Leaderboard

1. Thanks for saving a rare and wonderful vehicle. You know the previous owner neglected the vehicle, it's going to need substantial repair and preventative maintenance to set it right. 2. I had a '93 3.4L with blown head gaskets. One head gasket actually failed and leaked, when I pulled the other head I found identical damage in the identical place--it just hadn't started leaking yet. It's as if there's a "soft spot" in the head casting; the head distorts, loses gasket-clamping in a certain area (near #1, kinda towards the lower part of 1 and 3; and the same spot on #6, towards the lower area of #6 and #4. Very near a coolant hole in the gasket, and a bigass coolant passage in the block.) The gasket wiggles free until it fails from fatigue. Had to mill the heads .015, and I wasn't happy about the wear on the block surface--but I took a chance and it seems to have worked. Got the engine running beautifully, and then the trans failed. Haven't driven the car in almost ten years. 3. Some photos of the two head gaskets stacked on each other, and scarred deck surface attached. 4. It's two steps away from hopeless, trying to diagnose driveability issues without a scan tool to give you insight into the sensor readings, and the computer outputs. Sure, codes can be helpful, but the data stream is ESSENTIAL. 5. It's probably worth your time to conduct a compression test, and then a cylinder leakdown test of the best and worst cylinders, if not all six. Do this BEFORE you take things apart. 6. Stay with the OEM-temperature thermostat, and don't bother drilling any holes. The vehicle has bleeder screws to bleed air from the cooling system, the thermostat doesn't need to pass air when closed. 7. Plenum gaskets are one thing. The actual lower intake gaskets--where the intake meets the head--are a known trouble area leading to unstable idle and off-idle problems. 8. Don't forget about the timing belt. Previous owner almost certainly neglected it.