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Head gaskets

3K views 24 replies 4 participants last post by  skipph 
#1 ·
I’m about to do the heads on my 04 and was wondering if somewhere a list of parts was made. Thought maybe over time people might have put one together, cause knowing me even writing everything down I think I need I’ll sell myself short about half. Obviously doing studs and the usual upgrades and open to any suggestions
 
#3 ·
Is your 04 a truck, an excursion, or a van?
How many miles on the truck/engine now?
Do you have an early 04 or late 04 engine (where is the ICP sensor)? It makes a difference in parts.
Are you having any problems with the truck/engine that you want to address?
What would you consider "usual upgrades"?
Do you want a lot of extra horsepower or just reliability?
Will the head replacement work be done w/ the cab off or engine out?
Regarding reliability, is your objective to do this job and have no issues for 5 years, or can you handle say an HPOP or an injector failing within a 1-2 years after the job?
 
#4 ·
Wow, sorry I was really vague. It’s an F250 Harley edition with 180k that I’d would like to be one and done. Don’t have the place to pull the cab so I’ll be pulling the motor I guess. Wouldn’t mind having a little more umf in the peddle but nothing to crazy.
 
#6 ·
If the HPOP is the original one, I would replace it with an Adrenaline HPOP (stock output). Get the Ford gasket kit for it though.

If the dummy plugs and standpipes haven't been updated, then update them.

You have to decide on your own on injectors. Some people get 200k+ and some don't get 180k. If you do get injectors, stick w/ the Ford Remans (from a reputable source) or the new Pure Power injectors.

You need to monitor your coolant and oil temps (after the engine is FULLY warmed up). This will tell you if your oil cooler is plugged up (on the coolant side). The oil should not ever get more than 15 degrees (and I like to see less than 10 degrees) more than the coolant. If your oil cooler is plugged, you will need an extensive flushing of the coolant system and then you should probably change out the oil cooler. Stick w/ the Ford oil cooler from a dealership or from FICMrepair.com. Oh, you will also want the upgraded screen for the oil cooler sump (HPOP screen).

The Late 04 has the weak EGR cooler. If you aren't doing an EGR delete, you should install an EGR cooler from BulletProofDiesel.com.

If the cab was coming off, then it would be a great time to do the cab isolator bushings. They seem to fail around 200k miles.

Consider doing the heater hoses, etc that are hard to get access to without the engine removed.

Glow plug harnesses get brittle w/ heat and age. Probably need to plan on replacing those. Glow plugs are easy to get to w/ the engine out and aren't all that expensive.

The cam and crank sensors aren't REAL prone to failure, but they can leak oil. You can get new seals or replace them altogether.

ONLY get the Ford sensors, gaskets, and seals. They are proven to be reliable! Aftermarket is a big risk in these categories IMO.

The 04's have had a lot of engine harness problems. Yours may be fine or may be getting brittle, etc. Only you can tell that. The harness is expensive, but no better time for it.

Your turbo may be fine or it may need to be cleaned. Probably worth cleaning at least. You can get the turbo rebuild kit from KCturbo. I would get the 360 kit or the 360 extreme kit. They have the unison ring there for a decent price. Might want to get a new turbo oil feed line and oil drain tube also.

Exhaust manifolds didn't come w/ gaskets. No better time than to buy them and install them.

There is an "intake to front cover" o-ring that you probably will need. #W301767

It would be a great time to install an EGT thermocouple in the exhaust manifold piping and if you want a larger exhaust, then now is the time for that as well.

AutoNation White Bear Lake is a great place to get the parts. Shipping is a little high, but prices are great.

The 6.4L push rods are something to consider. Your choice of heads or head machining may play a part in your decision there.

A lot of people are liking the o-ringed Kill-Devil heads. UCF has some good reviews also.

Your model year takes 18mm (locating dowel) heads.

Certainly go w/ ARP head studs, and get them from a reputable source. Counterfeiters are everywhere.

FelPro head gaskets are good.

You might want to call KillDevil Diesel to discuss the heads and head gaskets
https://killdevildiesel.com/

Killdevildiesel sells a good top-end gasket set also.
 
#7 ·
Oh, and I can get you a contact number for one of the guys in charge of internet sales at AutoNation White Bear Lake.

His name is Mike and he can get you all the part numbers you need.

I believe that the upper gasket kit that matthewd11 mentioned is part number 5C3Z-6079-G (you should verify this against your specific VIN number). In addition to most of the upper end gaskets, it also includes OEM head gaskets which are good, but many people are now going w/ the FelPro gaskets.

All I ask is that you publish the list (with part numbers) and post it here when you are done. It can help a lot of others that way!!! Someone just did that over on FTE for an 07.
 
#8 ·
Hey thanks for all the info guys. Just what I needed to start on my baby. I’ve got a book to log everything into so I’ll be sure to share everything I can. My wife’s worried about me tackling this because of my cancer but I’m not letting stop me do anything! So bare with me for updates as it may be a slow process but it’ll get done.
 
#9 ·
One more thing to add. If you are keeping your injectors, then at least plan to re-ring them. The o-rings don't last forever.

Hopefully your torque wrenches are calibrated.

If you don't have a way to lift the cab, consider a "cab on" process for the head replacement. Check out the posts from 87crewdually in this thread:
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1595195-cab-on-or-off-for-headgaskets.html
 
#12 ·
The best way to diagnose head gasket leaks is with a pressure gauge on the degas bottle and a system that is known to be leak free.

Your question can't reliably be answered if we don't know the temperature that the coolant got to, or the level of coolant in the degas bottle, or if there is a leak in the degas bottle vapor space.
 
#13 ·
The level of coolant is right at the line on the degass jug. I ran the truck for a while and with friends code reader the coolant temp was 195. I had a fuel pressure gauge sitting around so I hooked it up and it was reading 4.5-5. It’s never leaked as long as I’ve had it which is about 6 months. Was running rough and a local shop told me I had head gasket and a couple injector issues
 
#22 ·
The level of coolant is right at the line on the degass jug. I ran the truck for a while and with friends code reader the coolant temp was 195. I had a fuel pressure gauge sitting around so I hooked it up and it was reading 4.5-5. It’s never leaked as long as I’ve had it which is about 6 months. Was running rough and a local shop told me I had head gasket and a couple injector issues
Well, all we have to go on is this. Nothing wrong w/ that if it is accurate. Your call for sure.
 
#17 ·
No I haven’t tested them, but I’ll do that tomorrow. I’m also going by the shop and going to ask how they came up that I had bad gaskets. They’re supposed to be a reputable real deal shop. Then sometimes you’re only as good as the techs you have
 
#23 ·
Any suggestions where to get injectors or just go to ford. I have to replace #7 now and once I get my ducks in a row I think I’m going to do the studs and upgrade injectors to. Went to a different nearby ford dealer and they said it wasn’t the heads. There was an issue with the programmer and the injector was bad. They reflashed it for me and gave me a price on the injector replacement. Said a coolant flush wouldn’t hurt me either, some nice guys at a smaller dealership
 
#24 ·
Any suggestions where to get injectors or just go to ford. I have to replace #7 now and once I get my ducks in a row I think I’m going to do the studs and upgrade injectors to. Went to a different nearby ford dealer and they said it wasn’t the heads. There was an issue with the programmer and the injector was bad. They reflashed it for me and gave me a price on the injector replacement. Said a coolant flush wouldn’t hurt me either, some nice guys at a smaller dealership
Imagine that, lol. Sounds like you are just itching to get the heads done regardless, so go for it. Just be aware that a big part of a successful head stud project is the re-surfacing and/or machining of the heads. Make sure that is done right and that there are no cracks. Most people now days are suggesting new o-ringed heads, but that was also posted above.

Plenty of information about where to get parts in the previous posts above - including injectors.

If you decide not to take the suggestion above on the HPOP, you can save some money for the short term, but very likely to have quite a bit of repeat labor in the future.
 
#25 ·
Unfortunately I can never leave well enough alone and it drives my wife crazy. Although she never complained about the Harley when I started messing with it. Guess it’s cause I think she might love it more than I do, good thing she can’t drive it ?. Hopefully deer season doesn’t make me drag it out to long, haha
 
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