiator for protection.

 

[Hamfisted]

Yeah, I had mine on ramps for the whole operation. Because I was always going underneath for this or that. I had a stepping stool for standing and reaching in the engine bay when I wasn't actually sitting in the bay. The oil dipstick and tube come out early in the operation. Like after you remove the air filter box. And go back in after you put the valve covers back on when you're buttoning everything up. Just that one bolt securing the tube to the head and it pulls out. Very easy.







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[Eric M]

I have assumed from the start that I was going to have the heads done at the local machine shop or order reconditioned heads.

That is what I have done in the past. Now, as the price tag for this repair continues to grow, I am wondering if having the heads machined is even necessary. The local shop will charge me a minimum of $425/head including the valve job.

My question: Is it a bad idea to not get the heads machined? If I do the valves and thoroughly clean the mating surfaces on the heads and block, would that likely be sufficient? I definitely don't want to cut corners. But nor do I want to spend on things that aren't necessary. Thanks.

 

[Hamfisted]

I don't know what kind of machinist support you have in your town ( or neighboring town...) but are you sure that's not for BOTH heads ? Down here in south Florida I paid $375 for a complete overhaul of both heads ( as well as some exhaust stud removals...). How many miles were on the motor? I don't know if you actually need a "valve job". Maybe just a resurfacing and replace the valve seals. You can test your valve seat sealing by turning the head so that the combustion chamber is straight up and spray some WD40 on the valve seat area to see if the liquid stays there or disappears ( indicating poor valve face seal ) . If the valves are still sealing well they're most likely fine as is. Just replace the stem seals with the ones that come in your head gasket set. But resurfacing the heads is important when using the new MLS style head gaskets, so have that done regardless.








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[Eric M]

I don't know what kind of machinist support you have in your town ( or neighboring town...) but are you sure that's not for BOTH heads ? Down here in south Florida I paid $375 for a complete overhaul of both heads ( as well as some exhaust stud removals...). How many miles were on the motor? I don't know if you actually need a "valve job". Maybe just a resurfacing and replace the valve seals. You can test your valve seat sealing by turning the head so that the combustion chamber is straight up and spray some WD40 on the valve seat area to see if the liquid stays there or disappears ( indicating poor valve face seal ) . If the valves are still sealing well they're most likely fine as is. Just replace the stem seals with the ones that come in your head gasket set. But resurfacing the heads is important when using the new MLS style head gaskets, so have that done regardless.








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Thanks very much for the input. So I called the local shop again just to confirm their pricing and was happy to hear that to "deck the head" (machine the mating surface) is only $85/head. Obviously, I will get this done. The $425/head is a complete head reconditioning, with valve job.