98 windstar cyl. head.

[RCAID99]

Any body know what the torque value is for cyl. head bolts on a 98 windstar 3.8L.?

[wiswind]

I do not know.....can look up on alldatadiy ONLY for '96....which is most likely the same..........but I'll bet that they have them on the autozone website also, under "vehicle specific repair guides".
You will want to look it up anyhow, as not only is the tightness important.......the order that you tighten them is also.
They will have a diagram of the tighten sequence, that you should print out and have handy as you do the job.
Follow the directions carefully!!!!

Also, the gasket, and the gasket seating surfaces on the block and head are to be completely clean, no oil, and certainly no RTV or other sealant is to be used!!!!! Dry, clean surface is what FORD specifies.

I do not know why you are working with the heads, or at what point in the process you are, but just in case that it might save you from unnecessary work and expense. The head gaskets are NOT a high failure item on the post 1995 windstar.
The lower intake manifold gaskets ARE a high failure item, and can get coolant into the cylinders.
Often, the head gasket is miss-diagnosed as the problem.

Also, I have just been through the lower intake manifold gasket repair process, so there are pictures of this in my pictures, at the link in my signature.
You DO want to replace the lower intake manifold gaskets any and every time that the lower intake manifold is removed. They are a 1 time use item.
You DO want to get the new gaskets from FORD, as there have been improvements made to them, that are not yet available in the aftermarket brands.

The lower intake manifold bolts are re-usable.

The Head bolts are NOT re-usable.....another one time use item.

[RCAID99]

thanks for your help wiswind , i'll look for it.... thanks again!

[Paul Scanzillo]

No longer have the specs but when I did my head gaskets on my '95 3.8 the dealer specs were different than FELPRO specs. I used the FELPRO gaskets so I used their specs and 40,000 miles later, all is well. I replaced the head bolts as well because they "stretch" for the last torque sequence which is what they are designed to do. I also torqued the intake bolts very precisely as well, so to not warp the intake manifold, causing coolant leakage.

Have fun!

Paul Scanzillo

[Blue Bowtie]

Originally Posted by wiswind

You DO want to get the new gaskets from FORD, as there have been improvements made to them, that are not yet available in the aftermarket brands.

The lower intake manifold bolts are re-usable.

The Head bolts are NOT re-usable.....another one time use item.

As is customary, wiswind is correct. I'm not as familiar with Dearborn's parts numbering system, but from what I can tell, Ford will frequently change the suffix of a part number when there is a production change or upgrade. These changes and upgrades may not always make it to the aftermarket.

I DO know that GM will frequently change parts or upgrade as a result of TSBs, general design improvements, or field service experience, and NOT change the part number. For example, if you order a 12553160 head gasket, it will not look like the one you removed. It will probably never leak again, even on an aluminum head/iron block engine. The FelPro gasket for that application is the same old one they've been cutting/stamping for years, and will have the same old problems under aluminum heads. Moreover, the GM gasket set is about half the price! (Not common, but sometimes it happens.)

wiswind's point, and mine, is that the factory will revisit parts when there may be a problem, and the aftermarket likely doesn't - or at least not nearly as frequently or quickly.

Agreed on the torque-to-yield head bolts. Once the've been stretched and subjected to thermal cycles, they really shouldn't be used for assembly again since they cannot be relied upon to proper pressure at the torque/degree specification. They MIGHT work, but it's really not worth the rsik.

[LeSabre97mint]

Who makes the "OEM" gaskets for Ford?

Dan