'99 Taurus (Vulcan) Blown Head Gasket Question

[jd783]

I have a really nice '99 Taurus, w/ the 3.0L Vulcan that just recently developed a badly blown head gasket, (Coolant being sucked into the cylinders, white smoke puffing out of the tailpipe constantly, etc..)

The engine has 260K on it but still doesn't have any knocks/ticks coming from the bottom end that I can hear. The car was originally my grandpas, and after the head gasket blew, he still drove it for awhile and overheated the engine badly a few times. I know that the head gasket job on this car will not be easy, but I really want to save this car as it is in immaculate condition otherwise.

My question: Is it worth doing a head gasket job on this high mileage engine, which has been overheated badly more than a few times?

Keep in mind that I don't have much money, and wouldn't be able to afford the cost of having another engine installed. I really need a car right now, and I need to do this as low-cost as possible.

Thanks in advance for any info.

[GPFred]

Head gasket kits are not that bad cost wise. But then you have to pull everything above the heads. You'll also need an intake gasket set. Might be able to get the entire set complete. Depending on what cylinder has the leaking gasket, I would do a compression check to see how many cylinders are good or marginal if at all. A compression check would give you an idea of what kind of shape the cylinders rings are in and how tight the valves seal up. If you decide to go forward with the head gasket replacement, I would do both sides, oh, and have the heads checked by a machine shop as well. Just some thoughts. Hope this helps.