Head Gasket blown, head cracked on 97 Windstar?

[tleeburks]

I have a 97 Windstar 3.8L. This morning was not fun for me. I went to work early in the morning and I got on the highway and the temp gauge showed the engine getting hot. I stopped for awhile, then proceeded. Took about 30 minutes, i ran the heater on high thinking it was the thermostat sticking and that would unstick it. It still ran about little over in the upper half of the gauge but made it to work. On the way home was not fun however, It could not stay cool. I stopped several times and couldn't get on the highway, I stopped and bought a thermostat and antifreeze. I put some antifreeze in the radiator and it immediately got cool and ran cool the rest of the way home. When I got home I just the oil fill cap and discovered a gummy loose kinda liquid, dark brown. Someone told me once if you crack the head it will look like a bad capachino(?) coffee drink. Well it does. So, did I crack the head? On the highway it runs good, despite this morning. But in the city it putters and putters. Anyway, I don't have the money or means to fix it if it is so i gotta look for another car. Now.... can I continue to put antifreeze in it and drive it like that, just to and from 30 minutes one way? It acted like this about a month ago and it went away. Please help. I know I screwed up, just trying to find alternatives. thanks

[serge_saati]

I don't reccomand you to continue like that. Because if the head gasket is blown, the antifreeze will leak in the oil and they will both mix together. Too much antifreeze in the oil pan will damage the engine. I suggest you to check your oil level. If it's too high, change the oil. When you will have the ressources, change your head gasket. I think you can do it yourself with the service manual.

[mechhound]

Originally Posted by tleeburks

I have a 97 Windstar 3.8L. This morning was not fun for me. I went to work early in the morning and I got on the highway and the temp gauge showed the engine getting hot. I stopped for awhile, then proceeded. Took about 30 minutes, i ran the heater on high thinking it was the thermostat sticking and that would unstick it. It still ran about little over in the upper half of the gauge but made it to work. On the way home was not fun however, It could not stay cool. I stopped several times and couldn't get on the highway, I stopped and bought a thermostat and antifreeze. I put some antifreeze in the radiator and it immediately got cool and ran cool the rest of the way home. When I got home I just the oil fill cap and discovered a gummy loose kinda liquid, dark brown. Someone told me once if you crack the head it will look like a bad capachino(?) coffee drink. Well it does. So, did I crack the head? On the highway it runs good, despite this morning. But in the city it putters and putters. Anyway, I don't have the money or means to fix it if it is so i gotta look for another car. Now.... can I continue to put antifreeze in it and drive it like that, just to and from 30 minutes one way? It acted like this about a month ago and it went away. Please help. I know I screwed up, just trying to find alternatives. thanks

A thick milky looking substance under the oil fill cap is not unusual in cold weather. What does the oil on the dipstick look like? It's possible that just the thermostat is bad causing the overheating. You say in town it putters, that doesn't sound good. I would change the thermostat and see what happens. Unless the oil on the dipstick looks bad, in which case I would not drive it anymore than absoulutey necessary until I replaced the head gasket and checked the head. Good luck.

[wiswind]

A good mechanic will be able to diagnose your issue.
From what you post, I would not be totally convinced that it is the head gasket, although I could be.
It sounds like you were low on coolant, but adding seemed to help.
There are several other leak points on the windstar....add a few more that are possible due to the age of the vehicle.

One common leak point, that is easy to misdiagnose as a head gasket, is the lower intake manifold gaskets.
Coolant leaking into the intake from a intake manifold gasket leak is drawn into the cylinder(s), and could lead one to think that it is a head gasket failure.
A head gasket job includes new lower intake manifold gaskets.
But if that is all that is wrong, it would be a cost savings to only do the lower intake manifold gaskets.
A mechanic can do some additional tests to determine the integrity of the head gaskets.

There is also the possiblility of a leak in a radiator hose, or heater hose.
There is also the "crossover pipe", aka bypass hose, which passes through the lower intake manifold.
This pipe also has a "U" elbow hose on the passenger side that connects the pipe to a pipe that comes from the water pump.
I show this part in one of my pictures.

So, in short, I would look for any visible signs of external coolant leakage.
Remember to look up from under the vehicle in the area of the water pump....which is mounted onto the "front cover" that is a known leak point......the gasket where the front cover meets the engine block.
Look on the ground where you park for signs of leakage.
Also inspect the radiator for signs of leakage.....particularly where the plastic side tanks meet the alluminumn fins.

There are also internal leakage points, the front cover (aka timing cover) gasket and lower intake manifold gaskets being the most common.
The replacement gaskets from FORD have been improved to address the issues that led to their failure.....so one should never have to address them again.

Take comfort in the fact that head gasket failure on a '97 3.8L is not common.

[tleeburks]

the oil on the dipstick is black but no signs of the milky substance. only at the oil fill cap and the front hard plastic breather hose. what do you think?

[12Ounce]

I once had the heater hose pop loose, while accelerating onto the expressway in front of trucks ... we were all "flying low". I had no where to exit for miles. The temp indicator pegged. The engine was scorched. Finally was able to let it cool down and add coolant. Limped home with a bad hose leak ... was constantly topping up.

I assumed the engine was done for ... but put over 100k miles MORE on it.

The heads and gaskets can be pretty tough.

[mechhound]

Originally Posted by tleeburks

the oil on the dipstick is black but no signs of the milky substance. only at the oil fill cap and the front hard plastic breather hose. what do you think?

I would replace the thermostat, make sure your anti freeze mixture is strong enough and all air is out of the cooling system(from changing the thermostat) let it idle in the yard until it warms up while carefully watching the temperature guage. If all seems okay so far, I would take it for a long test drive, while still staying fairly close to home and see if it still overheats. Look for external leaks when it is warm and pressurized. Always check the coolant level everytime the engine is cool enough. Good luck.

[tomj76]

Since you were able to add coolant to the system, do you know where the lost coolant went? Did the resevoir tank overflow? That can happen if there is a bad gasket, since combustion gas is displacing coolant. However, it could have been low to begin with (for another reason, such as a leak), which would also result in a hot engine.

The creamy, milky substance could be oil, but not necessarily due to a head gasket leak. I've seen that on my vehicles that had no significant head gasket problems.

Checking the dipstick is often enough to find oil/coolant issues, but if the vehicle has not been run recently, the oil and coolant can separate. Running the engine should stir anything up, or draining the oil pan would give you an opportunity to look directly at the oil to see if it has been contaminated.

As mentioned, a thermostat stuck closed could cause your problems. Since you already purchased a new one, installing that is an expensive and somewhat simple process. I've sometimes run the engine without the thermostat as a check before buying one, provided it can be take out without draining too much coolant.

[tleeburks]

Update:

I replaced the thermostat is instructed and it looked pretty awful. I filled it up with antifreeze/water and then took it for a long drive. It took awhile for the engine to heat up and the heater to heat up but after about 15 minutes of driving 55 and over it got to the usual temp that it always stayed at and the heater is heating fine. I appreciate the help from everyone. OBTW, no leaks after I checked it when I got back, ill check the level here later after the engine cools. thanks again. automotive forum comes through again.

[LadyMe]

I am restoring a 1981 Toyota Pickup (22R). I think I have a blown head gasket or head. Thick white smoke and droplets of black liquid come out of my tailpipe. I think I can smell antifreeze. My radiator won't hold coolant. The truck is having a hard time idling in Drive, it chugs during acceleration, and has stalled out when slowing. The oil looks like mud. It is mixing with the coolant.

I've heard that if the head or head gasket goes then you should replace the engine. Do you agree? I've got some mobile mechanics coming to confirm the diagnosis in a few days. I have a feeling they will say they can repair it but I'm not sure I should get a repair. I don't want to spend $$$ now to have to spend more $$$ later. I want it fixed right the first time. I'd appreciate any advice or insight.

Cheers!